Dis/abled in Educational Spaces: Policies and Practices of a School District

• In Event: Interrogating Systemic Inequity: From Standards to K–12 Spaces

Abstract

Educational spaces have been used to legitimize oppressive and ableist structures that continue to shape the trajectories of students with disabilities. Critical Disability Studies and Critical Spatial Perspective are used as the theoretical lens. This study focused on how a district level leadership team created and implemented policies and practices specifically in regard to the inclusion of particular children with disabilities from self-contained classrooms to the general classroom. Further, it interrogates how policies regulate, discipline, and structure the educational experiences of these children in inclusive spaces. Thematic analysis resulted in the following interrelated themes: Segregated in inclusive spaces, Accountability improvement aims, and Compliance and technical processes. Implications for policy, research and practice are provided.

Author

• Karen Ramlackhan, University of South Florida