Social inclusion of people with disabilities de jure and de facto: the included, the self-inclusive and the non-self-inclusive
Abstract
The article presents an analysis of the social systems, in which human health is not limited to its inclusion in social relations, processes and practices. The main aim of this research work is to study the impact of self-identification of people with disabilities on their social integration and inclusion. The complexity of internal contradictions of these processes and a limited number of research works on the problem determined the need for a new integrative analysis and synthesis of the existing theories and empirical facts. The evolution of the concepts of social integration and inclusion of people with disabilities is described as a socio-political trend of imposing ‘inclusive society’ and ignoring its stratification and the laws of social exclusion. It is shown that social exclusion as one of the forms of organization of society can result not only from the structure of society, but can also be the individual’s conscious choice. The author systematizes and describes special conditions of personality development, personal dispositions and the role of social self-identification of people with disabilities in relation to social inclusion and exclusion. The author argues that there are different models of integration of people with disabilities based on social compromise and respect for the human right to choose the kind of life to live. The results of the study can be used in social and psychological support of people with disabilities in the processes of their inclusion and integration with society.