Students with disabilities represent a group of the population subject to "othering" (Kalymon et al., 2010); that is, being set apart from neurotypical students because of their disabilities. Within the realm of instrumental music, this treatment has followed the pattern of prejudice noted by Allport (1954). Band directors have resisted…

Disabled individuals in Western history have encountered barriers, both physical and attitudinal, that limit their potential in society. These barriers are both constructed intentionally and unintentionally, according to disability studies. They have been unintentionally built as the disabled have been specifically excluded, making the need for…

Self-determination plays a vital role in the educational journey of students with a dis/ability. However, opportunities to cultivate self-determining skills for elementary students with dis/abilities in an inclusive co-taught classroom are limited. This can be attributed to the intersectionality of ableism and ageism, two oppressive societal…

In a school district in the southwestern United States, the problem that this study explored was that too many students with intellectual disabilities (ID) are placed into separate classrooms at the middle school level rather than being mainstreamed into general education classrooms. The purpose of this basic qualitative project study was to…

Despite the international movement to include students with Moderate Intellectual Disabilities (MOID) in general education classrooms with their typical peers, these students still receive their education in segregated classrooms in Saudi Arabia (SA). This study aims to investigate the teachers' perceptions of the educational experiences of female…

This poetic inquiry sought to understand the tensions, perspectives and experiences of teachers as they work to create more inclusive mindsets and identities despite working in a system that allows for ability profiling and disability stigma in schools. This work fills a gap in the literature in that not much is known about the journeys teachers…

Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) requires all students, including those with disabilities, to be served in the least restrictive environment (LRE) or mainstream classroom. However, a gap exists between the LRE requirement and the practice of including students with disabilities, especially those with emotional behavior disability…

While dual language immersion (DLI) programs have emerged as one approach to promote culturally and linguistically sustaining education, teachers are not prepared to instruct students who live in the intersection of ability and linguistic differences. Dual language learners (DLLs) with disabilities often do not have access to culturally and…

This action research design drew on socioemotional conceptualizations of student validation. These concepts are based on stigmas, negative labels, and isolation bestowed on marginalized and oppressed students supported through special education, English language learners, foster care, and mental health services. This study examines conscious and…

Black parents of young adults with high incidence disabilities provide salient support to their children during and after postsecondary planning processes in high school. These parents serve a vital role concerning their child with high incidence disabilities' postsecondary planning processes. School counselors are well-positioned as social…

The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges that Hispanic parents in the autism spectrum disorder encounter with their child in the autism spectrum disorder, and how these difficulties impact their quality of life. This study is important because there is an increase in the number of adults in the spectrum who have not received the…

This study explores how institutional practices within a school district limit general education teachers' ability to comply with special education policies. While numerous special education issues exist within the school district studied here, my research examined institutional practices that negatively impacted inclusion of exceptional students…

This study explores how one secondary social studies teacher education program prepares prospective teachers for inclusive education. Drawing on theories of democratic citizenship education and Disability Studies in Education, inclusive social studies envisions a socially democratic educational setting that fosters the development of a community…

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine students with disabilities self-perceptions of their academic and social supports in the general and special education classroom and the impact of the students' counterstories to inform the design of classroom supports. This study was anchored in organizational theory, critical race theory, and the…