Beyond inclusion: Why research on encounter needs a feminist account of freedom.

BACKGROUND

Though the concept of encounter promises to move the field of social inclusion beyond the dichotomy of presence and participation, new work in political theory pushes encounter in a different direction, making freedom - not inclusion - the central value at stake.

METHODS

Interpretative video analysis was conducted on an online learning program "Supporting Inclusion" developed to help support workers recognise and facilitate encounters between people with intellectual disabilities and community members.

FINDINGS: Using the lens of freedom in the encounter offers an alternative framing of the significance and meaning of the online learning program's social interactions.

CONCLUSIONS

Feminist theory can help show how unfreedom is a central problem facing people with intellectual disabilities, recasting encounter through the lens of freedom can help spark fresh insight into what makes encounter important.