Barriers in intercultural communication between abled and disabled people Cover Image

Bariery w komunikowaniu międzykulturowym między osobami sprawnymi i osobami z niepełnosprawnością
Barriers in intercultural communication between abled and disabled people

Author(s): Julita Makaro
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Communication studies, Theory of Communication
Published by: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego
Keywords: intercultural communication; intercultural education; the handicapped; a dominant group; a minority group; cultural barriers to communication

Summary/Abstract: In the article, a thesis is advanced that communication between fully-abled and disabled persons can be considered as one of the subcategories of intercultural communication and thus may become a component of intercultural education. This concept exceeds the traditional recognition of multiculturalism, which most often is seen in the national and ethnic perspective. In the article, the population with disabilities is perceived as a group of minority status, in many respects “unfamiliar” to the members of a dominant group. As shown in the empirical part, invoked analytical categories, such as prejudices, stereotypes, uncertainty, verbal and non – verbal communication, appear to be equally useful for the understanding of the relationship of the disabled persons and the rest of the society, as for the understanding of the relationship of the Poles – Germans , and in both cases fulfill the function of cultural barriers in communication. Thus it seems desirable to implement a multicultural education, which will take into consideration also the case of relationships of fully-abled and disabled persons.

  • Issue Year: 3/2013
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 31-45
  • Page Count: 15
  • Language: Polish