Inadaptées

Inadaptées is the plural form of inadapté in French, used as both a noun and an adjective. It historically designated people deemed unable to adapt to prevailing social norms or to the demands of daily life. In practice, the term covered a range of conditions, often including intellectual disabilities, mental illness, or broader social marginalization, and it was used within psychiatry, social work, and education to categorize individuals as socially maladjusted.

The concept arose in periods when social order and normalization were central aims of welfare systems, sometimes overlapping with eugenic-era ideas about who could or should conform to societal expectations. Because it reduces complex human diversity to a single label, the term gradually became criticized for stigmatizing and dehumanizing those it described.

In contemporary usage, inadapté or inadaptées is considered outdated and pejorative in formal contexts. Modern language favors more precise and respectful formulations that reflect the individual's circumstances without labeling. Examples include person(ne) en situation de handicap, personne en difficulté d’insertion, or personne marginalisée, depending on the context. In education, what used to be referred to as inadaptation has evolved toward terminology like élèves à besoins éducatifs particuliers (EBEP) or élèves en difficulté, focusing on support and inclusion rather than labeling.

Overall, the concept of adaptation remains central in social and educational sciences, but the language has shifted toward inclusive approaches that emphasize barriers, supports, and the rights of individuals rather than assigning fixed identities.

See also: adaptation, marginalization, disability rights, inclusive education.