“my name is jay”: On Teachers’ Roles in the Overrepresentation of Minorities in Special Education and What Teacher Education Can Do

Authors

  • Susan Baglieri
  • Akintoye Moses

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v30i2.1243

Abstract

The authors respond to issues in the learning disability field raised by Sleeter’s 1987 work to propose that work in teacher education can address the problem of overrepresentation of minority students in special education by making the discourses that produce disability visible to those who often initiate the process of disability diagnosis—teachers. An overview of current educational perspectives that have an impact of solving the problem of overrepresentation is followed by a dual-voiced presentation and reflection on labor that the co-authors performed in relation to an assignment for a graduate class entitled Positive Approaches to Challenging Behavior. We highlight complexities surrounding and materializing within teacher education. In presenting artistic work that conjures experiences of people of African descent in America, we problematize discourses of racial tolerance that continue to privilege Eurocentric approaches to reconciling historical and contemporary wronging.

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Published

2010-04-09

How to Cite

Baglieri, S., & Moses, A. (2010). “my name is jay”: On Teachers’ Roles in the Overrepresentation of Minorities in Special Education and What Teacher Education Can Do. Disability Studies Quarterly, 30(2). https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v30i2.1243

Issue

Section

Special Topic: Learning Disabilities