Centering Black, Indigenous, and Young People of Color Dis/abled Voices in Teacher Education Against White-Ability Supremacy: A DisCrit Community Engagement Collaboration

• In Event: Challenging Dysconscious Ableism and Dreaming Beyond Pathology in Teacher Education

Abstract

Purpose
Within this paper, we present preliminary themes, discussion, conclusions and implications for teacher education in order to dismantle dysconscious racism and ableism (Broderick & Lalvani, 2017) from a production of a practitioner brief and zine and vodcast for the Great Lakes Equity Center and Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center in collaboration with the a) local Waterloo, Iowa chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) caregivers and an advisory board of community caregiver and youth members, b) the executive director of Access for Special Kids Resource Center from Des Moines, Iowa, which is a parent training, information, and advocacy center for families of children with dis/Abilities across the state of Iowa and c) three faculty members from the Cedar Valley.

Theoretical Framework
We applied the DisCrit tenets (Annamma et al., 2013) and the DisCrit Classroom Ecological framework of a) Pedagogy, b) Curriculum, c) Solidarity, and d) DisCrit Resistance (Annamma & Morrison, 2018) and critically examined the voices of NAACP speakers, caregivers, youth, and advisory board members. This was done to dismantle the discursive, emotive and material consequences of the racism and ableism one experienced in educational practices.

Methods & Data Sources:
We used DisCrit Community Engagement Methodology throughout our collaboration and co-generation of data and analysis about the production of the practitioner brief and zine (See Appendix B).
The data sources for this paper include the a) vodcast three guest speakers and three hosts [video and audio recordings of 41 minutes and 39 seconds and transcription of a Black caregiver dis/Abled female, Black youth Dis/Abled male, Black faculty member female from the NAACP community, White-Female host and a Latinx-Dis/Abled male host, and a White-Female Executive Director of ASK Resources Center host] and b) three caregiver interviews [video and audio recordings of 2 hours and 40 minutes and 42 seconds across the three interviews and transcriptions from two Black-female caregivers and a Black-male Reverend] of advisory board of community caregiver and youth members.

Findings
Preliminary findings include the following vodcast themes:
1. The Permanence of the Disproportionality of Students of Color in Special Education and the Impacts of Educational Labeling on Black, Indigenous and Youth of Color
2. The Importance of Health and Well-Being for Black, Indigenous and Youth of Color at their Intersections in School Policies and Practices to Recognize and Enact Wholeness in Education
3. Policing Black, Indigenous and Youth of Color Bodyminds: Unfair and Unconscionable Punishment and Treatment
4. The Significance of Intersectionality for Accounting for Identity, Power and Privilege and Positionality in Education

For theme definitions, codes, quotes, and a DisCrit analysis see Appendix C.

Authors

• Scott Ellison, University of Northern Iowa
  Presenting Author

• David Isaac Hernandez-Saca, University of Northern Iowa
  Presenting Author

• Joyce Levingston
  Presenting Author

• Karen Thompson
  Presenting Author

• Jamisia Young, University of Northern Iowa
  Presenting Author

• Anna Marietta
  Presenting Author

• Vincent Ali, University of Northern Iowa
  Presenting Author

• Latrina Hoepper
  Presenting Author

• Rev Jenes
  Presenting Author