Righting educational wrongs: disability studies in law and education

Abstract

Reviews the book, Righting Educational Wrongs: Disability Studies in Law and Education edited by Arlene S. Kanter and Beth A. Ferri (2013). This collection of essays explores the intersections of disability studies perspectives on education and the law from a US perspective–with the aim of exploring 'legal studies potential to inform work in disability studies in education and vice versa'. The reviewer's criticisms of Righting Educational Wrongs are two-fold. First, with the exception of the chapter by Fenton, there is a real failure to engage in discussions of race, class and gender–or to explore their combined effect on the relationship between disabled students, education and the law. These areas are filled with systemic, and overlapping inequalities, which are not emphasized in this volume. Second, as Skrtic and Kent explain, much of this discussion is rooted in American liberalism. The reforms that are suggested are fairly conservative, such as increasing the visibility of disabled students and professionals, providing government subsidies, and developing clearer eligibility procedures. These hardly seem significant enough for those who see the legal and education systems as a major part of the problem for disabled students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)