“Us Versus Them:” Public Perception, Structural Stigma, and the Persistence of Special Education Segregation in Urban Schools

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Disrupting Marginalization and Advancing Equity in Special Education

Abstract

Despite decades of reform, special education in U.S. public schools remains stigmatized and structurally segregated. This study examines how cultural narratives, institutional design, and deficit logics shape public perceptions of disability. Drawing on mixed-methods data from 80 respondents across two urban school communities, I analyze how ableism operates through family beliefs, media, schooling, and policy. Using frameworks from Critical Policy Analysis, Disability Studies, stigma theory, and Self-Perception Theory, I argue that stigma is not an interpersonal failure but a structured condition. Findings reveal patterns of racialized blame, symbolic separation, and curricular marginalization—yet also gestures toward inclusive futures. This paper centers community voices to reimagine education as a site of belonging, not containment.

Author

• Faith D. Northern, New York University