A critical investigation of institutional perception through an autistic lens: a phenomenological approach.

Abstract

It is felt that there is a growing demand for the need in changing perceptions regarding autism research. Individuals within this domain are still extremely segregated within the education system which has been supported through theorists such as Paulo Freire (1972). Given the opportunity to conduct such research, I felt that assembling semi-structured interviews in order to gain an insight into the lived experiences of individuals with Asperger's syndrome will be revolutionary in the development of such study. If anything, this research has given such individuals a voice, with the strong themes that have emerged from the data show that there is still a need for societal change. The five key themes are: Stigma, The Social Configuration of Disability, Social Exclusion and Isolation, Institutional Implications and Interpretations and Gender. With the rising age of media and online communication, additional challenges for autistic individuals are greater than ever. There is a strong notion that it is in fact society that is at fault in the enacted stigmatisation that these individual's have to face on a daily basis. Social constructionism therefore allows the unpacking of contested terms such as 'disability'. Culturally speaking, the notions of disability differ notably; this dissertation argues that it is through a capitalist lens that these dramatic differences occur in the quality of life regarding economic and social conditions