Functional diversity is a
politically
Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of status or resources.
The branch of social science that studies poli ...
and socially correct term for
special needs,
disability
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, d ...
, impairment and handicap, which began to be used in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
in scientific writing, at the initiative of those directly affected, in 2005.
Usage
This term is intended to replace other ones with pejorative semantics. It proposes a shift towards non-negative, non-disparaging and non-patronizing terms. The formal justification of the term can be found in the book ''El Modelo de la Diversidad'' by Agustina Palacios and Javier Romañach, 2007, . Examples of usage:
* "people with functional diversity" instead of "people with special needs"
* "physical functional diversity"
* "mobility functional diversity", "person who uses a wheelchair", "wheelchair user"
* "motor functional diversity"
* "dexterity functional diversity"
* "visual functional diversity", "people who use screen readers as their primary means of accessing a computer"
* "people with a visual processing functional diversity"
* "auditory functional diversity"
* "mental functional diversity"
* "intellectual functional diversity"
* "cognitive functional diversity"
* "organic functional diversity"
* "circumstantial and/or temporary functional diversity"
* "person with a functional diversity"
* "persons without functional diversity" rather than "normal" or "healthy"
* "people without functional diversity", "typically developing children"
See also
*
Disability flag
*
Diversity (politics)
Diversity within groups is a key concept in sociology and political science that refers to the degree of difference along socially significant identifying features among the members of a purposefully defined group, such as any group differences ...
*
Neurodiversity
The neurodiversity paradigm is a framework for understanding human brain function that considers the diversity within sensory processing, Motor skill, motor abilities, Social anxiety, social comfort, cognition, and Attention, focus as neurobiol ...
References
Further reading
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Disability in Spain
Euphemisms
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