Abstract
This paper discusses citizenship and explores the concepts of integration, pluralism and assimilation to determine which offers the most appropriate approach to ensure full citizenship for people with learning disabilities.
The paper demonstrates that all three concepts offer an attainable approach to citizenship. However, assimilation, which allows people who are different to become absorbed into society, places higher value on the patterns of life adopted by mainstream society. Thus it fails to value alternative lifestyle models. Integration involves mixing freely with a group and adopting their values without necessarily losing personal values. It is argued that this has been interpreted as a form of 'mainstreaming' whereby people are perceived to be integrated into society but often fail to achieve the citizenship rights afforded to others in that society. Pluralism is seen as the most desirable approach to integration. Here people retain their separate identities and any differences are valued through an ethos of equality of opportunities.
The paper progresses to consider how pluralism can be achieved. It argues that positive action is required so that a philosophy of anti-oppression and equal opportunity which underlies citizenship is adopted by society.
The paper concludes that it may be necessary to adopt all three approaches to citizenship in order to reach all people within society.
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