The Tension Between Institutional and Self-Identification of Disability

• In Event: 25.054 - Disability Narrative Reclamation: The importance of Raising the Voices of Disabled Students

Abstract

The relationship between the social construction and self-identification of disability is complex and has been integral to the work of critical disability scholars (Ben-Moshe, Chapman & Carey, 2014; Davis, 2013; Erevelles, 2011). In 2006-07 and 2016-17, the Toronto District School Board conducted a student census and asked students to identify whether they had a disability. Interestingly, the proportion of students who self-identified as having a disability was only a fraction of those who had been institutionally identified (formally and informally) through special education. Additionally, among students within special education, distinct trends emerged around who was likely to self-identify across class, income, gender and racial categories. This paper explores the construction and consequences of disability categories in education.

Authors

• Gillian Parekh, York University

• Robert S. Brown, Toronto District School Board