Constructing the (M)other is a collection of personal narratives about motherhood in the context... more Constructing the (M)other is a collection of personal narratives about motherhood in the context of a society in which disability holds a stigmatized position. From multiple vantage points, these autoethnographies reveal how ableist beliefs about disability are institutionally upheld and reified. Collectively, they seek to call attention to a patriarchal surveillance of mothering, challenge the trope of the good mother, and dismantle the constructed hierarchy of acceptable children. The stories contained in this volume are counter-narratives of resistance - they are the devices through which mothers push back. Rejecting notions of the otherness of their children, in these essays, mothers negotiate their identities and claim access to the category of normative motherhood. Readers are likely to experience dissonance, have their assumptions about disability challenged, and find their parameters of normalcy transformed.
Conceptually grounded in disability studies and narrative theory, this volume is an invitation to rethink common assumptions about families of children with disabilities. It aims to further a dialogue across academic disciplines and professional practices about the constructed nature of disability. This book is a much needed resource for all professionals who seek to participate in the creating of socially just communities and inclusive schools.
Constructing the (M)other is a collection of personal narratives about motherhood in the context ... more Constructing the (M)other is a collection of personal narratives about motherhood in the context of a society in which disability holds a stigmatized position. From multiple vantage points, these autoethnographies reveal how ableist beliefs about disability are institutionally upheld and reified. Collectively, they seek to call attention to a patriarchal surveillance of mothering, challenge the trope of the good mother, and dismantle the constructed hierarchy of acceptable children. The stories contained in this volume are counter-narratives of resistance - they are the devices through which mothers push back. Rejecting notions of the otherness of their children, in these essays, mothers negotiate their identities and claim access to the category of normative motherhood. Readers are likely to experience dissonance, have their assumptions about disability challenged, and find their parameters of normalcy transformed. Conceptually grounded in disability studies and narrative theory, this volume is an invitation to rethink common assumptions about families of children with disabilities. It aims to further a dialogue across academic disciplines and professional practices about the constructed nature of disability. This book is a much needed resource for all professionals who seek to participate in the creating of socially just communities and inclusive schools.
Undoing Ableism is a sourcebook for teaching about disability and anti-ableism in K–12 classrooms... more Undoing Ableism is a sourcebook for teaching about disability and anti-ableism in K–12 classrooms. Conceptually grounded in disability studies, critical pedagogy, and social justice education, this book provides both a rationale as well as strategies for broad-based inquiries that allow students to examine social and cultural foundations of oppression, learn to disrupt ableism, and position themselves as agents of social change. Using an interactive style, the book provides tools teachers can use to facilitate authentic dialogues with students about constructed meanings of disability, the nature of belongingness, and the creation of inclusive communities.
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.
In this narrative essay I describe the process and outcomes of a group of fourth graders' engagem... more In this narrative essay I describe the process and outcomes of a group of fourth graders' engagement in a critical inquiry into the constructed meaning of disability in society. Through selfdirected and guided learning, these students examined the historical roots of disability oppression and deconstructed ableist assumptions, and thus found their own understanding about community membership to be transformed. Positioning the need to infuse disability history in schools as an imperative, this paper invites disability studies scholars and social justice educators alike to confront the silences around the topic of disability in schools and to create spaces for children to engage in meaningful dialogues about society's responses to human differences.
In this analytic essay, we initiate a dialogue about the place of disability in a multicultural e... more In this analytic essay, we initiate a dialogue about the place of disability in a multicultural education framework,
and the role of inclusive education in a democracy. Problematizing the common omission of the topic of
disability oppression from anti-oppression pedagogies and from social justice education generally, we invite
teacher educators concerned with educational equity to position themselves on the persistent issue of the
segregation of large numbers of students labeled with disabilities in schools, and to consider how we might
engage in sustained dialogue toward pursuing an agenda that is opposed to the systematic deployment of
educational segregation in all its forms. In addition to opening this broad conversation, we have specifically
invited dialogic interchange with three of our teacher educator colleagues whose responses are embedded
within this manuscript.
Disability and Society http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2014.923748, Aug 2014
The notion that some parents may be ‘in denial’ is a pervasive theme in dominant
discourses on f... more The notion that some parents may be ‘in denial’ is a pervasive theme in dominant
discourses on families of children with disabilities. In this analytic essay, I
deconstruct cultural and institutional master narratives on parental denial and discuss
their role in the marginalization of students with disabilities in schools. I
argue that discourses on parental denial privilege the perspectives of those in
positions of power and control, leave the practice of ability-based segregation in
schools unexamined, and discredit agency among families. Additionally, drawing
from existing narrative-based research, I explore alternative interpretations of
parents’ responses to their children’s differences, situating these in the framework
of critical disability studies.
This study draws upon "Dysconscious Racism: Ideology, Identity, and the Miseducation of Teachers.... more This study draws upon "Dysconscious Racism: Ideology, Identity, and the Miseducation of Teachers." Journal of Negro Education 60 (2): 133-146] concept of dysconscious racism, extrapolating from it the analogous conceptual device of dysconscious ableism. We report upon data drawn from an inquiry at a US university-based teacher preparation programme, wherein we analyse our teacher education candidates' writing through the conceptual lens of dysconscious ableism, to better understand their conceptualisations of dis/ability, and their understanding of existing examples of educational segregation based upon those conceptualisations. We make an argument for the necessity of engaging in studies of ableism in teacher education generally, and also for the usefulness of using the specific conceptual device of dysconscious ableism as a central tool of social justice pedagogy in teacher education.
In this conceptual essay, I outline some ways in which teacher education programs may reify probl... more In this conceptual essay, I outline some ways in which teacher education programs may reify problematic ideologies with regard to students with disabilities, and I invite educators to consider the language, structures, and practices through which ableism is produced/reproduced in the academy. Grounding my arguments in the central tenets of disability studies in education and social justice education, I make a case for a paradigm shift in teacher education programs and a move toward liberating agendas that seek to confront the existing practice of institutionally sanctioned segregation of students with disabilities in schools. To this end, I argue, we need to first position inclusive education broadly as democratic practice for all students, and as a political issue relevant to all teachers.
Historically, research on families of children with disabilities has been framed by the medical m... more Historically, research on families of children with disabilities has been framed by the medical model, which views disability as a biological deficit, necessarily associated with burden and grief. This body of research does not acknowledge the sociocultural contexts in which the meaning of disability is embedded, or the manner in which deficit-based hegemonic discourses shape the familial experience of having a child with a disability. In this paper, we problematize the medicalization of the phenomenon of disability and resulting research inquiries. We propose the use of narrative inquiry, theoretically grounded in sociocultural perspectives, as a critical research methodology for situating the lives of these families in cultural and sociopolitical contexts. Narrative inquiries complicate conclusions drawn from the medical model and contribute to new insights on the ways in which interpretations of having a child with a disability are mutually negotiated between individuals and society.
International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 2015
This qualitative study explored the perspectives of parents and teachers in the US with regard to... more This qualitative study explored the perspectives of parents and teachers in the US with regard to the meaning and implications of disability in the context of schoolling, and of raising a child with a disability. The findings revealed broad conceptual differences in the perspectives of these two groups. Teachers' beliefs were generally consistent with medical model perspectives on disability as biologically defined. Parents' interpretations, more aligned with a sociocultural paradigm, were situated in the cultural meanings ascribed to disability and linked with issues of stigma, marginalisation and access. The findings also revealed the existence of master narratives on families of children with disabilities, entrenched in assumptions of pathological functioning and negative outcomes among these families. Implications for professional-family partnerships in the education of students with disabilities are discussed.
The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 2015
This qualitative study explored the outcomes of five teachers’ engagement in a study group, the c... more This qualitative study explored the outcomes of five teachers’ engagement in a study group, the content of which was based in the radical/critical tradition of counter-narratives and social change, and which explicitly aimed to explore institutionalized ableism and the role of educators in the systematic segregation of students with disabilities in schools. The findings indicate that teachers experienced significant and meaningful shifts in their thinking about the constructed meanings of disability in society, the nature of disability oppression, and the implications of inclusive education in democratic societies.
Young learners often are enchanted with the world, fascinated by the ordinary, and absorbed in th... more Young learners often are enchanted with the world, fascinated by the ordinary, and absorbed in the present moment. We explore interconnected ideas about how young children’s natural proclivity toward being curious, and noticing differences among people should be harnessed toward socially just ends. We consider ways in which joyfulness in learning are preserved, as teachers partner with young learners to cultivate their sense of justice in the classroom and beyond. We use disability studies in education as a theoretical framework for doing anti-bias work within early childhood education. We also describe global and neoliberal trends which directly and negatively impact the lives of young children by escalating injustice through educational practices and policies often disguised as reform. Ultimately, we propose, reimagining equity-based practices, positive disability narratives, freedom and humanity, and the concept of place within pedagogy to transform early childhood education.
This qualitative study explored the ways in which mothers of children with Down syndrome interpre... more This qualitative study explored the ways in which mothers of children with Down syndrome interpreted their experiences of motherhood. The narratives of 19 mothers were analyzed. The findings indicate that their identities as mothers were negotiated in the context of the sociocultural meaning of disability and dominant narratives on motherhood. In institutional and interpersonal discourses, they became positioned as other. Their narratives shed light on their resistance to otherness, their contextualized understanding of mothering a child with Down syndrome, and the ways in which they negotiated access to the constructed category of normative motherhood. The study suggests that a conceptual shift is needed in understanding the familial experience of raising a child with Down syndrome. Moving away from assumptions of negative outcomes for these families, professionals need to acknowledge the embeddedness of their experiences in sociocultural beliefs and practices that devalue children with disabilities.
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 46 (6), Dec 2008
A qualitative study explored mothers' experience of the birth of a child with Down syndrome withi... more A qualitative study explored mothers' experience of the birth of a child with Down syndrome within a sociocultural context. Nine mothers of children with Down syndrome were interviewed. Mothers discussed responses to their child's diagnosis as well as negative attitudes toward disability that were displayed by members of the medical community. The narratives highlight the process of meaning-making that these mothers engaged in, their resistance to the dominant discourse on disability, and their eventual transformations in perceptions of disability and motherhood. The study suggests that the meaning of Down syndrome may be culturally embedded and that mothers of children with Down syndrome locate their child's disability within a social environment.
Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 2012
This qualitative study situates parents' perceptions of their participation and role in special e... more This qualitative study situates parents' perceptions of their participation and role in special education planning in multiple contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 diverse parents of children with disabilities. The findings reveal the existence of special education discourses and practices that are entrenched in a deficit-based model and in implicit educational ideologies that sanction segregated education for many children with disabilities. Parents' perception of themselves as advocates was a key theme. Decisions about the placement of children with disabilities in inclusive classrooms appeared to be parent-driven. The findings shed light on the socioeconomic contexts in which family-professional partnerships and educational decision-making for children with disabilities are embedded.
Constructing the (M)other is a collection of personal narratives about motherhood in the context... more Constructing the (M)other is a collection of personal narratives about motherhood in the context of a society in which disability holds a stigmatized position. From multiple vantage points, these autoethnographies reveal how ableist beliefs about disability are institutionally upheld and reified. Collectively, they seek to call attention to a patriarchal surveillance of mothering, challenge the trope of the good mother, and dismantle the constructed hierarchy of acceptable children. The stories contained in this volume are counter-narratives of resistance - they are the devices through which mothers push back. Rejecting notions of the otherness of their children, in these essays, mothers negotiate their identities and claim access to the category of normative motherhood. Readers are likely to experience dissonance, have their assumptions about disability challenged, and find their parameters of normalcy transformed.
Conceptually grounded in disability studies and narrative theory, this volume is an invitation to rethink common assumptions about families of children with disabilities. It aims to further a dialogue across academic disciplines and professional practices about the constructed nature of disability. This book is a much needed resource for all professionals who seek to participate in the creating of socially just communities and inclusive schools.
Constructing the (M)other is a collection of personal narratives about motherhood in the context ... more Constructing the (M)other is a collection of personal narratives about motherhood in the context of a society in which disability holds a stigmatized position. From multiple vantage points, these autoethnographies reveal how ableist beliefs about disability are institutionally upheld and reified. Collectively, they seek to call attention to a patriarchal surveillance of mothering, challenge the trope of the good mother, and dismantle the constructed hierarchy of acceptable children. The stories contained in this volume are counter-narratives of resistance - they are the devices through which mothers push back. Rejecting notions of the otherness of their children, in these essays, mothers negotiate their identities and claim access to the category of normative motherhood. Readers are likely to experience dissonance, have their assumptions about disability challenged, and find their parameters of normalcy transformed. Conceptually grounded in disability studies and narrative theory, this volume is an invitation to rethink common assumptions about families of children with disabilities. It aims to further a dialogue across academic disciplines and professional practices about the constructed nature of disability. This book is a much needed resource for all professionals who seek to participate in the creating of socially just communities and inclusive schools.
Undoing Ableism is a sourcebook for teaching about disability and anti-ableism in K–12 classrooms... more Undoing Ableism is a sourcebook for teaching about disability and anti-ableism in K–12 classrooms. Conceptually grounded in disability studies, critical pedagogy, and social justice education, this book provides both a rationale as well as strategies for broad-based inquiries that allow students to examine social and cultural foundations of oppression, learn to disrupt ableism, and position themselves as agents of social change. Using an interactive style, the book provides tools teachers can use to facilitate authentic dialogues with students about constructed meanings of disability, the nature of belongingness, and the creation of inclusive communities.
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.
In this narrative essay I describe the process and outcomes of a group of fourth graders' engagem... more In this narrative essay I describe the process and outcomes of a group of fourth graders' engagement in a critical inquiry into the constructed meaning of disability in society. Through selfdirected and guided learning, these students examined the historical roots of disability oppression and deconstructed ableist assumptions, and thus found their own understanding about community membership to be transformed. Positioning the need to infuse disability history in schools as an imperative, this paper invites disability studies scholars and social justice educators alike to confront the silences around the topic of disability in schools and to create spaces for children to engage in meaningful dialogues about society's responses to human differences.
In this analytic essay, we initiate a dialogue about the place of disability in a multicultural e... more In this analytic essay, we initiate a dialogue about the place of disability in a multicultural education framework,
and the role of inclusive education in a democracy. Problematizing the common omission of the topic of
disability oppression from anti-oppression pedagogies and from social justice education generally, we invite
teacher educators concerned with educational equity to position themselves on the persistent issue of the
segregation of large numbers of students labeled with disabilities in schools, and to consider how we might
engage in sustained dialogue toward pursuing an agenda that is opposed to the systematic deployment of
educational segregation in all its forms. In addition to opening this broad conversation, we have specifically
invited dialogic interchange with three of our teacher educator colleagues whose responses are embedded
within this manuscript.
Disability and Society http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2014.923748, Aug 2014
The notion that some parents may be ‘in denial’ is a pervasive theme in dominant
discourses on f... more The notion that some parents may be ‘in denial’ is a pervasive theme in dominant
discourses on families of children with disabilities. In this analytic essay, I
deconstruct cultural and institutional master narratives on parental denial and discuss
their role in the marginalization of students with disabilities in schools. I
argue that discourses on parental denial privilege the perspectives of those in
positions of power and control, leave the practice of ability-based segregation in
schools unexamined, and discredit agency among families. Additionally, drawing
from existing narrative-based research, I explore alternative interpretations of
parents’ responses to their children’s differences, situating these in the framework
of critical disability studies.
This study draws upon "Dysconscious Racism: Ideology, Identity, and the Miseducation of Teachers.... more This study draws upon "Dysconscious Racism: Ideology, Identity, and the Miseducation of Teachers." Journal of Negro Education 60 (2): 133-146] concept of dysconscious racism, extrapolating from it the analogous conceptual device of dysconscious ableism. We report upon data drawn from an inquiry at a US university-based teacher preparation programme, wherein we analyse our teacher education candidates' writing through the conceptual lens of dysconscious ableism, to better understand their conceptualisations of dis/ability, and their understanding of existing examples of educational segregation based upon those conceptualisations. We make an argument for the necessity of engaging in studies of ableism in teacher education generally, and also for the usefulness of using the specific conceptual device of dysconscious ableism as a central tool of social justice pedagogy in teacher education.
In this conceptual essay, I outline some ways in which teacher education programs may reify probl... more In this conceptual essay, I outline some ways in which teacher education programs may reify problematic ideologies with regard to students with disabilities, and I invite educators to consider the language, structures, and practices through which ableism is produced/reproduced in the academy. Grounding my arguments in the central tenets of disability studies in education and social justice education, I make a case for a paradigm shift in teacher education programs and a move toward liberating agendas that seek to confront the existing practice of institutionally sanctioned segregation of students with disabilities in schools. To this end, I argue, we need to first position inclusive education broadly as democratic practice for all students, and as a political issue relevant to all teachers.
Historically, research on families of children with disabilities has been framed by the medical m... more Historically, research on families of children with disabilities has been framed by the medical model, which views disability as a biological deficit, necessarily associated with burden and grief. This body of research does not acknowledge the sociocultural contexts in which the meaning of disability is embedded, or the manner in which deficit-based hegemonic discourses shape the familial experience of having a child with a disability. In this paper, we problematize the medicalization of the phenomenon of disability and resulting research inquiries. We propose the use of narrative inquiry, theoretically grounded in sociocultural perspectives, as a critical research methodology for situating the lives of these families in cultural and sociopolitical contexts. Narrative inquiries complicate conclusions drawn from the medical model and contribute to new insights on the ways in which interpretations of having a child with a disability are mutually negotiated between individuals and society.
International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 2015
This qualitative study explored the perspectives of parents and teachers in the US with regard to... more This qualitative study explored the perspectives of parents and teachers in the US with regard to the meaning and implications of disability in the context of schoolling, and of raising a child with a disability. The findings revealed broad conceptual differences in the perspectives of these two groups. Teachers' beliefs were generally consistent with medical model perspectives on disability as biologically defined. Parents' interpretations, more aligned with a sociocultural paradigm, were situated in the cultural meanings ascribed to disability and linked with issues of stigma, marginalisation and access. The findings also revealed the existence of master narratives on families of children with disabilities, entrenched in assumptions of pathological functioning and negative outcomes among these families. Implications for professional-family partnerships in the education of students with disabilities are discussed.
The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 2015
This qualitative study explored the outcomes of five teachers’ engagement in a study group, the c... more This qualitative study explored the outcomes of five teachers’ engagement in a study group, the content of which was based in the radical/critical tradition of counter-narratives and social change, and which explicitly aimed to explore institutionalized ableism and the role of educators in the systematic segregation of students with disabilities in schools. The findings indicate that teachers experienced significant and meaningful shifts in their thinking about the constructed meanings of disability in society, the nature of disability oppression, and the implications of inclusive education in democratic societies.
Young learners often are enchanted with the world, fascinated by the ordinary, and absorbed in th... more Young learners often are enchanted with the world, fascinated by the ordinary, and absorbed in the present moment. We explore interconnected ideas about how young children’s natural proclivity toward being curious, and noticing differences among people should be harnessed toward socially just ends. We consider ways in which joyfulness in learning are preserved, as teachers partner with young learners to cultivate their sense of justice in the classroom and beyond. We use disability studies in education as a theoretical framework for doing anti-bias work within early childhood education. We also describe global and neoliberal trends which directly and negatively impact the lives of young children by escalating injustice through educational practices and policies often disguised as reform. Ultimately, we propose, reimagining equity-based practices, positive disability narratives, freedom and humanity, and the concept of place within pedagogy to transform early childhood education.
This qualitative study explored the ways in which mothers of children with Down syndrome interpre... more This qualitative study explored the ways in which mothers of children with Down syndrome interpreted their experiences of motherhood. The narratives of 19 mothers were analyzed. The findings indicate that their identities as mothers were negotiated in the context of the sociocultural meaning of disability and dominant narratives on motherhood. In institutional and interpersonal discourses, they became positioned as other. Their narratives shed light on their resistance to otherness, their contextualized understanding of mothering a child with Down syndrome, and the ways in which they negotiated access to the constructed category of normative motherhood. The study suggests that a conceptual shift is needed in understanding the familial experience of raising a child with Down syndrome. Moving away from assumptions of negative outcomes for these families, professionals need to acknowledge the embeddedness of their experiences in sociocultural beliefs and practices that devalue children with disabilities.
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 46 (6), Dec 2008
A qualitative study explored mothers' experience of the birth of a child with Down syndrome withi... more A qualitative study explored mothers' experience of the birth of a child with Down syndrome within a sociocultural context. Nine mothers of children with Down syndrome were interviewed. Mothers discussed responses to their child's diagnosis as well as negative attitudes toward disability that were displayed by members of the medical community. The narratives highlight the process of meaning-making that these mothers engaged in, their resistance to the dominant discourse on disability, and their eventual transformations in perceptions of disability and motherhood. The study suggests that the meaning of Down syndrome may be culturally embedded and that mothers of children with Down syndrome locate their child's disability within a social environment.
Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 2012
This qualitative study situates parents' perceptions of their participation and role in special e... more This qualitative study situates parents' perceptions of their participation and role in special education planning in multiple contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 diverse parents of children with disabilities. The findings reveal the existence of special education discourses and practices that are entrenched in a deficit-based model and in implicit educational ideologies that sanction segregated education for many children with disabilities. Parents' perception of themselves as advocates was a key theme. Decisions about the placement of children with disabilities in inclusive classrooms appeared to be parent-driven. The findings shed light on the socioeconomic contexts in which family-professional partnerships and educational decision-making for children with disabilities are embedded.
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Books by Priya Lalvani
Conceptually grounded in disability studies and narrative theory, this volume is an invitation to rethink common assumptions about families of children with disabilities. It aims to further a dialogue across academic disciplines and professional practices about the constructed nature of disability. This book is a much needed resource for all professionals who seek to participate in the creating of socially just communities and inclusive schools.
inquiries that allow students to examine social and cultural foundations of oppression, learn to disrupt ableism, and position themselves as agents of social change. Using an
interactive style, the book provides tools teachers can use to facilitate authentic dialogues with students about constructed meanings of disability, the nature of belongingness, and the creation of inclusive communities.
Papers by Priya Lalvani
and the role of inclusive education in a democracy. Problematizing the common omission of the topic of
disability oppression from anti-oppression pedagogies and from social justice education generally, we invite
teacher educators concerned with educational equity to position themselves on the persistent issue of the
segregation of large numbers of students labeled with disabilities in schools, and to consider how we might
engage in sustained dialogue toward pursuing an agenda that is opposed to the systematic deployment of
educational segregation in all its forms. In addition to opening this broad conversation, we have specifically
invited dialogic interchange with three of our teacher educator colleagues whose responses are embedded
within this manuscript.
discourses on families of children with disabilities. In this analytic essay, I
deconstruct cultural and institutional master narratives on parental denial and discuss
their role in the marginalization of students with disabilities in schools. I
argue that discourses on parental denial privilege the perspectives of those in
positions of power and control, leave the practice of ability-based segregation in
schools unexamined, and discredit agency among families. Additionally, drawing
from existing narrative-based research, I explore alternative interpretations of
parents’ responses to their children’s differences, situating these in the framework
of critical disability studies.
Conceptually grounded in disability studies and narrative theory, this volume is an invitation to rethink common assumptions about families of children with disabilities. It aims to further a dialogue across academic disciplines and professional practices about the constructed nature of disability. This book is a much needed resource for all professionals who seek to participate in the creating of socially just communities and inclusive schools.
inquiries that allow students to examine social and cultural foundations of oppression, learn to disrupt ableism, and position themselves as agents of social change. Using an
interactive style, the book provides tools teachers can use to facilitate authentic dialogues with students about constructed meanings of disability, the nature of belongingness, and the creation of inclusive communities.
and the role of inclusive education in a democracy. Problematizing the common omission of the topic of
disability oppression from anti-oppression pedagogies and from social justice education generally, we invite
teacher educators concerned with educational equity to position themselves on the persistent issue of the
segregation of large numbers of students labeled with disabilities in schools, and to consider how we might
engage in sustained dialogue toward pursuing an agenda that is opposed to the systematic deployment of
educational segregation in all its forms. In addition to opening this broad conversation, we have specifically
invited dialogic interchange with three of our teacher educator colleagues whose responses are embedded
within this manuscript.
discourses on families of children with disabilities. In this analytic essay, I
deconstruct cultural and institutional master narratives on parental denial and discuss
their role in the marginalization of students with disabilities in schools. I
argue that discourses on parental denial privilege the perspectives of those in
positions of power and control, leave the practice of ability-based segregation in
schools unexamined, and discredit agency among families. Additionally, drawing
from existing narrative-based research, I explore alternative interpretations of
parents’ responses to their children’s differences, situating these in the framework
of critical disability studies.