“I Draw Mommy Right Here…Wearing Mask”: Care, Criticality, and Crip Linguistics through Early Childhood Literacy

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 11:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: (Re)Imagining Early Literacy, Care, and Criticality

Abstract

The intersecting crises of 2020 had profound impacts on disabled young children. Extant literature has centered on the challenges disabled children faced and the interventions they needed. Few studies have offered counternarratives that showcase their critical insights, playful interactions, or relational meaning-making. In this qualitative case study, we explored how disabled young children and their caregivers used language and literacy as they processed converging social crises. Drawing on critical childhood studies and crip linguistics, we share findings from analysis of virtual art/writing workshops. We highlight how children and caregivers recognized one another’s meaning-making, co-constructed spaces for refusal, and navigated fantasy and reality together. Findings contribute to literature in early childhood education, literacy studies, and disability studies in education.

Authors

• Maggie Beneke, University of Washington

• Emily Machado, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Jordan Taitingfong, University of Washington