Abstract
There is a dominant discourse surrounding special education in the province of Ontario based on ableist attitudes and the medical model of disability. There has been a significant increase in ableist attitudes and the medical model of disability ingrained in publicly funded schools in Ontario. The notion that disability is an anomaly to “normal” and the idea that we need to “fix” or “change” these differences have guided both provincial policy and the actions, reactions, and ideologies of this educator. In this chapter, the author confronts her conceptions of special education, learning, and teaching. Through an autoethnographic approach, her practices as an educator and her positionality connected to critical disability theory, decolonization, and the education of children with special education needs are reframed.
TopBackground And Context
As a lifelong storyteller, I recognize stories' power in connecting with students. Augustus (2022) speaks to how narratives transformed her classroom pedagogy. Inspired by the autoethnographic work of Maurice (2014) and seeking to help students connect to a deeper level of understanding, Augustus uses autoethnography in a postsecondary Indigenous education assignment. Her results indicate that “formally engaging students in work that humanized and personalized processes of reconciliation, decolonization, and Indigenization” bolstered student learning of the subject matter (Augustus, 2022, p. 147). Inspired by her outcome, I created an autoethnography assignment for my graduate students. I was so impressed by their submissions that I decided to tackle autoethnography in this book chapter.
Ellis et al. (2011) define autoethnography as “an approach to research and writing that seeks to describe and systematically analyze personal experience to understand cultural experience. This approach challenges canonical ways of researching and representing others and treats research as a political, socially-just, and socially-conscious act” (Ellis, Adams, and Bochner, 2011, p. 1). Indigenous scholar Maurice (2014) uses autoethnography to draw connections between her lived experiences as a survivor of the Sixties Scoop and government policy. Grounded in personal experience, autoethnography shares issues of identity and experience and their influence on scholarship (Ellis et al. 2011). In this reflexive autoethnography, I interrogate my experiences as an educator in a publicly funded elementary school in Ontario and as a mother; I draw connections between my lived experiences, beliefs, community norms, identity, systemic structures, provincial policy, and the academy. In this instance, as I combine my personal story with theoretical underpinnings, I aim to tell my story and realize how my power can enact decolonization.
Introduction
All parents want their children to be among the best and brightest. Like many parents of my generation, I devoted my son's first year to providing him with every possible stimulus: playgroups, literature, and more visits to the Toronto Zoo than I can remember. In fact, by the time I returned to work and the first year of his life was complete, I was confident he was brilliant beyond measure. He delighted into toddlerhood, although concerns emerged once he entered the education system. However, it was not until extreme struggles in the French Immersion Program required a shift back into the English stream that I became fully aware of Kieran’s difficulties in learning to read.
As his reading struggles emerged, my partner and I connected with a pediatrician. Not only was Kieran struggling to learn to read, but his attention and focus also presented a significant concern. Based on school reports, family reports, and doctor observations, Kieran was diagnosed with inattentive-type attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Kieran’s struggles with focus, inattention, and organizing tasks affected his daily life, including classroom performance (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Inattentiveness meant Kieran could not focus during lessons or missed critical learning opportunities.
After the ADHD diagnosis, I carefully brought up his struggles with learning to read to the pediatrician. I had been researching dyslexia and wondered if Kieran’s struggles to “break code” might be this specific learning disability (Cleveland Clinic, 2023). At the time, dyslexia was not a term commonly used in Canadian schools; instead, students with difficulties in learning to read were likely to be diagnosed with a specific learning disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The doctor’s response was not as I had expected; rather than sending him for further testing, his response was: “If it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck, do you need testing to confirm it is a duck? Alternatively, could you start feeding it duck food and see how he responds?” That is what I recall from the pediatrician verbatim. I recall feeling moderately insulted initially; as a special educator, I normalized having a third point or quantitative dataset to support any claim or action. However, upon further reflection, I realized that my pediatrician was onto something. I had two choices:
I could pay for Kieran to have a full psychoeducational assessment, likely requiring a long waiting time and intensive testing.
OR
I could seek a professional with expertise in early reading support and begin interventions.
[Spoiler alert: We invested in the latter.]
Key Terms in this Chapter
Multiliteracies: An ability to identify, interpret, create, and communicate meaning across various visual, oral, corporal, musical, and alphabetical forms of communication (Muller, Sancho, & Hernandez, 2009 AU70: The in-text citation "Muller, Sancho, & Hernandez, 2009" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. , p. 75).
Ableism: Discrimination against persons with disabilities on the basis that being “normal” is superior ( Iannacci, 2018 ).
Social Model of Disability: Differences are seen as natural variations among individuals and do not need changing. Instead, society must change to accommodate these individuals and their diverse needs (Hoskings, 2008 AU72: The in-text citation "Hoskings, 2008" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Asset-Oriented Approach: A focus on the strengths an individual brings to the classroom rather than looking at the challenges/deficits present ( Iannacci, 2018 ).
Medical Model of Disability: Disability is an anomaly to “normal,” and the idea is that we need to “fix” or “change” these differences, typically through medical interventions ( Mitchell, 2010 ).
Assistive Technology: Any piece of equipment (including technology, software, and/or products) that helps to improve or maintain the functioning of an individual. This might enhance the working, learning, and/or daily living of a person with an exceptionality (World Health Organization & United Nations Children's Fund, 2018 AU68: The in-text citation "World Health Organization & United Nations Children's Fund, 2018" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Response to Intervention: An approach used within schools to help catch struggling learners early and offer layers of support to help them close gaps in learning (IDEA, 2004 AU71: The in-text citation "IDEA, 2004" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Critical Disability Theory: A framework for critiquing traditional discourse and assumptions about persons with disability: in particular, it confronts ableist notions (Ianacci, 2018 AU69: The in-text citation "Ianacci, 2018" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).