In this article, I propose a critical, alternative framing of Black boys, asserting that Black boys are vulnerable resources rather than problems. Black boys are susceptible to racist and ableist practices and discourses, and they deserve special protection and services in school that do not position them as “in need of repair.” Despite the multiple oppressions they face, Black boys are assets to themselves and their communities. I contrast this alternative framing against an existing framing of schooling for Black boys: the dominant, functionalist approach that advances a deficiency narrative. I situate this discussion within the context of urban education.

In this article, co-written by a self-identified White female professor and a self-identified Black male doctoral student, the authors address the pressing need to train and retain a teacher workforce willing and able to foster equity for students from nondominant racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. They make three arguments. First, the impact of educator work is deeply entwined with student and teacher identities as well as the cultural knowledges, histories, and experiences that students and teachers bring to classrooms. Second, professional knowledge must be interdisciplinary, drawing on a number of social science and humanities disciplines to inform practice and ongoing inquiry in practice. Third, the critical shortage of research on the interaction between individual and collective educator identities and teacher learning must be addressed. The authors conclude with a call to regroup the preparation of all educators, including special educators, to become more explicit and present in discourse about ability, race, gender, sexuality, and other identity markers. Both discourse and curricula need to represent and educate our nation’s students about the rich tapestry of diversity that manifests in multiple forms of knowledge, social, political, and intellectual capital. The teacher workforce needs to be prepared and supported to do this work.

PurposeThis article focuses on the strategic importance of framing cultural changes in special education through a critical lens. The article explores why cultural responsivity must be understood from a critical perspective that accounts for the historical sedimentation of racism that exists within special education organizational policies and practices. This sedimentation affects current and future organizational features that sustain historical, persistent and pernicious racial and ableist structures, relationships and outcomes.Design/methodology/approachBy examining the role of power within organizational systems, the authors trace its contribution to reproduction of these systems through special education leadership. Special education leaders along with their peers in general education can frame transformative change through a systemic lens designed to address structural, regulatory and cultural practices that perpetuate raced and ableist outcomes. The pernicious and sustaining structures and practices that have created unequal outcomes in our educational systems need strategic intervention, prevention and re-creation to create equitable supports and services programs.FindingsBy examining the role of power within organizational systems, the authors trace its contribution to reproduction of these systems through special education leadership. Special education leaders along with their peers in general education can frame transformative change through a systemic lens designed to address structural, regulatory and cultural practices that perpetuate raced and ableist outcomes.Practical implicationsWith clear outcomes that are responsive to all students, including those identified with dis/abilities, education leaders can make consequential shifts in access, opportunity and the distribution of social and intellectual capital throughout education.Social implicationsThe pernicious and sustaining structures and practices that have created unequal outcomes in our educational systems need strategic intervention, prevention and re-creation to create equitable supports and services programs.Originality/valueThe application of DisCrit to educational leadership practices offers an opportunity to frame leadership through a powerful equity lens.

Cultivating a racially diverse special education teacher workforce is critical to the success of students with disabilities, particularly students of color with disabilities. We examine the literature and provide suggestions for recruiting, supporting, and retaining special education teacher candidates of color. Specifically, we present a vignette that highlights the decision-making process of a Black male on a journey to become a special education teacher. We propose recruitment strategies (e.g., anti-racist mission and vision statements), support strategies (e.g., racial affinity groups), and retention strategies (e.g., adopting anti-racist curriculum) that Institutions of Higher Education must consider to promote efforts to diversify the special education teacher workforce.

This article connects the pillars of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to the complexities of living and dying in the United States. Our argument navigates among the emancipatory intent of ADA and the lives of people whose access to power, emancipation, and transformation are compromised by the historical and contemporary divisions of difference that infuse everyday life. The gaps between the possibilities of public policy, missed opportunities, and current realities create a significant, lasting impact on generations of Americans. While we acknowledge the landmark significance of ADA, we also press the imperative to expand and strengthen its impact. This article is framed in intersectionality, the politics of difference, and the potential of social policy.