Approaching and Addressing Issues in Special Education for Black Students and Other Students of Color

• In Event: Twice Exceptional Black Girls: Challenges They Face at the Intersection of Race, Gender, and Ability

Abstract

Objectives

This presentation seeks to describe the experiences Black female educators that work with students receiving special education services. The panelist will discuss the importance of using a critical lens when approaching and addressing issues in special education for Black students and other students of color. The panelist will discuss how intersecting identities are impacted by discriminatory attitudes and practices experienced by individuals in Black and other minoritized communities.

Perspectives

The presentation will discuss her work with preservice teachers in preparing to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Preservice teachers will be expected to collaborate with their colleagues in multiple ways. It is important they develop intercultural competence and are able to be responsive to the needs of their students (Boveda, 2019). The panelist will use Black feminist epistemology and intersectionality as frameworks to discuss the experiences of Black women and teachers of color who support students with special needs (Boveda, 2024). Intersectionality is a lens to examine how aspects of identity such as race, gender, class, and ability intersect and multiple points and are interrelated (Crenshaw, 1989). Collins(2000) posits that there is a matrix of domination that systems of oppression and privilege shape the experiences of Black women.

Modes of Inquiry

The panelist will discuss her qualitative research conducted with educators and pre-service teachers.

Data Sources
The panelist will rely on notes and observations.

Conclusions
Identifying and meeting the needs Black students with disabilities requires that educators be intentional in ensuring that all students have a sense of belonging. Educators cannot be culturally incompetent. Preservice teachers and educators must become knowledgeable of the sociocultural identities of their students that differ from their own and recognize how the interrelated identities may be impacted by discriminatory attitudes and practices as well as implicit bias that may exist. They must be willing to abandon counter-productive and unjust practices that do not acknowledge the harms and injustices experienced by Black students with disabilities.

Significance
This presentation contributes to the 2025 American Educational Research Association theme by confronting the deepening racial, ethnic and socioeconomic injustices faced by Black students with disabilities in public schools in the United States. Although the amount of research related to Black students with disabilities exists (Pak & Parsons, 2020; Rynders, 2019; Tefera, 2019), more attention must be given to recognizing when they have multiple, intersecting identities. More attention must be given to the approach educators take when addressing their needs in classrooms to remedy the harms they experience. In addition, more attention must be given to the attitudes and perceptions of educators and preservice teachers who service these students.

Author

• Mildred Boveda, Pennsylvania State University