diversity in special education

Diversity in Special Education by Lisa Row

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Exceptional ChildrenDisproportionality inSpecial Education: Effectsof Individual and SchoolVariables on Disability RiskAMANDA L. SULLIVANUniversity of MinnesotaAYDIN BALUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison

“The most consistent predictors of identification across the categories were students‘ gender, race, socioeconomic status, and number of suspensions.”

My little brother, J.R. is smart, funny, capable, a great cook and he was in Special Education classes throughout his school career in the late 1980s to 1990s.


J.R. grew up on the east side of Indianapolis, IN.

• Poverty• Neglect• In and out of foster

care• Dad in jail• Physical abuse• Unstable home life


American Psychological Association Education and Socioeconomic StatusSocioeconomic status (SES) is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation. It is commonly conceptualized as the social standing or class of an individual or group. When viewed through a social class lens, privilege, power, and control are emphasized. Furthermore, an examination of SES as a gradient or continuous variable reveals inequities in access to and distribution of resources. SES is relevant to all realms of behavioral and social science, including research, practice, education and advocacy.

Special Education in Indianapolis Public Schools in the past.

• Secluded from general education students• Not being taught academics• Placed in a room to play games all day


Bias in Evaluating Students• Racial and socioeconomic bias in testing.• Stigma and Expectations• Labeled• Meat Ax-Approach


Brown Vs Board of Education• Equal rights for African American students (1954)• No segregation• Congress took closer look at inequality• The seed for equal rights for children with disabilities


Antidiscrimination Laws• Rehabilitation Act of 1973-Prohibits discrimination

solely on disability against any otherwise qualified person with a disability in any program receiving federal assistance.

• Education of All Handicapped Children Act (1975)- Rights of all student to a free appropriate public education.

Antidiscrimination Laws• Americans with disabilities Act of 1990- Prohibits

discrimination solely on disability against any otherwise qualified person with a disability in employment, public service, public accommodations, transportation, and telecommunications.

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1990) law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation.

Antidiscrimination Laws• No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is a

United States Act of Congress that is a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which included Title I, the government's flagship aid program for disadvantaged students.

Current Special Education

• Interventions prior to evaluating for Special Education• Background considered in testing• People First • Reevaluated• Individualized evaluation• Inclusion• Misclassification


diversity in special education

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