Using a realist grounded theory method, this study resulted in a theoretical model and 4 propositions. As displayed in the LINK model, the labeling practice is situated in and endorsed by a social context that carries explicit theory about and educational policies regarding the labels. Taking a developmental perspective, the labeling practice…

Educators are often at a loss in handling lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues in the classroom. tvOften this is attributable to a lack of training during the preservice program at the university level. This article suggests that special education teacher preparation programs are uniquely positioned to promote sexual diversity…

The purpose of this study was to examine research studies conducted at the K-6 grades of public school in the U.S. covering from 1997-2008 with regard to how diverse students, in particular Latino, White, African American and Asian are identified, placed, and represented in special education programs at the national, state and school district…

Across the United States young women with disabilities are experiencing economic and educational disadvantages. Although post-school outcomes have shown improvement, young women continue to experience high unemployment rates, low wages, and high rates of poverty. In this study, I explore the experiences of four teenage girls who have been labeled…

This article explores the benefits and challenges of operating an inclusive elementary and special education teacher preparation program within a disability studies framework. How does such a program balance issues of theory and practice? How does it provide students with a critical approach that essentially views disability as a social and…

This review essay examines "Special Educational Needs: A New Look" by Mary Warnock which was initially published as a "pamphlet" by the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain in 2005. In this new edition, the original publication is reprinted as the first chapter and Brahm Norwich contributes a chapter in which he responds to the issues…

Even with increased risks, many children demonstrate resiliency and avoid being labeled for special education; however, research on risk and resilience has been problematic because of inadequate statistical models, limitations of available data, and the exclusion of key protective factors. This study used a national sample to examine the influence…

Traditional special education research has excluded personal stories told by those most affected by the special education system. Specialists continue to diagnose, label, and provide assistance to persons with learning disabilities with little input from the persons most affected. The field continues to rely on the medical model, placing the locus…

Proponents of a social model of disability derive their arguments from social constructionism. They combine different disabling conditions under one term: disability. Subsequently, they apply the specific viewpoint of the disability rights social movement of people with physical disabilities to other conditions such as intellectual disabilities,…

In this article, I explore the meaning of disability within the everyday lives of Clear River third-grade students. The concept of a disability narrative is developed to explain how expert disability labels shape the experience of academic performance and failure. Previous studies of disability labeling have neglected the life of the label after…

This article reveals the findings of a participatory ethnography with post-secondary students enrolled in a large West Coast University in British Columbia who had previously been identified as "learning disabled" and thus, the "recipients" of special educational policy interventions. Instead of starting from the official meanings of the special…

Disability labels and other social categories in school arise out of an educational system which attributes learning problems, perceived weaknesses, and academic failure to individual students. Instead, this dissertation investigates how learning problems are produced and reinforced through cultural practices. Through a two-year, cross-context…

Objective data provide overwhelming evidence that children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are underidentified and underserved. This was the central argument in our November 2007 Forum article to which Harry, Hart, Klingner, Cramer, and Sturges responded. In this rejoinder, we continue to assert the dramatic need to offer…

In this article we will address the question: is the use of labels in special education helpful? Within this question there are a number of other questions and issues to consider: what is the relationship between labelling and special educational needs? or the relationship between labelling and the allocation of resources?, as well as the more…

This study examines the results of the Alternative Identification and Reporting (AIR) program, which promoted the nonuse of disability labels for students receiving special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (i.e., students who would previously have been identified as having an emotional/behavioral disorder, specific…