Stigma of a Label: The Social, Sociopsychological, and Educational Experiences of High School Students Identified With a Learning Disability

• In Event: Roundtable Session 96
  In Roundtable Session: Inclusion, Stigma, and the Perception of Ability

Abstract

A label of disability is stigmatizing, and results in more negative perceptions of a student’s academic potential. The educational outcomes of students identified with a learning disability (LD) may be impacted by their impaired self-image, as well as the lowered expectations of those around them. I use the large national dataset of both regular and special education students, The Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, to explore how identified students’ and surrounding others’ attitudes, behaviors, and expectations are implicated in the students’ educational outcomes, net of academic history and social background. I find that the expectations and influences of teachers have a greater impact on the educational outcomes of students identified with LD than those of parents, peers, and friends.

Authors

• Dara Renee Shifrer, The University of Texas - Austin

• Rebecca M. Callahan, The University of Texas - Austin