Reimagining Quality in Special Education Research: The Importance of Disability Voice (Poster 5)

• In Event: Critical Special Education: Reexamination, Reimagination, and Rethinking of Research, Policy, and Practice

Abstract

Critical special education offers a unique lens to the future of education by re-envisioning education as free from the influence of the medical model, ableism, racism, and systematic oppression. To refute traditional notions of special education and embrace new ways of thinking, research applicable to our field must evolve. In 2023, the journal Exceptional Children published various quality indicators for evaluating research in special education, building on previous quality indicators. Throughout this recent special issue, discussions about including the voices of people with disabilities in conceptualizing and implementing intervention research were notably absent.

For many disabled people, research and educational practices are done “to them” and based on the medical model of disability. The current “evidence-base” of knowledge in the field of education lacks the inclusion of people with disabilities as part of the research team and does not often reflect the priorities of disabled people. To reconsider the future of research in special education, this chapter's authors advocate using a tiered lens of meaningful participation as a quality indicator of research (Fletcher-Watson et al., 2019). This poster will offer perspectives on special education research from a disability rights perspective, a frame for considering future research and guidelines for participatory research. Additionally, the authors will provide examples of inclusive disability community involvement from published articles, offering a pathway to a more inclusive future.

Authors

• Adam Berman, Central Michigan University

• Elisabeth K. Rice, The George Washington University