More Than Injustice: Special Education as an Act of Systemic Racist and Ableist Violence

• In Event: Roundtable Session 56
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Ability From a Systems Perspective

Abstract

The Paper uses a DisCrit analysis of educational outcomes to highlight the systemic violence of US special education policy. Examining a range of data including graduation, employment and incarceration statistics it shows the intricate ways racism and ableism intersect and interact within the special education system to limit life opportunities along multiple axes. A deconstruction of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 shows that these outcomes are built into the very fabric of our special education policy.

Author

• Gregg D. Beratan, ADAPT, Mumbai