What’s Behind the Curtain? A Family’s Search for an Inclusive Oz
Main Article Content
Keywords
disability, narrative, special education
Abstract
Families are moving at ever increasing numbers. Relocating a family is challenging under any circumstance, but transitioning a child with a disability between schools, especially to new states or countries can be particularly difficult. When families seek full inclusion, the situation becomes more complex. This paper describes one American family’s journey through the moving process and how that process brought to the surface ways in which disability is socially and culturally constructed. Despite federal legislation in some countries regarding special education and the involvement of families, practices differ geographically, sometimes significantly, when determining eligibility, communicating with parents, and discussing how support services will be provided. The author - a parent, educational researcher, and instructor of pre-service teachers – asks questions throughout the family’s relocation and examines people’s “storylines” or habits of conversation (Gee, 1999) to get at underlying assumptions. Related research and implications for improving educational practices are discussed.
References
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Baum, L.F. (1900/1987). The wonderful wizard of Oz. Harper Collins: New York.
Borthwick, C. (1996), Racism, IQ, and Down’s syndrome, Disability & Society, 11(3), 403-410.
Carlson, E., Brauen, M., Klein, S., Schroll, K., Willig, S., & Westat. (July, 2002). Study of personnel needs in special education (SPeNSE); Key findings. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).
Connelly, F.M., & Clandinin, D.J. (2006). Narrative inquiry. In J.L. Green, G. Camilli, & P. Elmore (Eds.), Handbook of complementary methods in education research (3rd ed., pp. 477–487). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Conway, M. (2005). Disability studies meets special education. The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 1(3), 3-8. Retrieved from http://www.rds.hawaii.edu/downloads/issues/pdf/RDS01032005.pdf
Donnellan, A. (1999). Absence of evidence: Myths about autism and mental retardation. TASH Newsletter, May 2000.
Downing, J. (2008). Inclusive education: Why is it not more prevalent? TASH Connections, 34(2), 8-10, 13.
Ellis, C., & Bochner, A. (2003). Autoethnography, personal narrative, reflexivity: Research as subject. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (pp. 199–258).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Falvey, M.A., Forest, M., Pearpoint, J. & Rosenberg, R. (1994). All my life’s a circle. Using the tools: Circles, MAP’s and PATH. Toronto, Canada: Inclusion Press.
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.
Gee, J. P. (1999). An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method. London: Routledge.
Gee, J.P. (2005). An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method (2 ed.). New York: Routledge.
Gould, S. (1981). The mismeasure of man. New York: W.W. Norton and Co.
Grove, K.A., & Fisher, D. (1999). Entrepreneurs of meaning; Parents and the process of inclusive education. Remedial and special education, 20, (4), 208-215.
Hamre-Nietupski, S. & Nietupski, J. (1981). Integral involvement of severely handicapped students within regular public schools, Journal of the Association for the Severely Handicapped (JASH), 6(2), 30-39.
Hansen, N. (2005). Spaces of education: Finding a place that fits. The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 1(3), 22-35. Retrieved from http://www.rds.hawaii.edu/downloads/issues/pdf/RDS01032005.pdf
Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (May, 2001). Model Standards for Licensing General and Special Education Teachers of Students with Disabilities: A Resource for State Dialogue. Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.
Kluth, P., Biklen, D., English-Sand, P., & Smukler, D. (2007). Going away to school: Stories of families who move to seek inclusive educational experiences for their children with disabilities. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 18(1), 43-56.
Krantz, O., Edberg, A., & Persson, D. (2011).The experience of active wheelchair provision and aspects of importance concerning the wheelchair among experienced users in Sweden. The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 7(2). Retrieved from http://www.rds.hawaii.edu/
McLachlan, D.A. (2008). Family involvement in PSE: International schools easing the transition of mobile families. Pastoral Care in Education, 26, (2), 91-101. doi:10.1080/02643940802062634
Mercer, J. R. (1973). Labeling the mentally retarded. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Meyer, D. (2005). The sibling slam book: What it’s really like to have a brother or sister with special needs. Bethesda: Woodbine House.
Terrazas, A. (2009). African Immigrants in the United States. Migration Information Source. Retrieved from http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?ID=719
Naami, A. & Hayashi, R. (2011). Empowering women with disabilities in northern Ghana. The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 7(2). Retrieved from http://www.rds.hawaii.edu/
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (2009). Moving to a new location. Retrieved from http://www.nichcy.org/familiesandcommunity/pages/moving.aspx Washington, DC: Author.
Palmer, S. (2002). "I wasn't trained to work with them": Mainstream teachers' attitudes to children with speech and language difficulties. International Journal of Inclusion Education, 6(3), 199-216.
Plucker, J. A. (Ed.). (2003). Human intelligence: Historical influences, current controversies, teaching resources. Retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~intell
Ressa, T. (2009). “My journey across ridges”: An interview with Theodoto Ressa. Disability Studies Quarterly, 29(4). Retrieved from http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/1007/1158.
Sauer, J. (2007). No surprises, please: A mother’s story of betrayal and the fragility of inclusion. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 45(4), 273-277.
Sauer, J. & Albanesi, H. (June 22, 2012). Questioning privilege from within the special education process. Paper presentation at the Society of Disability Studies annual conference. Denver, CO.
Siperstein, G.N., Parker, R.C., Bardon, J.N., & Widaman, K.F. (2007). A national study of youth attitudes toward the inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities. Exceptional Children, 73(4), 435-455.
Skrtic, T. & McCall, Z. (2011) “The irony of access: Intersectional needs politics and the stratifying practices of special education,” Disability Studies in Education Second City Conference: Chicago, IL.
Smith, P. (ed.) (2010). Whatever happened to inclusion? The place of students with intellectual disabilities in general education. New York: Peter Lang
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS, 2006). 28th annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Washington, DC: Author.