지체부자유아 교육·자활사업 성립조건에 관한 국제 비교연구

A Study on the Conditions for the Beginning of Education and Self-Support Work for Children with Physical Disabilities : Focusing on the Role of Orthopedists in Japan and the United States of America in the Early 20th Century

본 연구에서는 지체부자유아교육자활사업이 성립하는 20세기 초두에 일본과 미국의 정형외과의가 어떠한 역할을 수행하였는지에 관해 비교특수교육학적 관점에서 조망하고자 하였다. 이 경우, 특수교육 성립의 보편적 기준으로 ‘근대인권사상’, ‘방법’, ‘사회적 효용성’의 관점에서 高木憲次에 의한 지체부자유 교육자활 실천의 의의를 고찰하였다. 고찰 결과, 지체부자유아교육자활사업이 성립되기 위해 상기 기준은 개별적인 동시에 삼위일체적으로 기능해야 함을 알 수 있었다. 더불어 지체부자유아교육자활의 성립에 있어 사회방위사상에 의한 사회통합적 가치가 최대의 사회현안이었던 미국사회와 달리, 동양적 사고에 기초해 ‘분리’와 ‘통합’에 대한 사회적 의의를 성찰해봄으로써, 탈서구주의이론을 넘어 우리나라 고유의 특수교육론의 구축 필요성에 관해 제언하였다.

This article has attempted to examine the early role of orthopedists in Japan and the United States of America from the view of the international comparative special education. In particular, I have considered three issues which have been universal criteria concerning the conditions for the beginning of education and self-support work for children with physical disabilities; modern human rights, method for education and self-support, and social utility. The finding showed that it was essential for above three criteria to function synthetically forming a trinity for beginning of education and self-support work for children with physical disabilities. The reason was that Japan s social attitude toward the poor disability people was different from that of the United States of America whose primary aim was to protect public order from the social threat by them that was one of the most urgent problems to be solved in those days. Proceeding from what has been said above, I suggest that the Asian oriented fundamental study of special education should be systematically and continuously made through reconsidering the value of segregation and inclusion based on our own cultural and historical background.