Dismantling [dis]ability injustice: Exploring the impact of virtual learning on students with disabilities and subsequent human rights violations in U.S. schools

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Examination of Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender Roundtable: [Dis]Ability Injustice and the Disproportionality in School Discipline

Abstract

The educational landscape for U.S. students with disabilities demonstrates a historic struggle for equity. With the onset of COVID-19 and virtual learning, these disparities have been exacerbated. This paper interrogates United Nations’ Human Rights Articles 25 and 26 to examine the ways education for students with disabilities has been protected, or ignored, during the global pandemic. Populations most underserved are students and communities of color. While the U.S. boasts education and opportunity for all, the effects of the COVID-19 demonstrate glaring oversights in relation to disability accommodations. Using a critical disability lens, this research posits that classroom pedagogy reform, inclusive evaluations, and increased supportive services help to mediate the effects of learning and behavior regression among students with disabilities.

Authors

• Timmesha Butler-Davis, Ramapo College

• Marcia J. Watson-Vandiver, Towson University

• Deneen S. Dixon-Payne, Towson University