“I Just Learn Differently”: The Experiences of Dis/abled Students of Color Interpreting and Resisting Normalizing Forces in the Mathematics Classroom

Abstract

This critical phenomenological study employs a disabilities studies in education and critical race theory (DisCrit) lens to unpack the learning experiences of seven dis/abled students of color in the secondary mathematics classroom. Based on data collected from individual and group interviews, the counter-stories presented in this study highlight the implicit and explicit ways that the normative forces of ableism and racism circulate in the secondary mathematics classroom. Through their education journey maps, the participants described forms of hyper-labeling, experiences of implicit and explicit biases from teachers and peers, and rigid conceptions of mathematics that constrained their success. The counter-stories are, more importantly, stories of resilience and resistance as participants successfully navigated the normalizing forces of racism and ableism in secondary mathematics education and eventually pursued learning in higher education.