Imagine this scenario: Jasmine is an African American student with learning disabilities who has a strong academic background. She wants to take honors courses, but due to budget cuts, only a limited number of students can enroll. Jasmine's future career is dependent on access to these courses. She plans on going to college to attend an academically challenging program and will be prepared for the program via these honors courses.
Now, consider Mateo. He is a Latino American student with intellectual disabilities who excels in hands-on learning. Despite support from his case manager and some teachers, Mateo is unable to join the school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program because he doesn’t score as well in academic courses. The case manager realizes that such situations can lead to negative long-term outcomes for students, with many dropping out and ending up in juvenile detention. District officials claim that students who struggle to meet GPA requirements wouldn’t do well in the CTE programs.
These examples show the impact of intersectionality. This occurs when overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination (e.g., race and disability) harm a student. Special education professionals need to be ready to advocate for their students’ rights and educational opportunities. They should understand the reasons behind civil rights laws and how they can affect post-school outcomes for diverse students.
So, how can special education professionals support students facing the challenges of intersectionality?
- Be active in curriculum groups and committees and share positive stories and data about the importance of participation for students with disabilities.
- Plan early and integrate state prerequisites into the schedules of students with IEPs. Help guide them towards these courses from an early stage.
- Make sure students and families are aware of their legal rights to educational opportunities in schools and empower them to self-advocate.
Resources
For more information on the impact of intersections on post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, check out these resources:
- Indiana Disability History
- Museum of Disability: Disability and the African American Experience
- National Disability Institute blog: “Black disability history is Black history too!”
- It’s Our Story
- American Association of People with Disabilities: Racism and Ableism
- Canadian Journal of Higher Education: “Underrepresented Students and the Transition to Postsecondary Education: Comparing Two Toronto Cohorts.”
- Social Work Practice and the Disability Communities: An Intersectional Anti-oppressive Approach
- Race Ethnicity and Education: “Inequities at the intersection of race and disability: evidence from community colleges.”
Bonus Tip
Excellence for Everyone: National Transition IEP and Portfolio Webinars
The Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) at the Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC) has opened the registration for two new Transition IEP webinars:
The Transition IEP webinar will be on February 27 and the Transition Portfolio webinar on February 28. Sessions run 9–11:00 a.m. and again from 1–3:00 p.m. Choose the time that best suits your schedule and leave with resources that will help you create quality Transition IEPs and Transition Portfolios. Cost is $30 per session.
Register today at go.iu.edu/4MtM