A Positive Strategy For Social Inclusion at A School

EXCLUSION

2500 WORDS

A Positive Strategy For Social Inclusion at A School Keyi.Xiang

Space or design, like language, is socially constructed; and like the syntax of a language, the spatial arrangements

of our buildings and communities reflect and reinforce the nature of gender, race, and class relations in society

CONTENT

Introduction---------------------------------------------------------------------P.2 A Disabled Boy At Stanislas College----------------------------P.3 If I Am The One Sitting In A Wheelchair At My School------------------P.5 Conclusion----------------------------------------------------------------P.8 Bibliography----------------------------------------------------------------P.9

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Introduction Social exclusion as a discourse emerged in France during the 1970s and has since spread across the rest of Europe1 . In contemporary society social exclusion may take many forms such as being deliberately excluded from a peer group, having rumors spread about you, or being purposefully embarrassed2. Having a sense of belonging and self-identity are important at any age but it is particularly relevant when children reach their adolescence and are building up their values and personalities. My research with regard to social exclusion is mainly based on my experiences and observations at Stanislas College - a secondary school in Delft, where students are aged 12-18.

Generally, there are four factors which can literally drag people away from participating in society: poverty, illness (mental and physical), discrimination (gender and race) and lack of resources (education,

jobs, and housing) 3 [Figure 1]. An Australian research reports in 2009 that approximately 1 on 6 children had experiences of social exclusion, however, this may under-represent true prevalence rates given the difficulties in measuring social exclusion, because it is often kept in the background and happens in hidden ways4. So how social exclusion effect children in their schools? I believe the school- Stanislas College- could be a great example for my research.

When we visited the Stanislas College for the first time, me and my fellow students noticed the sad expression on a boy’s face when he was left behind by his fellow students. He was sitting in a wheelchair while a group of boys running around him, not including him in any way. And something else happened: when I passed a classroom, a group of students made racist gestures to me because of [Figure1] Source: author drawing my Asian appearance. Because of these two events, the topic of social exclusion for my research crossed my mind. Is social exclusion among students an issue at this school?

I spoke to and observed the 14 years old disabled boy in the wheelchair that I saw on my first visit at the Stanislas college. I made drawings of him and of his companions and the areas where he often stays in the school. By these observations I noticed he was being excluded by others because of his physical condition, he is unable to join many of his peers activities. Generally, people do not realize that their behavior can cause exclusion and they hardly understand the reason why it is wrong to exclude others5 .

So, if social exclusion takes place at the Stanislas College I would like to think about ways to use exclusion as a positive method to help children understand the richness of having different backgrounds and personal qualities, instead of directly telling them what exclusion entails. For this, I will use my observations at Stanislas College as a case study.

As a designer, I think I could provide an opportunity for young people to understand the differences between 1 Quirky Kid Clinic. (2019). The Quirky Kid Clinic. [online] Available at: https://childpsychologist.com.au/ [Accessed 30 May 2019].

2 Quirky Kid Clinic. (2019). The Quirky Kid Clinic. [online] Available at: https://childpsychologist.com.au/ [Accessed 30 May 2019].

3 Khan Academy. (2019). Khan Academy. [online] Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/ [Accessed 30 May 2019].

4 Edith Cowan University Annual Report, 2009.

5 Leets & Wolf, 2005. Adolescent rules for social exclusion: when is it fair to exclude someone else? Journal of Moral Education. Vol. 34, No. 3, June 2005, pp. 343– 362

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minority and majority and creating a respect for it, which may fundamentally reduce discrimination and exclusion in society. If there is social exclusion at Stanislas, how can we deal with this issue in the school by spatial strategy and social events? It could be a challenging problem for my research. The chapel, the empty father’s house and even the garden that are located next to the school, all may have the potential to be an inclusive place. Because most of the time, these spaces are unoccupied

A Disabled Boy At Stanislas College Observation

Adolescents are particularly sensitive to peer rejection and as a group, may experience the most significant mental health effects such as lack of self-esteem and anxiety in response peer rejection.

Leets & Wolf 6 As mentioned before I observed a disabled boy in my three days of research on site by sketching about his daily activities and friends at school. Because when I first saw him, he was moving around alone in his wheelchair.

By observing him for a longer period of time, I frequently saw him chat with 2-3 female friends in the lobby and corridors. One of the girls seems to be almost fixed to pushing his wheelchair. The only time I say him alone was when he was waiting for the elevator to go to class. [Figure2] Besides the girls that frequently hang out with him, I only once saw him chatting with boys. And because he is in a wheelchair, he can hardly participate in activities that involve walking or run, so he cannot join activities like football. On the other hand, he can participate in sitting activities which some girls like, such as art. I believe that this is part of the reason why he has more female friends in school.

Elevator

Corridor

Hobby

Day1

Day2

Day3

[Figure 2] Source: author drawing 6

Melanie Killen,2007. Children's Social and Moral Reasoning About Exclusion. SAGE Journals. February 1, 2007. Volume: 16, p. 32-36

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In addition, I marked his range of activities at school with peers or without peers. I found that when he was accompanied by friends, he was more willing to stay in the center of the space. But when he was alone, I always saw him staying on the edges of a space [Figure4].

Adolescence is typically a time of increased independence from parents and family and increased dependence on their peer group.

For this boy, I think even if his fellow students will not attack him with words, the experience of being unconsciously rejected due to his situation could be part of the reason why he is extremely unconfident. And the conversation I had with with him confirms this.

The boy’s spots of activity with friends The boy’s spots of activity alone [Figure 3] Ground floor of Stanislas College. Source: author drawing

On the last day of the research, I had a short talk with the boy and asked him the following questions.

Q1: Do you or your friends participate in any activities at school?

A1: No, I do not join any activity, but I know some of them join some dancing groups which are popular in our school, or football teams outside school.

Q2: What is your favorite activity? Do you try to join any groups?

A2: Art, like painting or sculpting. No, a loser like me doesn’t want to be an artist.

Q3: Do you have close friends in school? And what do you do with your friends in school?

A3: Yes, two, nothing special, the school is boring, sometimes we are just chatting.

From our conversation, I noticed that this boy is extremely lacking in self-confidence. First of all, the activities he mentioned others doing were all things he could not participate in. Secondly, he thinks the school is boring, and to some extent, he thinks he is (like the way he mentioned art) a loser at this school. I think his perception of school, certainly is not only from his own physical situation but also from the pressure of exclusion by peer groups. Actually, this aspect I experienced later when I was in wheelchair in my own school.

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If I Am The One Sitting In A Wheelchair At My School Experience

Basically, the three-day observation of a disabled boy is difficult to fully understand all his actions, his feelings, and whether he has a strong the sense of rejection from peer group and space. So, I decided to use the perspective of this disabled boy to understand the space and the people around me. I try to be a student in wheelchair and carry out my various activities at my school.

When I was in a wheelchair and moving around in my school, my perspective was completely different from a healthy person walking in there. I became very sensitive. As long as I encountered obstacles, I could feel that people passing by would look at me because they might want to help. But for me, it is really pressure. For instance, I pass three times in the same place, and every time the same person helps me, I was stressed for bothering him. Then the fourth time, I tried to avoid that person.

Basement Plan

My route

Ground Floor Plan

Outside

My starting point

[Figure4] My route from basement to Interior Architecture Studio when I sit on a wheelchair in KABK. Source: author drawing

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Basement

Outside

Inside

Trying to go to any of the workshops in school but always blocked by steps.

[Figure5]Source: author photographing

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Mental stress After going to the Interior Architecture studio I tried to move around in school alone in the wheelchair.

When I was blocked by a slope in the yard, I could obviously feel that the people sitting in the yard looked at me. Where they thinking about whether to come over and help me or not? I felt scared that I had to stand up to push the wheelchair up the slope myself. I could almost hear the people in the [Figure6] My view when I was blocked sitting on wheelchair.Source:author photographing yard judging me, saying: ‘Oh, she is fine actually’.

Whenever I was stopped by obstacles, the feeling that I was stared at by everyone was very bad. Even if they were kind and helped me out, it would make me feel that I am different from them

Physical problems

[Figure7]Source: author drawing

All of the above objects are common for any buildings, but based on my experiments, for people in wheelchairs, they are difficult to pass or even signs that they are forbidden for them to access. If I am alone and need to pass through a narrow corridor and go around a corner, I can pass by carefully. But automatically closing doors, slopes and passages blocked by obstacles, I need someone to accompany me to help me. Steps are almost forbidden places for me, because I need at least two people to be able to pass.

From this experience I probably understood the boy’s situation in his school a little better. For me the school is a public space. It is designed for ‘normal’ people without much consideration for the way those in wheelchairs use a building. So, when I was moving around in the wheelchair, the dangerous feelings and obstacles were almost everywhere. I could feel that I am excluded by this space. Secondly, like this boy in a wheelchair, I can feel the exclusion of people. Without the help of others, it is difficult for me to join the activities of the studio, lectures in the auditorium or any of the workshops. Of course, these situations are not intentional, but they are inevitable.

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Conclusion

Space or design, like language, is socially constructed; and like the syntax of a language, the spatial arrangements of our buildings and communities reflect and reinforce the nature of gender, race, and class relations in society.

Leslie Weisman1 Adolescence is typically a time of increased independence from parents and family and increased dependence on peer groups. Identities are developed in relation to peer groups and peer group differences can become highly salient2. For example, when I had a conversation with the disabled boy, I can clearly feel his lack of selfconfidence. In addition, when I was in a wheelchair myself, I could feel the pressure from my surroundings even in only two and a half hours.

In terms of Stanislas College, I believe there is social exclusion, based on my interviews and observing students. There are small groups, of which some students are excluded, because of their personality, their bad health or even their cultural background. But instead of telling them that excluding others is wrong, I think making the majority experience rejection is a more effective way for exclusive and inclusive cognition.

The chapel is a perfect place to set up an installation that welcomes the disabled. First, I can use the six common spatial obstacles[Figure7] that I drew in my experiment as the rule, and then design a space that is opposite to this rule - a space which includes the disabled, but excludes ‘normal’ people. When ‘normal’ people pass this interesting installation, they will experience the inconvenience of disabled people. This might be an opportunity for students to understand what the disabled and excluded people are experiencing at school every day.

Since most of the exclusion is based on stereotypes and ignorance of the minority, I think if there is a place in the school that encourages students to practice interests, it could be an opportunity for the excluded students to make new friends through the same hobbies. And the rooms in the father’s house and the kitchen on the ground floor are a perfect place for holding events. In the rooms they could practice different hobbies. We can even combine the space installation of the chapel as an exhibition space for students’ hobbies so that students can gain a sense of fulfillment and confidence through their own interests.

For instance, for the disabled boy, he said that he likes art, especially sculpture, but the school does not offer space to practice sculpture. If he can practice art with other students with similar interests, he may be able to make more friends who understand him and even do sculpture exhibitions with these friends. I guess he will definitely get more confidence from these friends and events.

1 Leslie Weisman. Discrimination by Design: A Feminist Critique of The Man-made Environment (1992). Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press. P.2.

2 Khan Academy. (2019). Khan Academy. [online] Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/ [Accessed 30 May 2019].

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Bibliography: 1. Edith Cowan University Annual Report, (2009).

2. Melanie Killen,2007. Children's Social and Moral Reasoning About Exclusion. SAGE Journals. February 1, 2007. Volume: 16, p. 32-36 3. Leets & Wolf, 2005. Adolescent rules for social exclusion: when is it fair to exclude someone else? Journal of Moral Education. Vol. 34, No. 3, June 2005, pp. 343–362 4. Leslie Weisman. Discrimination by Design: A Feminist Critique of The Man-made Environment (1992).

Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press. P.2.

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