Racial and Ethnic Disparities in School-Based Disability Identification

Abstract

Whether racial and ethnic disparities in disability identification are currently occurring across elementary school is unclear. We analyzed the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 (N = 15,140) using discrete-time event history models with time-invariant and time-varying covariates. Black (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.45) and Hispanic (aOR = 0.43) students were less likely than similarly situated White students to be identified with disabilities including across specific conditions. Students from non-English-speaking households also were less likely to be identified (aOR = 0.56). Students who are racial, ethnic, and language minorities continue to be less likely to be identified as having disabilities across elementary school.