Supervisors info:
Ευάγγελος Πρωτοπαπαδάκης, Aναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Φιλοσοφική σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Χωριανοπούλου Μαρία – Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια του ΕΚΠΑ
Κορμάς Παναγιώτης – ∆ρ. Φιλοσοφίας του ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
The purpose of this paper is to examine in depth one of the most important and sensitive issues worldwide, that of disability. Disability, a condition that has existed since the dawn of humanity, seems to have divided human societies over how it should be treated. In most cases, people with disabilities were excluded from social activities, marginalized, institutionalized, etc. Of course, the situations were not always so gloomy, since in every historical period there were bright examples of acceptance. Today, modern Western societies take the narrative of disability one step further; they try to contribute not only to the acceptance but also to the inclusion of all those who have it. The complexity of the phenomenon of disability is indisputable and is demonstrated by the involvement of various scientific disciplines such as History, Medicine, Law, etc. In this paper, in order to have a comprehensive picture of the issue we are dealing with, in the first chapter we will review the history of disability from antiquity to the present day. In the second chapter, we record the definitions that have been given to the concept of disability, the models of its approach as well as the types of disability that exist. The third chapter includes a review of the legal treatment of disability at the international, European and Greek level and we primarily discuss the rights of people with disabilities.
Disability could not but concern the field of philosophy as well, as it raises fundamental questions about the moral, social and political significance of human diversity. Therefore, its evaluation is also a work of philosophy. Many areas of philosophy seem to be related to disability, however we will focus on the moral and political extension of disability issues. Thus, in the first chapter of the second part we aim to highlight the relationships between moral and political philosophy and disability. More specifically, we focus our attention on disability as an ethical problem in order to highlight not only the ethical issues that arise but also the tensions that exist between bioethics theorists and disability movements. Aspects of disability related to the political-ethical dimension of the issue and specifically to egalitarian approaches to justice are also examined. The second chapter deals with the social exclusion of people with disabilities, the exclusionary practices that have been applied at times and the obstacles they usually face. The third chapter talks about the innovative practice of inclusion, which seems to be gaining more and more ground compared to the practices of the past. The question of isolation or inclusion is becoming more relevant than ever. Research has highlighted the importance of including people with disabilities in all aspects of public life. For the way in which inclusion "works", we will mention the case of education as an example. The paper concludes with conclusions and critical reflection on the issue of disability.
Keywords:
disability, rights, ethics, bioethics, justice, isolation, inclusion.
