Ableism in Education, Gillian Parekh
Ableism in Education, Gillian Parekh
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Ableism in Education
Rethinking School Practices and Policies

Author: Gillian Parekh

Narrator: Chloe Dolandis

Unabridged: 5 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/23/2022


Synopsis

How we organize children by ability in schools is often rooted in ableism.

Ability is so central to schooling—where we explicitly and continuously shape, assess, measure, and report on students' abilities—that ability-based decisions often appear logical and natural. However, how schools respond to ability results in very real, lifelong social and economic consequences. Special education and academic streaming (or tracking) are two of the most prominent ability-based strategies public schools use to organize student learning. Both have had a long and complicated relationship with gender, race, and class.

In this down-to-earth guide, Dr. Gillian Parekh unpacks the realities of how ability and disability play out within schooling, including insights from students, teachers, and administrators about the barriers faced by students on the basis of ability. From the challenges with ability testing to gifted programs to the disability rights movement, Parekh shows how ableism is inextricably linked to other forms of bias. Her book is a powerful tool for educators committed to justice-seeking practices in schools.

About Gillian Parekh

Gillian Parekh is an educator, assistant professor, and Canada Research Chair in inclusion, disability, and education within the Faculty of Education, York University. As a previous teacher in special education and research coordinator with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Gillian has conducted extensive system and school-based research in Toronto in the areas of structural equity, special education, and academic streaming. In particular, her work explores how schools construct and respond to disability as well as how students are organized across programs and systems. She resides in Ontario with her family.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lisa on July 17, 2024

Make sure to read the part about modifications of curriculum. I did not realize that modifications need to be carefully considered. I especially liked this quote, “We rarely discuss how disability identity can be included and reflected within the school curriculum and honored within classroom practi......more

Goodreads review by Lisa on August 23, 2023

Good information about the need for promoting inclusion, but I'm already a proponent!......more