Introduction to DSQ Special Issue: “Why is There Learning Disabilities?”— Revisiting Christine Sleeter’s Socio-political Construction of Disability Two Decades On

Abstract

This article serves as an introduction to the special edition of Disability Studies Quarterly dedicated to revisiting Christine Sleeter’s germinal 1987 publication, “Why is There Learning Disabilities? A Critical Analysis of the Birth of the Field in Its Social Context.” In this introductory essay we first highlight the influence of Sleeter’s work in historicizing disability and normalcy, learning and schooling, asking readers to consider social class and race in the construction of learning disability. Second, we position her in a community of other critical special educators who troubled existing beliefs and practices within the field of special education. Third, we briefly review the thirteen articles featured in this special issue, noting how each engages with ideas from Sleeter’s original analysis. Fourth, we trace how Sleeter and other researchers influenced the emergence of disability studies, and particularly disability studies in education (DSE). In closing, we acknowledge the ongoing schism between DSE and traditional special education, taking strength from the work of Sleeter and other critical special educators who have gone before us, and remain ever optimistic for a more open dialogue.