Origins and Development of Special Education in Chihuahua, Mexico: 1960–1970

Abstract

Examining the 1960s and 1970s within the Mexican educational system makes possible the identification of empirical practices and their transition toward the systematization of care services for people with disabilities. In the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, this process transformed social and political conditions, as well as the predominant conceptions of disability and educational inclusion. This paper proposes an analysis of the experiences of key actors connected to special education to understand the development of educational and institutional practices in disability care services. The study follows a qualitative and interpretative methodology, identifying narrative patterns and conceptual categories that account for the tensions, progress, and limitations faced on the path toward a more inclusive special education. The focus is on recovering the meanings that the protagonists themselves attribute to their life experiences. These results demonstrate the gradual transformation from welfare-based models toward more integrated forms of educational support. The voices of the participants allow for the reconstruction of a nuanced overview of public policies and their local implementation, revealing tensions between normative proposals and actual practices in special education schools. This critical review suggests that progress toward inclusive education was neither linear nor homogeneous, but rather marked by structural contradictions, institutional limitations, and shifts in the social perception of disability.