Addressing Racism and Ableism in the Classroom and Teacher Education: Case Studies of Special Education Teachers of Color

Addressing Racism and Ableism in the Classroom and Teacher Education centers and elevates narratives of special education teachers of color, an overlooked and underserved population in public education, as a vehicle for analyzing the tensions of race and disability. Special education teachers of color, who work and may themselves live at the intersections of these complex identity constructs, are uniquely positioned to develop effective approaches to countering racism and ableism. This book offers five critical case studies of special education teachers of color, whose replicable practices span preschool through high school classrooms while also holding urgent implications for teacher education programs. Building toward an original framework that synthesizes DisCrit and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies, these narratives refuse deficit readings of disability among students of color and instead prepare teachers to model collective joy and pride in their identities.

Saili S. Kulkarni is Associate Professor of Special Education at San José State University, USA.