Special Education as an Act of Violence: Institutional Ableism and the Creation of Poverty

• In Event: Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: Identifying Ableism in K-12 Schooling and Postsecondary Contexts

Abstract

The paper deconstructs the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act 2004 (IDEIA) as well as an examination of US education drawing connections with employment and economic statistics to demonstrate the systemically violent effects the U.S. special education system has on disabled people. The use of disability studies concepts such as institutional ableism which centres on outcomes rather than intentions, reveals that the continued subjugation of disabled people is intricately woven into the discourse and structures of the US system of special education.

Author

• Gregg D. Beratan, ADAPT, Mumbai