Weighing the Risks and the Rewards: A Feminist-Disability Case Study

• In Event: (Re)Conceptualizing Education Grounded in Student Experiences and Perspectives

Abstract

This qualitative case study, grounded in feminist-disability studies, aimed to center the voice of a a recent high school graduate with a behavioral classification. Rather than label this work the study of this young man, I prefer to frame it as a study in collaboration with him through which educational professionals can learn from his own account of navigating school policies and practices since being assigned the classification ‘emotionally disturbed’ in the sixth grade. Ryan’s generosity and vulnerability in sharing his story allowed me to examine how hegemonic expectations of dis/ability within a patriarchal system of school can converge creating a lasting influence over a young person’s attitude towards and feelings about school. Keywords: disability, classification, student voice, ableism

Author

• Kathryn F. Whitley, Montclair State University