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Ed Roberts was a renowned activist considered to be one of the founding leaders of the American disability rights movement. Although he engaged in numerous political strategies, his main form of activism was teaching in his prolific public speaking career across the United States and around the world. The content and methods of his pedagogy were crafted from his own personal experiences as a disabled man. His teaching featured autobiographic selections from his own life in which he fought and defeated forces of oppression and discrimination. This article examines Roberts’ disability rights teaching in relation to the experiential sources, political content, and teaching techniques.

In this article, we focus on the life and accomplishments of Ed Roberts, leader of the Independent Living Movement for people with severe disabilities, to consider ways he envisioned and enacted a ...

University presses publish works of scholarly, intellectual, or creative merit tailored to an audience of specialists or a group with a shared interest. They also connect their host institution to local and regional communities and generate positive publicity for the institution. In recent years, however, university presses have faced increased scrutiny for myriad financial reasons. The purpose of this study was to measure the extrinsic and intrinsic value of one university press by gathering multiple sources of data on productivity, academic reach, and peer comparisons. Additionally, many of the press’s recently published authors completed an anonymous online survey about their experiences, preferences, and satisfaction with aspects of the publishing process. Despite the press’s recent financial struggles, the results of this study showed evidence of the press’s benefits and value, and authors who responded to the survey reported high rates of satisfaction, personal and scholarly growth, and positive outcomes from their publishing experience. The methods of data gathering undertaken for this study may be instructive for others contemplating a similar evaluation of their press’s value. Specifically, the survey described herein aimed to measure the value of the press in the view of one of its primary stakeholders — its authors — and similarly designed surveys could measure the value of the press in the view of other important stakeholders. Important implications for the press’s practices and future avenues of research are discussed.

The learning disability construct gained scientific and political legitimacy in the United States in the 1960s as an explanation for some forms of childhood learning difficulties. In 1975, federal law incorporated learning disability into the categorical system of special education. The historical and scientific roots of the disorder involved a neuropsychological discourse that often conflated lower social class identity and learning disability. Lower class, often urban, families were viewed as providing insufficient intellectual stimulation for their young children, thereby causing learning problems. This paper undertakes a historical analysis of a particular form of this class‐based political discourse—romantic agrarianism—developed by leading learning disability researchers Newell Kephart and Marianne Frostig in the 1960s.

Cooperating teachers’ beliefs of effective supervision of student teachers may play an important role in mentoring practices. By systematically analysing metaphors unconsciously expressed in the discourse of cooperating teachers concerning supervision of student teachers, these beliefs could be made explicit. This study explored: (1) what metaphors concerning supervision of student teachers are embedded in the cooperating teachers’ everyday language; and (2) what central concept of effective supervision of student teachers is shared by the cooperating teachers’ metaphors. Analyses of the interviews with the 13 cooperating US teachers showed that their metaphors centred on the issues of interpersonal relationships, power sharing, and tension and conflict. The metaphors converged into a central concept of a non-authoritative approach to supervision of student teachers that embraces relationship issues raised by the participants and provides successful learning experiences for student teachers. A recommendat...

Leading researchers describe the field of special education as sharply divided between two different theories of disability. In this article Scot Danforth takes as his project addressing that division from the perspective of a Deweyan philosophy of the education of students with intellectual disabilities. In 1922, John Dewey authored two articles in New Republic that criticized the use of intelligence tests as both undemocratic and impractical in meeting the needs of teachers. Drawing from these two articles and a variety of Dewey’s other works, Danforth puts forward a Deweyan educational theory of intellectual disability. This theory is perhaps encapsulated in Dewey’s observation that “The democratic faith in human equality is belief that every human being, independent of the quantity or range of his personal endowment, has the right to equal opportunity with every other person for development of whatever gifts he has.”1

The rising incidence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses and consequent medication prescriptions has stirred great controversy in the USA. The very meaning and social utility of the disorder are hotly contested in the public sphere and in the schools. Since 1997, changes in federal law have led to increased involvement of students with ADHD diagnoses in American special education. This paper undertakes a preliminary metaphor analysis of ADHD in the writings of leading expert Russell A. Barkley. Two dominant metaphors are identified: the brain as a cybernetic control system; and people with ADHD as prisoners. Implications of these metaphors for inclusive education are examined.

A growing, interdisciplinary field of cognitive linguistics has developed in recent decades, bringing together research from many fields to explore the ways that metaphors provide structure and semantic content to thought and language. In this article, the American public school disability emotional/behavioral disorder (E/BD) is examined in regard to the primary metaphors that frame the basic concepts of the disorder. The metaphors of 2 versions of E/BD, psychodynamic and behavioral, are investigated. A series of critical questions about the E/BD construct are posed, and possibilities for new metaphors are proposed.

Traditionally, metaphor has been viewed a literary trope standing in opposition to literal forms of writing in the natural and social sciences. In recent decades, however, a multi-disciplinary field of cognitive linguistic research has developed. This research finds metaphor at the heart of both everyday and scientific thinking. Metaphor is understood to be vital to the development of useful theories within the sciences. In this paper, the authors analyze the use of the machine metaphor in recent autism research, allowing for an interrogation of that research in terms of generativity and utility.

This chapter describes the democratic philosophy and progressive education writing of John Dewey as sources of wisdom and guidance for the development of schools and classrooms where diverse groups of students live and learn together. The primary emphases are Dewey’s concept of moral equality, his understanding of democracy as a way of life, and his work with the teachers at the University of Chicago Lab School on a curriculum that analyzed tackled the central challenges of community life. Dewey offered useful theoretical work on liberal democratic communities while developing a relevant curricular example of how schools can focus learning activities on the promise and problems of society.

This chapter traces the shift of many progressive educators from a general faith in special education to the more recent push for democratic and ethical inclusive education. This chapter examines the critical scholarship that propelled many educators away from systems of special education and into the inclusive education movement. Two phases in the development of inclusive education are described, an initial failed attempt often described by researchers as “integration,” and the current social movement building toward a more genuine social transformation of classrooms and schools.

For three decades, special education researchers have sought a solid epistemological foundation for their disability research. Following the lead of the philosophical tradition of American pragmatism, this article sets aside the search for epistemological foundations to conduct research of practical utility and democratic purpose. This article proposes a practical and democratic reorientation of special education research based on an antifoundational concept of truth, an antirepresentational view of language, and a wager on liberal democracy.

The special education profession in the USA has witnessed a recent struggle between researchers who defend a positivistic approach to knowledge and practice and ‘postmodern’ special educators who challenge that approach. An analysis based on a sociological theory of heresy provides insight into the social and professional dynamics operating in conflict between postmodern heresy and positivist orthodoxy. This struggle for power within the profession has implications for inclusive education in the USA. Specifically, given the preponderance of the orthodox group within the American sub‐field of emotional/behavioural disorders, this paper explicates the implications for the inclusive education of students labelled emotional/behavioural disorders in American schools. Heresy is a fight for the heart and soul of a profession. (Wolpe, 1994, p. 1136)

This chapter takes a critical theory perspective to address how students and teachers’ social class, race, and gender influence the dynamics of classroom life. Lincoln and Guba (2000) call critical theory a research paradigm, hence the critical orientation is fitting for this alternative paradigms section. Critical theory, historically and currently, has the radical democratic aim of understanding and eliminating the power imbalances that exist between people in various social settings. As critical educational scholar Leistyna (1999) writes:MAJOR THEMES AND THEORIES IN CRITICAL SCHOLARSHIPCritical scholars rarely prescribe classroom strategies; however, ideas for schools are implied in the issues they research. Because they focus on problems, critical theorists often are accused of being negative. Yet, their efforts to reduce oppressive hierarchies indicate they are more accurately perceived as “radical humanists,” or optimists, who work to eradicate injustices others see as intractable (Danforth & Taff, 2004, pp. 6, 7). Although much critical scholarship involves unmasking oppression, exposing injustice may not be sufficient to inspire and sustain change. Therefore, some recommend that suggestions for practice and activism must accompany critical research (Brantlinger, 1999). In this chapter, we first review issues critical theorists have raised about schools, then we map out ways classrooms might be organized to achieve an equitable, democratic social life.We first clarify the origin and nature of the critical perspective.Class Conflict and Hegemony Critical theory originates with Marx’s class analysis (Bottomore, 1956). Identifying capitalists as those in industrialized society who exploit the labors of working classes, Marx illustrates the correspondence between society’s economic base and its superstructure (citizens’ mental life). In other words, Marx states, “[t]he mode of production of material life determines the general character of the social, political, and spiritual processes of life” (Bottomore, 1966, p. 14). Whether or not they recognize their own class politics, dominant classes control societal circumstances and circulate ideologies that convince workers to comply with practices beneficial to higher classes. Expanding on Marx’s ideas of social class domination and mystifying ideologies, Gramsci (1971) credits workers with having the insight and agency to resist capitalist oppression. Hence he views hegemony as a dynamic power relation between subordinate and dominant classes.

On what basis do special educators working in the area of severe disabilities make decisions? This article provides an exploration of the practice of social inquiry in professional work that draws from the democratic ethics of John Dewey. Dewey emphasizes the need for knowledge to contribute to the daily challenge of fostering equality in human interactions and relationships. His philosophy supports the free development of many forms of social inquiry and the cultivation of a pluralistic dialogue valuing diverse perspectives. This article concludes with a description of advisory work within the self-advocacy movement as an example of Deweyan democracy in action.

This paper explains and utilizes the philosophy of pragmatism in the evaluation of three models of disability used in disability research and services. The three models are (1) the functional limitations model, (2) the minority group model, and (3) the social construction model. Pragmatism emphasizes the moral and political utility of ideas, the ways that a person, group, or culture can use a concept or belief to guide action in service to a democracy that values diversity, individuality, and equality. This analysis evaluates the practical usefulness of these three models in light of these democratic priorities.

A number of American special educators have recently stated that new professional practices should undergo a process of 'scientific validation' whereby researchers decide the effectiveness or value of the practice. This essay critiques this position by way of the philosophical framework of pragmatism, an American philosophy spanning from the works of Peirce, James and Dewey to the current writings of neo-pragmatists Richard Rorty and Cornel West. Rorty's critique of the representational use of language is explained. Emphasis is placed on the importance of an equal, democratic dialogue in decision-making processes involving professionals, served individuals and families. The essay concludes with a brief illustration of a pragmatist's approach to inclusive education.

Disability studies in education is a provocative and innovative field of social inquiry that challenges standard ways of thinking about disability in education, practices that serve to exclude disabled people from equal educational opportunity, and policies that support or drive inequality. This book brings together the best disability studies in education scholars to address the pressing questions facing the field. It provides an introduction to the field for the newcomer, a sharp challenge to the status quo in special and general education, and a map to understanding the serious disability issues confronting education today.

A liberation theology of disability provides a spiritual discourse that unites a critical analysis of the economic dimensions of disability oppression with an appreciation for the lived experience of disabled persons. This paper builds from prior liberation theology scholarship and the Catholic theological concept called the preferential option for the poor to articulate a liberation theology of disability marked by critical social analysis, humility, hope, and love.

The special education profession has witnessed a recent struggle between researchers who defend a positivistic approach to knowledge and practice and "postmodern" special educators who challenge that approach. In this analysis I utilize a sociological theory of heresy to examine the conflict between postmodern heresy and positivist orthodoxy. I also investigate the cultural model of the special education profession, a discursive definition of ideology and heresy, characteristics of heresy in an organization, and the presence of deep contradiction within agreement between orthodoxy and heresy. I conclude with an examination of the limitations of heresy theory and the democratic challenge facing the multiparadigmatic field of special education.

American government educational policy and leading advocacy groups commonly espouse independence as a primary goal for young people with intellectual disabilities. An extensive philosophical literature of autonomy has focused mostly on analyses of cognition that achieve individual self-governance. But the loosely defined concept of independence used by disability policymakers and advocates provides a more malleable , social understanding that involves someone actively relying on the assistance of others. The purpose of this paper is to examine the cultural, historical origins of the notion of independence for disabled persons through an exploration of the biography of Ed Roberts, the father of the independent living movement, and the cultural context of Berkeley, California, in the 1960s and 1970s , where the movement began. The paper applies those cultural concepts to the life situations of persons with intellectual disabilities, asking how well independence serves as a useful goal for the group.