Despite recent advances in scientific endeavour and inthe public sphere, the gap between basic research and public awareness of disability is still huge. Furthermore,
rather than a property of theindividual, impairment can be viewed as an interaction between individuals and their environment, and competence as a function of context. In this project we aim toaddress how disability is conceptualised from the point of view of researchers, clinicians/therapists, institutions, social groups and disabled individuals themselves.
We will adopt an interdisciplinary approach, combining methods from linguistic analysis, discourse analysis, natural language processing, psycholinguistics, clinical linguistics, neuroscience, educational science, medical science, philosophy. Withinan interactive models format, the focus will be on theinteraction of theindividual with her environment at the micro-, meso- and macro-level in early development through to early adolescence and adulthood. In this respect Norway is an excellent example of a highly advanced well-fare system which offers excellent opportunities toaddress theabove issues inthe domain of public discourse. The idea is to create a network collaborating at the national level, while also engaging substantial international input.
We will organize two international, multi-disciplinary conferences and one seminar series, directly involving national and international experts with diverse cultural, national and professional backgrounds. At the same time, we will give voice to stakeholders, including parents of childrenwith disabilities.