much about promoting perceived self-efficacy (see Bandura 1997 ). There is an
important message here. People, all people, can only make the best possible pro-
gress when social and physical environments are enabling, not disabling.
Given the important role they have in Norwegian society, I am surprised that
many Norwegians do not know what disability pedagogues actually do. Even some
employers in the health and social sectors seem to know little about the profession
(see Tollesfsen 2006 ). Yet the country educates more disability pedagogues than it
does nurses and child welfare pedagogues. Moreover, disability pedagogues often
express strong solidarity with other occupations in the public sector. For example,
many of them are members of FO (Fellesorganisasjonen; [Solidarity Trade Union],
in English translation), alongside, for example, social workers, child welfare ped-
agogues and nurses.
In addition, disability pedagogues candidly support the International Federation
of Social Workers’global goal of promoting,‘social change and development,
social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people’(IFSW 2014 ,
no pagination).
Without wanting to balkanize professional boundaries involving pedagogic and
social and health professions in Norway, if disability pedagogy has a distinctive
signature, then it is this. A disability pedagogue is educated to prevent and/or
respond in a solution-focused way to the particular problems facing many disabled
children and adults. These persons oftenfind it impossible or difficult to plot and
cross a course through routine physical and social spaces in a particular setting or in
society at large. Social pedagogic and clinical dexterity are essential tools if the job
is to be done properly. So too is the dialogue between disabled and professional
communities. Yes, disability pedagogues do help some disabled people to reposi-
tion cognitive capacity in a positive way. But the disabled community has a right to
engage in this process. Better than anyone, disabled people know and experience
the real structural obstacles that so often foil their“get-up-and-go”resolve. As part
of their job, educators of all stripes must lobby the policymakers to get rid of these
barriers.
13.4 Study Focus
In this study, I investigate the pre-service education of disability pedagogues, as set
out inSection 3 Goalsin accordance with a state-mandated document (briefly
referred to earlier):Rammeplan for vernepleierutdanning[The Framework for the
Education of Disability Pedagogues; in Norwegian]. The year of implementation
was 2005, but the criteria in the document still hold today (2015). TheFramework
( 2005 ) contains two main parts
- General criteria for the education of, among others, disability pedagogues, child
welfare pedagogues, social workers and nurses. This sets out the common
content for the education of all these professions.
13 The Pre-service Education of Disability Pedagogues in Norway... 195