The inclusion of students with disabilities with special education services into general education classes has been an integral part of education for over 3 decades. It is a worldwide movement that continues to grow. Yet, some Special Education researchers remain highly critical, even cynical, of inclusion, despite decades of research that have…

The experiences of disabled girls of color have historically been ignored within and/or excluded from US educational research and thus, are often unheard and under-recognized. Few scholars use an intersectional lens to examine how inequities impact disabled girls of color. In this call to action to the research community, existing scholarship…

Special educators are increasingly drawing from intersectionality and Black feminist theory to make sense of the disproportionate deleterious outcomes experienced by racialized students labeled with disabilities. While intersectionality gains a stronger hold in special education discourse, agencies like the Florida Department of Education are…

Background: The field of special education (SPED) has struggled with persistent equity problems in providing meaningful learning opportunities for students of color. These inequities are experienced by students who are navigating the intersection of race and disability, marginalizing and harming them. Critical scholars urge SPED to carefully…

TrUDL is a pedagogical approach that considers the intersections of "translanguaging" and "Universal Design for Learning" (UDL) to support the needs of students in any classroom, but especially emergent multilinguals labeled as disabled (EMLADs). In this article, we offer tools to help educators ensure their lessons support the…

This review of research conducted between March 2020-April 2023 summarizes the impact of COVID-19 on the learning and school experiences of children and adolescents with special educational needs and dis/abilities (SENDs) including youth with neurodevelopmental disorders, learning differences, intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities.…

There is a common narrative in the field of transition: students with disabilities continue to experience poorer post-school outcomes compared with their peers without disabilities. After decades of research and practice, scholars and practitioners have impacted countless numbers of students. However, disparate outcomes for diverse youth still…

For education to be a means of social transformation that is equitable for all, including students with disabilities, it is important for educators to understand and infuse student's multiple social identities and culture into educational planning and preparation for life. Intersectionality theory is a way to understand inequities by acknowledging…

Through thoughtful course design and the use of targeted strategies, postsecondary instructors can assist students with disabilities in attaining academic goals. When success within the classroom increases, more positive evaluations of instructors who support student achievement can result, and both graduation and retention rates can rise. This…

The MAP Center State Education Agency Self-Assessment and Preplanning Tool was created as a joint venture between national and regional TA Centers, educational thought leaders, and an extensive convening of stakeholders from the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (MAP) 13 state region. The purpose of the tool is to advance integration…

It can be tough to talk about disabilities. However, when we avoid talking about it, we ignore a huge piece of someone's personal identity. This identity is complex, multifaceted, and requires a unique set of needs. It is important that students with disabilities are heard. When living with a disability, society can often have lower expectations…

In this "Equity by Design" Research Brief, Dr. Federico Waitoller critiques the traditional model of inclusion for students with disabilities in the U.S., providing a blueprint for inclusive education that dismantles intersecting forms of inequity that are part of the DNA of what we consider the general education classroom. Informed by…

Although special education and its legal provisions under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) were designed to support all children with disabilities, it has created a litigious and bureaucratic environment that further marginalizes disabled and labeled children of color and their families. Falling short of a collaborative…

This position paper identifies the complexity of the special education teacher (SET) shortage and the social injustices of the already marginalized population of students with disabilities (SWD). Nationally, policy reforms and teacher certification initiatives may have unknowingly perpetuated the shortage of SET in an attempt to increase the…

Teachers' and practitioners' pedagogical practices also have legal professional responsibilities and regulations to adhere to under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. We understand the former as the policy master narrative that can reify inaccessibility in the classroom. We take a paradigmatic shift focusing on "storying"…