Pathways To Inclusion

“Thomas Gradgrind, sir. With a rule and a pair of scales, and the multiplication table always in his pocket, ready to weigh and measure any parcel of human nature, and tell you exactly what it comes to. It is a mere question of figures. A case of simple arithmetic.” (Hard Times) Falling by Matej Anzin Reducing people to numbers, so as to decide what treatment they might receive, may give off the appearance of striving for objectivity and fairness. But the simplicity of the numbers belies the messy, human complexity of people's lived experiences sidelined by this approach. Here I'm arguing that it's only through being receptive to this complexity that we can ever hope to achieve real health justice for people with learning disabilities. Making hard decisions easier, not fairer Assigning numbers to people is of course an inherently dehumanising act. The Nazis knew this, prison wardens know it too. But it's also something that happens when well intention...

"Charity is No Substitute for Justice Withheld" (Augustine of Hippo) 'St Christina Giving her Father's Jewels to the Poor' by Evelyn de Morgan Why bother paying for a public good through taxation, when you can just get it from charities instead? John Edward, the director of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), has responded to the 'heightened political interest' in the charitable status of independent schools by listing their myriad charitable achievements . Some private schools allowed less fortunate children to, at certain times, make use of their playing fields. Others raised money for mental health charities, or the Royal National Lifeboat Association. All appear to contribute towards a substantial fund providing free places at their schools to carefully selected students who wouldn't otherwise have been able to afford one. There is therefore no doubt, in his mind, that they should and indeed would pass the 'rigorous scrut...