Centering the margins: Restorative and transformative justice as our path to social equity

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic magnified the cracks and chasms in our social structures. It threw a hard truth into sharp relief: in an emergency response, it is the marginalized members of our community who are most at risk of being left behind. This article aims to contribute to the COVID-19 dialogue series by highlighting the social justice and social equity concerns related to disability justice in an emergency response. Specifically, we examine the case of K-12 school closures in Washington State in response to the COVID-19 public health crisis, for its impact on students with disabilities. We find that the response to COVID-19 emergency guided by utilitarian approaches, led to further marginalization and inequitable impact on special education students and their families. We propose that an alternative approach of Targeted Universalism that involves universal goal-setting and targeted strategy development, when modified to include Restorative and Transformative justice practices, may be a valuable tool to create the conditions for an emergency response that promotes social equity and social justice.