Using the concept of encounter to further the social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities: what has been learned?

Abstract

Social inclusion has been an enduring policy aim of intellectual disability policy since the early 1980s, which has been difficult to achieve. It has often been conceptualised as the binary between social presence or social participation. This article synthesises the findings from a program of Australian research that explored the application of “encounter” and “conviviality”–concepts from urban geography, as lenses for understanding the types of places, activities, and practices that facilitate or obstruct social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. Three types of convivial encounter were identified: moments of shared identification, everyday recognition, and becoming known. ..