Justice for All? Special Education 2000 and the Politics of Difference

Abstract

In this article I will argue that New Zealand's Special Education 2000 (SE2000) policy demonstrates the way in which seemingly just and fair policies can lead to occurrences of injustice and unfairness towards some of those whom they impact. What this debate turns on is the justice of a policy which takes as its starting point the unquestioned premise that the educational needs of all disabled children and young people will be best served in local state-funded schools rather than in day-special schools and the legitimacy of the decisions and actions of policy makers and bureaucrats based on this premise. Drawing on Iris Marion Young's conceptions of justice and her notion of ‘oppression’ and ‘domination’ as two social conditions that define injustice, the author argues that SE2000 in its conception and enactment serves to perpetrate, rather than mitigate, injustice on some disabled children and young people and their families with respect to schooling options and choices.