School inequality and discrimination based on ability in times of confinement

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. In February 2018, as a part of a research project, a workshop was held at the University of [omitted]. The event, which marked the beginning of an ambitious Participatory Action Research process, brought together more than 100 people from all over Spain who wanted to fight against school segregation and exposed the situation of vulnerability, inequality and exclusion experienced by children and young people who are categorized with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Two years later, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, with its hard confinement, which began in March 2020. These pages analyze how this period affected the students labeled with SEN, with the aim of knowing how and how much it has affected the inequality previously evidenced. METHOD. To do this, we recovered the testimonies of a group of families which participated in the Workshop. A week before the end of the total confinement in Spain, we generated a series of online focus groups in which they analyzed the processes of exclusion and inequality experienced at this stage, generating particular and collective reflections that allowed them to delve into the way in which their situations had changed. RESULTS. The evidence reveals an increase in the previous inequalities suffered by these students and their families, linked to the demands of the school, inadequate communications and a profound invisibility of this group. DISCUSSION. All this makes it possible to delve into the educational value of attendance at school for said students and their families, as well as its importance in the inclusion and equity of the system, which must be intensely reinforced.