Wanda J. Blanchett scite author profile

This article places the problem of disproportionate representation of African American students in special education in the context of the White privilege and racism that exist in American society as a whole. The author discusses how educational resource allocation, inappropriate curriculum and pedagogy, and inadequate teacher preparation have contributed to the problem of disproportionate representation. More important, she argues that remedies designed to address the disproportionality challenge must place the aforementioned structural forces at the center of education research, policy, and practice.

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The Intersection of Race, Culture, Language, and Disability

Blanchett

2009

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To date, few researchers have sought to examine the effect of issues of race, culture, language, and disability, let alone to look specifically at the intersection of these issues, as it relates to special education identification, special education service delivery, and students of color's access to an equitable education. Thus, this article will attempt to help urban education researchers and educators understand (a) why the intersection of race, culture, language, and disability is an urban education issue; (b) how issues of race, culture, language, and disability affect students' and their families' quest for an equitable education; (c) how to advocate for and provide culturally responsive services to racially, culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse students and their families; and (d) the implications of the intersection of race, culture, and disability for urban education practice, research, and policy.

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“Telling It Like It Is: The Role of Race, Class, & Culture in the Perpetuation of Learning Disability as a Privileged Category for the White Middle Class”

Blanchett¹

2010

DSQ

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For more than 40 years, the American educational system has used mild disability special education categories to sort students on the basis of perceived disability, race, culture, language, and social class. Accordingly, African American and other students of color have the highest risk ratio for being placed in special education and they received the most segregated special education placements (Blanchett, Mumford, & Beachman, 2005; Dunn, 1968; Losen & Orfield, 2002; Mercer, 1973). How the social constructions of mild disabilities and learning disabilities, in particular, perpetuate learning disability as a privileged category for the White Middle Class while marginalizing students of color has been largely missing in the disability studies and disproportionality debates. The purpose of my paper is to commemorate and revisit Sleeter’s seminal work while contextualizing it within contemporary debates by address the following four questions: (1) What is the historical context of the treatment of African American and other students of color in special education?; (2) Is learning disabilities a category of privilege for the privileged?; ( 3) What is the social cultural context of learning disabilities in the 21st century?; and (4) In what ways do students who receive the same label of LD have very different in-school and post school experiences based upon the intersection of race and class with LD?

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Importance of Teacher Transition Competencies as Rated by Special Educators

Blanchett

2001

Teacher Education and Special Education

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A critical factor in the implementation of transition programming is adequately prepared personnel. The purpose of this study was to identify specific competencies perceived necessary by practitioners preparing students for transition. A questionnaire was developed to analyze the perceived importance of 30 transition-related teacher competencies. Special educators who were involved in transition-related activities were asked to complete a questionnaire in which they rated the importance of the teacher competencies. A total of 74 completed surveys (83 percent) was returned from special educators in Pennsylvania. Results suggest that all competencies were identified by the majority of respondents (58 percent) as important. Competencies related to teaching money management skills (97 percent) and involving parent (96 percent) received the highest ratings. Special educators reported receiving the most training related to the competencies they considered most important. The need for and directions of future research are also addressed. 11 Touring the last couple of decades, the critical need to provide appropriate transition planning and services for students with disabilities has been the focus of legislative and educational initiatives. Transition planning centers on empowering and supporting young adults with disabilities to assume their rightful place in mainstream society as independent and contributing members. Because obtaining this transition goal for many young adults with disabilities largely depends upon their access to effective instruction and transition-related ser-

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Sexual Risk Behaviors of Young Adults with LD and the Need for HIV/AIDS Education

Blanchett

2000

Remedial and Special Education

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AIDS has become a leading cause of death among youth and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24. Given that there is no known cure for AIDS, effective and comprehensive health education is the strongest weapon available to prevent the spread of this deadly disease. The purpose of this exploratory study was to generate information that could be used to highlight the critical need to develop, implement, and evaluate comprehensive education for students with disabilities. Eighty-eight young adults with learning disabilities were recruited to complete a questionnaire. Fifty-one percent of the study participants reported that in high school they had engaged in behaviors that would put them at risk of contracting HIV and/or AIDS. Implications for future practice and research are discussed.

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Regular and Special Educators' Perceptions of Transition Competencies

Wolfe¹,

Boone

Blanchett

1998

Career Development for Exceptional Individuals

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We conducted a survey to examine the (a) perceived importance of 30 transition-related teacher competencies as rated by regular educators and (b) nature of their preparation for tranition programming for students with disabilities. A total of 39 ompleted surveys (72%) were returned from regular educators in ennsylvania. We compared these results with similar data collected from another group of special educators to ascertain the degree of correspondence in transition competency ratings and training between regular and special educators. Results indicated that while the majority of educators had received some inservice training on transition, there were a number of competency areas in which the majority of regular educators received no training. Regular and special educators differentially rated the importance of six teacher competency areas. We discuss the meaning of these results for practice and service delivery.For over a decade transition services have provided a focus for federal, state, and local legislative and educational activities. Transition services play a major role in enabling youth with disabilities to move smoothly from secondary education settings into independent, productive, and personally satisfying postschool environments and activities (Rusch, DeStefano, Chadsey-Rusch, Phelps, & Szymanski, 1992;Wehman, 1996). Understandably, the activities surrounding transition include a growing emphasis on the instructional foci and the service delivery mechanisms of programs for students with disabilities. Because a key feature of transition service delivery is interdisciplinary cooperation and collaboration, professional attention must also be directed to the roles and competencies of the various practitioners who do, or should, provide transition-related services.

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A Review of Sexuality Education Curricula: Meeting the Sexuality Education Needs of Individuals with Moderate and Severe Intellectual Disabilities

Blanchett

Wolfe

2002

Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities

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The importance of sexuality education for students with moderate and severe disabilities has received increasing attention as these people have moved into community settings and as the idea of their right to full, satisfying life circumstances has gained acceptance. Although more curricula are now available for students with special needs, educators and other service providers must select curricula that are comprehensive, credible, and appropriately match their students' learning characteristics and needs. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the 12 sexuality education curricula that were recommended by the Sexuality Information Education Center of the United States (SIECUS) as appropriate for students with special needs. Curricula were reviewed based on the presence and appropriateness of (a) goals/ objectives and scope/sequence, (b) curriculum concepts, (c) instructional methods, (d) curriculum development and evaluation techniques, and (e) suggested adaptations for diverse student learners.

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Voices from a TASH Forum on Meeting the Needs of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Adolescents and Adults with Severe Disabilities

Blanchett

2002

Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities

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Gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) adolescents and young adults have been referred to as an invisible group because they cannot be identified by their physical appearance. They have further been called the "invisible of the invisible" because people often do not recognize their own negative attitudes about homosexuality as bias (Chung & Katayarna, 1998). Consequently, the oppression and discrimination that GLB people face is also invisible. As a society, we are aware of the difficulty that the period of adolescence represents for many, yet we tend to ignore the special needs of GLB adolescents as we do the special needs of those with disabilities.The experience of many GLB students is made difficult by conflicts in sexual identity; feelings of isolation and loneliness; fear of stigmatization, rejection, and harassment by peers; and problems with family acceptance (Marinoble, 1998;Muller & Hartman, 1998). The school setting, with its competitive, conformist, and often alienating formal and informal routines, may actually serve to intensify the stress for GLB students. Many experience verbal and physical abuse in educational environments that is often ignored by school personnel (Marinoble, 1998).Moreover, to "escape the hell" that the school environment, community, and home life represents for them, GLB youth are 2 to 3 times more likely than their heterosexual peers to commit suicide (Gibson, 1989). It is speculated that they account for 30% of all teen suicides, which means that GLB adolescents may comprise 1,500 of the 5,000 yearly completed suicides (Gibson, 1989

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