To Örebro University

Collaboration is frequently highlighted as a necessity when it comes to children with intellectual disabilities, but at the same time, there is growing evidence that collaboration in practice in schools and other social institutions is associated with numerous difficulties. The aim of this contribution is to undertake a contemporary historical policy analysis of the term collaboration within the Swedish context in order to develop an understanding of the various meanings giving to it and the values and discourses that have shaped its implementation in practice.

The data for this study comes from green papers published by State Public Commissions, with the government mandate to prepare a political reform. Four green papers that addressed the education of students with intellectual disabilities were selected – year 2003, 2004, 2011, and 2021. Methodologically, a qualitative document analysis of these several hundred pages long green papers was conducted.

The term collaboration appeared nearly 700 times in total across the green papers in which a horizontal and a vertical dimension can be identified. The horizontal dimension is prevalent in the oldest reports from 2003 and 2004, emphasizing collaboration of regular schools and schools for students with intellectual disabilities. This idea is still evident in the 2011 report, which focuses on upper secondary education. Here, the vertical dimension is crucial for the use of the term collaboration, referring to the transition to the labour market. In the 2021 report, the term collaboration is mainly used with a focus on processes within special schools.

In the examined reports, a shift from an inclusive approach to a neoliberal understanding of collaboration can be observed. The 2021 report emphasizes intra-school collaborative processes. Despite changing emphases, the paradox emerges that collaboration is a positively charged term. It is impossible to be against collaboration, complicating the appropriate use of the term.