The topic of parent participation in existing literature centers around what school personnel think and do, but there has been very little research looking at how parents experience special education. Parents hold a unique role in special education because of the parental right to participate under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Additionally, there is an apparent gap as to why the parent rights, mandated under IDEA, have been insufficient to protect students from patterns long recognized as problematic. The current study examines two research questions: 1) How do parents from historically marginalized identities perceive their role in their child's special education? 2) Why hasn't parent inclusion served as a better preventative to disproportionality? To address these questions, I employ phenomenological practices with a mixed methodological approach. I established a new Conceptual Framework for Parents Navigating Special Education to critically construct tools and examine web-based surveys (n=39) and virtual interviews (n=8). Findings are outlined using a systemic organization which refers to three points in time parents and children experience the special education system: "before" beginning special education, when "entering" special education, and when they are "within" the special education system. Themes and results are shared, which focus on the parent experience, beliefs, and perspectives of parents navigating their child's special education. Major findings include: 1) how parents conceptualize their pre-system views and beliefs regarding their child's education (e.g., "before" entering the system), 2) observations and situations from the parents' perspectives that caused them to realize their child needed services in school (e.g., "entering" the system), 3) what parents do when their child is receiving services within the special education system (e.g., "within" the system). Recommendations and implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed in the final chapter. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]