Recognizing Ableism in Educational Initiatives: Reading between the Lines

Maria Timberlake

doi:10.46303/repam.02.01.5

Abstract

The ubiquity of ableism in education policy requires being increasingly alert to the portrayal of, (including the absence of), disability within educational initiatives. Ableism is a form of oppression, a largely unconscious acceptance of able-bodied norms from the inaccessibility of instructional materials, to assumptions about the body (a healthy body is within one’s control) to the acceptance of segregated settings. In response to the call for this special issue, previous qualitative inquiry into the unintended consequences of three educational reforms were synthesized using critical disability theory. Seemingly disparate at first glance, all three initiatives, while ostensibly increasing equity, also contained ableism that reinforced stereotypes about student variability and served to further isolate disabled students. One federal (Alternate Assessment), one state (CCSS modules), and one local (project-based learning) policy implementation are included in this theoretical analysis. Reading between the lines means being alert to ableism, and is essential to prevent the historical marginalization of students with disabilities from continuing within contemporary “progress”.

Highlights

Teachers are routinely expected to implement policies developed by others (Good et al, 2017; Conchas et al, 2020)
Reading between the lines means being alert to ableism, and is essential to prevent the historical marginalization of students with disabilities from continuing within contemporary “progress”
While some positive outcomes were achieved, three seemingly different initiatives share the same unintended consequences when analyzed through the lens of ableism

Summary

Introduction

Teachers are routinely expected to implement policies developed by others (Good et al, 2017; Conchas et al, 2020). Education policies or reforms will frequently have unanticipated outcomes; some students will benefit more than others or implementation may falter as the complexities of local contexts arise (Gottfried & Conchas 2016; Park & Datnow, 2017). A policy provision with transformative potential resulted in some mainstreaming but largely enabled various forms of segregation (Annamma et al, 2012). Race/ethnicity, poverty level, neighborhood location, and other variables impact the implementation of education policy but once ableism is identified, it’s presence is undeniable (Connor et al, 2016; Piepenza-Samarasinha, 2018)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion