SOCIO-ANTHROPOLOGY OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY: HISTORICITY, PEDAGOGICAL PRAXIS, AND THE ETHICS OF SCHOOL INCLUSION

Abstract

This article investigates the complex dimensions surrounding Intellectual Disability (ID) in the contemporary educational landscape, analyzing the transition from segregationist models to current policies of radical inclusion. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the study examines the impact of attitudinal barriers and the inadequacy of standardized pedagogical practices that fail to account for the uniqueness of the individual with ID. The research posits that disability is not an intrinsic attribute of the individual but a construct resulting from the interaction between functional limitations and restrictive environments. It concludes that establishing a truly democratic school system requires definitively moving beyond the medical-pathological model in favor of an ethics of otherness, wherein specialized support and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) serve to guarantee autonomy and the full exercise of citizenship.