Practicing Disability Studies in Education: Acting toward Social Change, edited by D. J. Connor, ... more Practicing Disability Studies in Education: Acting toward Social Change, edited by D. J. Connor, J. W. Valle, and C. Hale, New York, NY, Peter Lang Publishing, 2015, 247 pp., in Disability Studies in Education vol.17 . Foreword by Scot Danforth, General Editor of Disability Studies in Education. ISBN: 978-1-4331-2552-2 (hardcover), ISBN: 978-1-4331251-5 (paperback), ISBN: 978-1-4539-1446-5(e-book), ISSN: 1548-7210.
In this analytical essay, we examine parents' engagement in advocacy for inclusive education as a... more In this analytical essay, we examine parents' engagement in advocacy for inclusive education as a site wherein the constructed meanings of disability and parenting a child with a disability are mutually negotiated within ableist discourses and practices in schools. Through a review of literature on parents' historical role in special education as well as current literature on their perceptions of a continuing " struggle " to access inclusive learning environments for their children, we explore why parents continue to believe that they need to " fight " for inclusive education and we raise concerns about which parents would be most equipped to take on this " fight. " Highlighting the extent to which some parents of children with disabilities draw on their cultural and economic capital to negotiate their children's educational rights, we problematize a special education system in which access to inclusive education for students with disabilities is linked with socioeconomic privilege.
Bold Visions in Educational Research is international in scope and includes books from two areas:... more Bold Visions in Educational Research is international in scope and includes books from two areas: teaching and learning to teach and research methods in education. Each area contains multi-authored handbooks of approximately 200,000 words and monographs (authored and edited collections) of approximately 130,000 words. All books are scholarly, written to engage specified readers and catalyze changes in policies and practices. Defining characteristics of books in the series are their explicit uses of theory and associated methodologies to address important problems. We invite books from across a theoretical and methodological spectrum from scholars employing quantitative, statistical, experimental, ethnographic, semiotic, hermeneutic, historical, ethnomethodological, phenomenological, case studies, action, cultural studies, content analysis, rhetorical, deconstructive, critical, literary, aesthetic and other research methods.
This ethnographic case study examines a privileged family's expression of the discursive phenomen... more This ethnographic case study examines a privileged family's expression of the discursive phenomena of learning disabilities (LD) as described by Christine Sleeter in her seminal article "Why is There Learning Disabilities?" The author explores enactments of ideological perspectives on the significance of effort, intelligence, LD, and privilege with regards to one child's academic success in the context of his elite private school. The central data within this paper is a portion of conversation among the research participants, the privileged parents of a child purported to have LD, and the researcher. The main speaker is the wife and mother, who weaves a narrative based on her perception of events that occurred during her son's first grade experience at school. The purpose of her narrative is to refute the teachers' expressed assumptions that her son's academic difficulties are due to a lack of effort and/or commitment to his education. Her narrative is an object of analysis, used with phenomenological data sources that provide opportunities to examine the interactions and transactions embedded within the conversation. The theories of Pierre Bourdieu provide an important theoretical lens through which enactments of the reproduction of class privilege are framed. Sleeter's exposition of the class-inscribed roots of LD discourse provides socio-historic context to the analysis presented here.
In this article, I apply a critical lens to the nexus of ethics, teacher education, and special
e... more In this article, I apply a critical lens to the nexus of ethics, teacher education, and special education law and practice. I argue that, despite its flaws and failures, American special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has, at its core, a civil- rights inspired emancipatory spirit, which special education teachers must be prepared and inspired to realize. Accordingly, teacher educators must dedicate and organize themselves to this purpose. Because special education (nearly 40 years after the law’s enactment) continues to fail in realizing many of IDEA’s promises, it is up to teachers to do at the local level what the system cannot. They must resist oppressive institutional practices and advocate for true inclusion and empowerment of children with disabilities. In this spirit, I discuss ways in which teacher education can prepare and inspire them to do this.
In this paper I draw on several data sources to make the case that the attribution of superior cr... more In this paper I draw on several data sources to make the case that the attribution of superior creative resources and related alternative and/or enhanced cognitive styles to Learning disabilities (LD) was embedded within the original conception of LD and continues to be propagated by many in the LD community. I conclude by offering an exploration of the political/ethical consequences of this discursive practice.
In this article, I apply a critical lens to the nexus of ethics, teacher education, and special
e... more In this article, I apply a critical lens to the nexus of ethics, teacher education, and special education law and practice. I argue that, despite its flaws and failures, American special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has, at its core, a civil- rights inspired emancipatory spirit, which special education teachers must be prepared and inspired to realize. Accordingly, teacher educators must dedicate and organize themselves to this purpose. Because special education (nearly 40 years after the law’s enactment) continues to fail in realizing many of IDEA’s promises, it is up to teachers to do at the local level what the system cannot. They must resist oppressive institutional practices and advocate for true inclusion and empowerment of children with disabilities. In this spirit, I discuss ways in which teacher education can prepare and inspire them to do this.
This introductory article serves as the springboard for a greater discussion of the question: How... more This introductory article serves as the springboard for a greater discussion of the question: How applicable are the ideas of Disability Studies in Education to educational policy and the practice of teaching? As guest editors of the special forum of RDS, we illustrate how DSE continues to inform educational theory, research, policy, and practice. First, we chronicle the rapid growth of DSE over the past decade. Second, as teacher educators, we raise three topics to contemplate further for our field: (1) improving the relationship between science and ethics, (2) better connecting knowledge, beliefs, and values to practice, and (3) determining the position of DSE scholars within the field of special education. Third, we briefly highlight the four featured articles from Belgium, New Zealand, Scotland, and the USA that constitute this special forum. Finally, we urge the field of education to be more critical of special education practices, and continue to be receptive toward DSE.
Practicing Disability Studies in Education: Acting toward Social Change, edited by D. J. Connor, ... more Practicing Disability Studies in Education: Acting toward Social Change, edited by D. J. Connor, J. W. Valle, and C. Hale, New York, NY, Peter Lang Publishing, 2015, 247 pp., in Disability Studies in Education vol.17 . Foreword by Scot Danforth, General Editor of Disability Studies in Education. ISBN: 978-1-4331-2552-2 (hardcover), ISBN: 978-1-4331251-5 (paperback), ISBN: 978-1-4539-1446-5(e-book), ISSN: 1548-7210.
In this analytical essay, we examine parents' engagement in advocacy for inclusive education as a... more In this analytical essay, we examine parents' engagement in advocacy for inclusive education as a site wherein the constructed meanings of disability and parenting a child with a disability are mutually negotiated within ableist discourses and practices in schools. Through a review of literature on parents' historical role in special education as well as current literature on their perceptions of a continuing " struggle " to access inclusive learning environments for their children, we explore why parents continue to believe that they need to " fight " for inclusive education and we raise concerns about which parents would be most equipped to take on this " fight. " Highlighting the extent to which some parents of children with disabilities draw on their cultural and economic capital to negotiate their children's educational rights, we problematize a special education system in which access to inclusive education for students with disabilities is linked with socioeconomic privilege.
Bold Visions in Educational Research is international in scope and includes books from two areas:... more Bold Visions in Educational Research is international in scope and includes books from two areas: teaching and learning to teach and research methods in education. Each area contains multi-authored handbooks of approximately 200,000 words and monographs (authored and edited collections) of approximately 130,000 words. All books are scholarly, written to engage specified readers and catalyze changes in policies and practices. Defining characteristics of books in the series are their explicit uses of theory and associated methodologies to address important problems. We invite books from across a theoretical and methodological spectrum from scholars employing quantitative, statistical, experimental, ethnographic, semiotic, hermeneutic, historical, ethnomethodological, phenomenological, case studies, action, cultural studies, content analysis, rhetorical, deconstructive, critical, literary, aesthetic and other research methods.
This ethnographic case study examines a privileged family's expression of the discursive phenomen... more This ethnographic case study examines a privileged family's expression of the discursive phenomena of learning disabilities (LD) as described by Christine Sleeter in her seminal article "Why is There Learning Disabilities?" The author explores enactments of ideological perspectives on the significance of effort, intelligence, LD, and privilege with regards to one child's academic success in the context of his elite private school. The central data within this paper is a portion of conversation among the research participants, the privileged parents of a child purported to have LD, and the researcher. The main speaker is the wife and mother, who weaves a narrative based on her perception of events that occurred during her son's first grade experience at school. The purpose of her narrative is to refute the teachers' expressed assumptions that her son's academic difficulties are due to a lack of effort and/or commitment to his education. Her narrative is an object of analysis, used with phenomenological data sources that provide opportunities to examine the interactions and transactions embedded within the conversation. The theories of Pierre Bourdieu provide an important theoretical lens through which enactments of the reproduction of class privilege are framed. Sleeter's exposition of the class-inscribed roots of LD discourse provides socio-historic context to the analysis presented here.
In this article, I apply a critical lens to the nexus of ethics, teacher education, and special
e... more In this article, I apply a critical lens to the nexus of ethics, teacher education, and special education law and practice. I argue that, despite its flaws and failures, American special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has, at its core, a civil- rights inspired emancipatory spirit, which special education teachers must be prepared and inspired to realize. Accordingly, teacher educators must dedicate and organize themselves to this purpose. Because special education (nearly 40 years after the law’s enactment) continues to fail in realizing many of IDEA’s promises, it is up to teachers to do at the local level what the system cannot. They must resist oppressive institutional practices and advocate for true inclusion and empowerment of children with disabilities. In this spirit, I discuss ways in which teacher education can prepare and inspire them to do this.
In this paper I draw on several data sources to make the case that the attribution of superior cr... more In this paper I draw on several data sources to make the case that the attribution of superior creative resources and related alternative and/or enhanced cognitive styles to Learning disabilities (LD) was embedded within the original conception of LD and continues to be propagated by many in the LD community. I conclude by offering an exploration of the political/ethical consequences of this discursive practice.
In this article, I apply a critical lens to the nexus of ethics, teacher education, and special
e... more In this article, I apply a critical lens to the nexus of ethics, teacher education, and special education law and practice. I argue that, despite its flaws and failures, American special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has, at its core, a civil- rights inspired emancipatory spirit, which special education teachers must be prepared and inspired to realize. Accordingly, teacher educators must dedicate and organize themselves to this purpose. Because special education (nearly 40 years after the law’s enactment) continues to fail in realizing many of IDEA’s promises, it is up to teachers to do at the local level what the system cannot. They must resist oppressive institutional practices and advocate for true inclusion and empowerment of children with disabilities. In this spirit, I discuss ways in which teacher education can prepare and inspire them to do this.
This introductory article serves as the springboard for a greater discussion of the question: How... more This introductory article serves as the springboard for a greater discussion of the question: How applicable are the ideas of Disability Studies in Education to educational policy and the practice of teaching? As guest editors of the special forum of RDS, we illustrate how DSE continues to inform educational theory, research, policy, and practice. First, we chronicle the rapid growth of DSE over the past decade. Second, as teacher educators, we raise three topics to contemplate further for our field: (1) improving the relationship between science and ethics, (2) better connecting knowledge, beliefs, and values to practice, and (3) determining the position of DSE scholars within the field of special education. Third, we briefly highlight the four featured articles from Belgium, New Zealand, Scotland, and the USA that constitute this special forum. Finally, we urge the field of education to be more critical of special education practices, and continue to be receptive toward DSE.
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Papers by Chris Hale
education law and practice. I argue that, despite its flaws and failures, American special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has, at its core, a civil- rights inspired emancipatory spirit, which special education teachers must be prepared and inspired to realize. Accordingly, teacher educators must dedicate and organize themselves to this purpose. Because special education (nearly 40 years after the law’s enactment) continues to fail in realizing many of IDEA’s promises, it is up to teachers to do at the local level what the system cannot. They must resist oppressive institutional practices and advocate for true inclusion and empowerment of children with disabilities. In this spirit, I discuss ways in which teacher education can prepare and inspire them to do this.
education law and practice. I argue that, despite its flaws and failures, American special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has, at its core, a civil- rights inspired emancipatory spirit, which special education teachers must be prepared and inspired to realize. Accordingly, teacher educators must dedicate and organize themselves to this purpose. Because special education (nearly 40 years after the law’s enactment) continues to fail in realizing many of IDEA’s promises, it is up to teachers to do at the local level what the system cannot. They must resist oppressive institutional practices and advocate for true inclusion and empowerment of children with disabilities. In this spirit, I discuss ways in which teacher education can prepare and inspire them to do this.
education law and practice. I argue that, despite its flaws and failures, American special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has, at its core, a civil- rights inspired emancipatory spirit, which special education teachers must be prepared and inspired to realize. Accordingly, teacher educators must dedicate and organize themselves to this purpose. Because special education (nearly 40 years after the law’s enactment) continues to fail in realizing many of IDEA’s promises, it is up to teachers to do at the local level what the system cannot. They must resist oppressive institutional practices and advocate for true inclusion and empowerment of children with disabilities. In this spirit, I discuss ways in which teacher education can prepare and inspire them to do this.
education law and practice. I argue that, despite its flaws and failures, American special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has, at its core, a civil- rights inspired emancipatory spirit, which special education teachers must be prepared and inspired to realize. Accordingly, teacher educators must dedicate and organize themselves to this purpose. Because special education (nearly 40 years after the law’s enactment) continues to fail in realizing many of IDEA’s promises, it is up to teachers to do at the local level what the system cannot. They must resist oppressive institutional practices and advocate for true inclusion and empowerment of children with disabilities. In this spirit, I discuss ways in which teacher education can prepare and inspire them to do this.