Intersectional Inequities in Educational Placements of Students with Disabilities

• In Event: Dismantling Dis-Abling Systems of Oppression

Abstract

Purpose. United States history and policy have shaped our educational system to normalize labeling student deficits and segregating students with disabilities into varying levels of inclusion in general education, leading to more students of color being labeled with disabilities and placed in segregated settings compared to White students (Connor et al., 2019). Segregation poses great concern because it negatively impacts students opportunities to learn and outcomes (McConnell et al., 2021; Taub et al., 2017). To reveal the pervasive and intersectional nature of discrimination, we examined how educational placement is influenced by individual student characteristics and their intersections. Our research questions were: How much do disability labels affect the amount of time students spend in general education classrooms? How much do the effects of disability label on placement change across other student characteristics?

Theoretical Framework. We used DisCrit (Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory), an intersectional framework that critically examines how beliefs about normalcy are maintained by social constructs of race and disability, the compounding impact of race and disability on educational labeling and placement, and methods for dismantling racism and ablism in educational structures (Annamma, 2016).

Method. We used multi-level linear modeling to examine how school-level variables and intersecting student characteristics affect the educational placement of Utah public school students receiving special education services. Educational placement was defined as the percentage of time students spent in general education classrooms (0-39%, 40-79%, or 80-100%). Student-level variables included grade level, school, and race, ethnicity, gender, multi-language learner status, and eligibility for free/reduced-price lunch. School-level variables included Title I status, urbanicity, enrollment, percentage of students who received special education services, and percentage of students in each demographic category.

Data Sources. Data were obtained from the Utah State Board of Education (USBE). Participants included 170,074 kindergarten through eleventh-grade students from 2016-2022 (excluding 2020 due to COVID-19). Of these students, 10,212 (6%) took the state alternative assessment based on a designation of significant cognitive disability (SCD).

Results. SCD had the strongest negative effect on educational placement, followed by disability labels associated with complex support needs (i.e., multiple disabilities, intellectual disability, autism). Placement patterns of students of color and White students across autism and intellectual disability labels were reversed and disproportionate, suggesting White families have greater social capital and access to knowledge of relative resources and stigma associated with different disability labels.

Significance. Current structures of disability labeling and segregated placements are deeply rooted in ableist and racist practices and policies privileging those who are White (Beratan, 2008). These practices remains today, evident when comparing placement patterns for students of color and White students across autism and intellectual disability labels, and the overrepresentation of students of color with intellectual disability. Dismantling these practices requires equity-oriented educational reform across all levels of the education system. This is particularly important for students who are multiply marginalized and have SCD or complex support needs, as there have been little changes in placements for these students over time (Morningstar et al., 2017).

Authors

• Kirsten Rebecca Lansey, University of Arizona

• Bill Altermatt, University of Utah

• Sojung Jung, University of Utah

• Matthew Jameson, Utah State University