- Critical Foundations of Special Education: Disability, Equity and Inclusion

Catalog description

An overview of the social, political, historical, cultural and educational contexts of disability. Topics will include societal attitudes towards disability, representations of disability in media and literature, and different perspectives on the meaning of disability. The course will introduce major issues in the field of special education by critically examining federal and state special education and disability laws, regulations and policies and their implementation in schools. The course will emphasize how disability is a lived, embodied experience and socially constructed by families, communities, schools, and society. Course participants will apply an understanding of disability to the design of accessible, humanizing classroom environments, individualized education programs and instruction.