Jeroen Knevel (2024) – Adapted by Jean Pierre Wilken
Version August 2024
Social exclusion
Irrespective of the disability, either psychological, physical or intellectual, people with a disability experience high risk of social exclusion due to physical, legal-political, social and cultural and economic barriers from society that they face in their everyday life. Social exclusion is understood in the way Levitas et al (2007:25) have defined it as “a complex and multi-dimensional process [which] involves the lack or denial of resources, rights, goods and services, and the inability to participate in the normal relationships and activities, available to the majority of people in a society […].” Social exclusion is also the result of a process leading to a rupture from society and its social bonds, which is particularly experienced by marginalized groups or individuals who lack power and status.
The causes of social exclusion are diverse and manifest in various life domains, potentially resulting in multiple disadvantages and significantly impacting an individual’s perceived quality of life (Schalock et al 2004; Boardman, 2011). Life domains include housing, labour, education and leisure, as well as social networks connected to these domains, and family connections.
It is evident to state that human rights, human rights violations, social exclusion, and social inclusion are closely interrelated. Human rights are pertinent both in combating social exclusion and, in doing so, in ensuring and advancing social inclusion. Therefore, the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was a big step forward.
Why social inclusion?
Numerous advantages come from actively seeking social inclusion. Compiling a list of these contributions requires little effort. It contributes to personal development, to the creation of inclusive and equal bonds, it helps building alliances within local communities, it promotes positive perceptions and positive community attitudes, it creates better opportunities to engage in social interactions and improve social skills, it fosters positive personal outcomes such as growing independence and confidence based on personal achievement, it promotes opportunities for autonomy and to make choices, it secures valued social roles, it encourages and opens ways to naturally occurring friendships, it combats poverty, promotes career maintenance and career advancement, and social inclusion is linked to enhanced quality of life, mental and physical health and economic security.
Components of social inclusion
Although there are many definitions and conceptualisations of social exclusion and social inclusion (Wright and Stickley, 2013) a number of components of social inclusion are often mentioned. These cover sense of belonging, being accepted as an individual and uniqueness, having meaningful and reciprocal relationships with non-disabled community members, having voice and choice, feeling competent, having service provider support and natural support. These components intersect with life domains such as work, housing, recreation, leisure, and a multitude of barriers and facilitators identified in accomplishing the social inclusion objective. Barriers and facilitators vary in contextual factors (physical accessibility, communication, social spaces, professional and community attitudes, local social infrastructure, economic expectations and facilities, legislation and policies) and personal factors such as intrinsic motivation, goal setting, level of functioning, and self-esteem.
Human rights
The rights of people with a disability are defined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This convention puts in fact social inclusion into practice. In one of the general comments (no. 4) it is stated that “inclusion involves a process of systemic reform embodying changes and modifications in content, […] methods, approaches, structures and strategies […] to overcome barriers with a vision serving to provide all persons […] with an equitable and participatory […] experience and environment that best corresponds to their requirements and preferences.” (United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2016:4). This definition is contextualized in inclusive education (Article 24), but is equally applicable to other areas of life.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs employs a comparable definition, albeit without contextualizing it within a single life domain. It underscores the social disadvantage in the light of one or more social categorizations: “social inclusion is defined as the process of improving the terms of participation in society for people who are disadvantaged on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status, through enhanced opportunities, access to resources, voice and respect for rights.” (2016:20).
Both definitions are fundamental, strategic, and strongly aimed at the macro level. Conversely, definitions that prioritize individuals’ immediate subjective experiences can be characterized as adopting a lifeworld orientation. O’Brien (1989), for instance, asserts that social inclusion is facilitated by the achievement of five interdependent dimensions of human experience that assist people to:
- grow in their relationships via community participation
- exercise choice and control
- experience dignity in occupying valued social roles,
- share ordinary places through community presence,
- contribute to community through the discovery and/or expression of their gifts and/or capacities.
Another proposal to define social inclusion is offered by Cobigo et al (2016) seeking a combination where inclusion can be witnessed in the life world and system world. They define social inclusion as a series of complex interactions between environmental factors and personal characteristics that provide the following:
- opportunities to access public goods and services;
- valued and expected social roles of one’s choosing based on his/her age, gender and culture;
- recognition as a competent individual and trusted person to perform social roles in the community;
- opportunities to belong to a social network within which one receives and contributes support.
In short, despite the fact that social inclusion lacks an unequivocal definition, the various proposals provide guidance for research, policy-making and practice. For mental health and social work professionals it can provide a guide to clarify and substantiate their actions and initiatives – however small – aimed at social inclusion.
Approaches to social inclusion
Cobigo et al (2016) propose a framework of social inclusion stressing the dynamic process between personal characteristics and skills, and environmental factors, in which socially valued roles are accorded a pivotal role. The performance of social roles hinges upon the interplay of personal and environmental factors. For individuals, a role holds significance when it resonates with their personal expectations, choices, and needs, while for a collective, it gains meaning when it fulfils communal expectations, choices, and needs. Possessing socially valued roles bolsters self-perceived competence, reinforces the experiences of being valued by others and nourishes mutual satisfaction. This fosters trust, reciprocity and the sense of belonging. In this framework the authors place a variety of ways to work with personal and environmental factors that can increase social inclusion. These include legislation and policies, community supports and services, anti-stigma and antidiscrimination initiatives, and system monitoring and evaluation.
Simplican et al (2015) propose an ecological model of social inclusion consisting of two overlapping life domains: interpersonal relationships and community participation. This corresponds with important elements of the CARe approach: working on the basis of the quality of relationships, offering individual support, as well as working with communities and social networks (Wilken, 2021).
In the support paradigm, the value orientation is aimed at valuing and fostering equality, diversity, and inclusion in the community. Disability is not the focal point, the capabilities of the person are. Control lies with the person and his network, experiential knowledge is recognized and occupies a pivotal place. What matters is the person who participates in society and utilizes mainstream facilities. However, practical implementation is challenging and little progress has been made with the complex process of social integration, in which people with a disability connect with other people in order to shape an environment that is viable and meaningful to them. So, still a lot of work ahead!
Further reading:
Amado, A. N., Stancliffe, R. J., McCarron, M., & McCallion, P. (2013). Social Inclusion and Community Participation of Individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 51(5), 360–375. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-51.5.360
Boardman, J. (2011), “Social exclusion and mental health – how people with mental health problems are disadvantaged: an overview”, Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 112-121. https://doi.org/10.1108/20428301111165690
Cobigo, V., Brown, R., Lachapelle, Y., Lysaght, R., Martin, L., Ouellette-Kuntz, H., Stuart, H., & Fulford, C. (2016). Social Inclusion: A Proposed Framework to Inform Policy and Service Outcomes Evaluation Social Inclusion: A Proposed Framework to Inform Policy and Service Outcomes Evaluation. 4(4), 226–238. https://doi.org/10.1352/2326-6988-4.4
Knevel, J. (2024). In the pursuit of inclusion. Academic Thesis, Utrecht: HU Utrecht University of Applied Sciences and University for Humanistics.
Levitas R. et al (2017). The multi-dimensional analysis of social exclusion. Department of Sociology and School for Social Policy Townsend Centre for the International Study of Poverty and Bristol Institute for Public Affairs University of Bristol.
Schalock, R. L. (2004). The concept of quality of life: what we know and do not know. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 48(3), 203–216. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2003.00558.x
Simplican, S. C., Leader, G., Kosciulek, J., & Leahy, M. (2015b). Defining social inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities: An ecological model of social networks and community participation. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 38, 18–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2014.10.008
Wilken, J.P. (2021). The CARe-model. The relationship as the heart of good care. Relational Social Work (pp. 34-47) Vol. 5, n.1, April 2021.
Wright, N. and Stickley, T. (2013), Concepts of social inclusion, exclusion and mental health: a review of the international literature. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 20: 71-81. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2850.2012.01889.x