"If It Wasn't My Race, It Was Other Things Like Being a Woman, or My Disability": A Qualitative Research Synthesis of Disability Research

Abstract

This Qualitative Research Synthesis (QRS) explored how K-16 students of color make meaning of their disability labels and negotiate the prevailing dominant ideologies surrounding dis/ability labels, race, gender, and other forms of identity. Scholars in Disability Studies in Education (DSE) have explored critical connections between Disability Studies (DS) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Annamma, Connor & Ferri, 2013; Erevelles, Kanga & Middleton, 2006). This study identified such critical connections by synthesizing 13 qualitative studies from 2006-2018 and explored the lived experiences of students of color labeled with disabilities. Our goal for this QRS was to advance the theoretical work in DSE through a synthesis of qualitative literature within the field. QRS is a methodologically rigorous approach that "uses qualitative methods to analyze, synthesize, and (re)interpret the results from [existing] qualitative studies" (Major & Savin-Baden, 2010, p. 10). We employed a resistance theory of disability at the intersections (Gabel & Peters, 2004; Giroux, 1983a, 1983b), that foregrounded the psycho-emotional disablism model of disability (Thomas, 1999), to recognize that students' acts of resistance directly relate to systematic oppression within the education system. Findings from our second order thematic analysis suggest that students identified disability labels as an assigned identity, which limited their educational opportunities and left a psychological and emotional impact on their well-being. However, students also used multiple strategies and acts of resistance to negotiate the stereotypical master narratives surrounding their intersectional identities. Through a timely methodological and conceptual counter-narrative of its own within educational equity research, our QRS contributes to theory, research, and praxis, with implications for a more humane and just education system for all students.

Equity/Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Universities: The Case of Disabled People

“…Identities are social products, contain self-meaning, include that one's response is similar to the response by others, reflexive and a "source of motivation for action particularly actions that result in the social confirmation of the identity" [114] (p. 242). Much has been written regarding the social factors that define disabled people, how one is identified, and how one self-identifies [115][116][117]. The expectation of having certain abilities is one social factor that influences one's self-identity and the identity others bestow on oneself, in general, including disabled people [105,112].…”

A Critical Systematic Literature Review of Global Inclusive Education Using an Affective, Intersectional, Discursive, Emotive and Material Lens

“…The latter of which do not account for an intersectional nature of the academic, social and emotional realities of BIYOC students. In turn, these constitute the ability and racialized policy master narratives of [13][14][15] and are (re)produced under the guise of good intentions and civil rights ideals. The very premise of law, policy and praxis remains unchallenged.…”

“…Several studies theorized inclusive education through critical and post-structural, and decolonial theories such as critical theory and pedagogy [27], social reproduction theory such as Bourdieu's social, cultural and symbolic capital [26], critical race theory [28], Disability Critical Race Studies (DisCrit) [13][14][15], decolonial theories [29] and Disability Studies in Education (DSE) [30,31] that included other theories such as resistance theory of dis/Ability [14] that accounted for global intersectional dis/Ability cultural studies and politics [15].…”

“…(1) educational needs along academic, social and emotional development for belonging and engagement [27,29,41,43], (2) dis/Ability along with race, gender, language and other social identities and contexts [14,15,31] and (3) inclusive education that only centered one singular social identity such as race [42,44], LGBTQ [43] or incarcerated youth [39].…”

A Good Name: Pseudonyms in Research

“…I hold privileges as a citizen, an English-speaker, someone with advanced education, and someone with a home. In all my work, I build upon the brilliance of scholars who have revolutionized research through intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989(Crenshaw, , 1991Nichols & Stahl, 2019), critical-cultural lenses through a range of identity frameworks (Delgado & Stefancic, 1998;Iqtadar et al, 2020;Lawrence & Hylton, 2022;Loutzenheiser, 2020;Mills & Unsworth, 2018;Pasque et al, 2022;Watharow & Wayland, 2022), and lenses of healing justice (Hale et al, 2018). Eric-As a cisgender, white, queer male, I at once hold many privileges and minoritizations.…”