The idiots’ education
Ilaria Tatulli
In the first half of the nineteenth century, in different European countries, the scientific interest in the problems relating to intellectual disability involved doctors, philanthropists and educators. The various interventions, projected starting by a medical approach and oriented to the maturation of innovative pedagogical and didactic reflections, derive from purely male sources. This paper, undertaking a female re-reading of the Special Pedagogy history, through the analysis of the original reports and documents, seeks to reconstruct and enhance the pedagogical elements, inspired by Pestalozzi, that characterized the pioneering educational experience promoted by Miss White in the Bath institution for idiot children. The research process allows to highlight and relate the precious women contribution in the management of small educational communities and the pedagogical-special legacy of this experience to the female emancipation instances.
Keywords
Intellectual Disability, Special Pedagogy, Pioneers, Women educators, Inclusion.
