Figuring Inclusion: School-Based Discourses and the Construction of Disability and Agency

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 9:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring Disability Identity and Student Agency

Abstract

This study uses Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine school staff’s language within a large urban district, exploring how discourse shapes inclusive education. Grounded in Figured Worlds theory and systemic change, it analyzes how language reflects, reinforces, or resists systems of power, privilege, and marginalization—particularly for students with disabilities (SWD) and multiply-marginalized identities. Findings show deficit-based language often frames inclusion as conditional, limiting SWD agency, while discourse among district staff diffuses responsibility for systemic change. Addressing a critical gap in special education research, this study offers actionable insights into staff beliefs and inclusive school culture. It concludes that rethinking how inclusion is discussed is vital for advancing social justice and educational equity.

Author

• Katie Baulier, Endicott College