When teachers talk about race and disability with their colleagues, it can help reduce implicit biases they may have. This leaves a lack of attention toward the issues that students of color face, like higher suspension rates and lower grades and test scores than their white peers in special education. Talk about race and disabilityĭespite the growing diversity within K-12 classrooms, conversations around race are often left out of special education. ![]() ![]() These organizations create culturally responsive resources and connect families of color with scholarships to receive training on how to advocate for themselves. The Color of Autism, The Arc and Easterseals are striving to address racial inequities in who has access to advocacy supports. These advocates can speak on behalf of the family and often help resolve disagreements between the schools and families.Įducators can tell families about organizations that serve children with disabilities and help them navigate school systems. This can assure that the families of students of color are fully aware of their options.įor example, families have the right to invite an external advocate to represent their interests during meetings with school representatives. When meeting with families, teachers can take the time to break down any confusing language written in the Procedural Safeguards Notice. Also, families of color report facing greater resistance when making requests for disability services than white families do. This can make it harder for families, especially immigrant families, to know their rights. However, research shows that in many states, Procedural Safeguards Notices are written in ways that are difficult to read. These notices need to be put in writing and explained to families in “language that is easily understandable.” Inform families of their rightsįederal law requires that schools provide parents and guardians with Procedural Safeguards Notices, a full explanation of all the rights a parent has when their child is referred to or receives special education services. To curb this, teachers can take steps toward being more inclusive of students of color with disabilities.Īs a Black feminist researcher who focuses on the intersection of race and disability, here are three recommendations I believe can help teachers to better support students of color with disabilities. For example, when compared to students with similar test scores, Black students with disabilities are less likely to be included in the general education classroom than their non-Black peers. Researchers, such as University of Arizona education scholar Adai Tefera and CUNY-Hunter College sociologist of education Catherine Voulgarides, argue that systemic racism – as well as biased interpretations of the behavior of students of color – explains these discrepancies. Robin Bartholick via Tetra images/GettyImages Students with disabilities perform better academically when placed in general education classes. This may lead to lower educational outcomes for students of color in special education, as students with disabilities perform better in math and reading when in general education classrooms. When compared to white students with disabilities, students of color with disabilities are more likely to be placed in separate classrooms. ![]() Ultimately, the mother and I co-designed an individualized education plan – known in the world of special education as an IEP – for her daughter where she would be pulled out of class for only an hour a day for intensive reading instruction. ![]() She didn’t want her daughter to go through the same experience. Because of this, she believed she received a lower-quality education. She remembered reading books below her grade level and frequent conflicts between her classmates and teachers. She was put in a small classroom away from her other classmates. When I asked her why, she explained that she, too, was identified as having a learning disability when she was a student. When I was a special education teacher at Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Miami in 2010, my colleagues and I recommended that a Black girl receive special education services because she had difficulty reading.
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