• Introduction
  • Welcome!
  • My Philosophy
• Background
  • Introduction
  • Resume
  • Transcript
  • Bag Speech
• Psychology Concentration
  • Introduction
  • Child Development
  • Senior Thesis Project
• Issues in Education
  • Introduction
  • Disparities in Special Education
  • Promoting Positive Adjustment for Struggling Students
• Experiences in Education
  • Introduction
  • Exploration Summer Programs
  • JBFCS Child Development Center
  • Sauquoit Valley Elementary
  • Middle Settlement Alternative Academy
• Resources
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Issues in Education

STRUCTURAL INEQUALITIES IN THE REALM OF SPECIAL EDUCATION

During my semester studying away with the New York City program, we were given full freedom to explore any topic of our choice, using the unique resources we had available to us in the city. At that time, I was interning with the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services at their Child Development Center in Harlem. I was required to attend their staff professional development sessions, many of which included trainings on cultural competency and working with parents and children of various backgrounds. This topic grabbed my attention, and the talks interested me, but I did not fully understand the scope of the problem that faces minority and low SES families until I researched the topic further. Doing independent research and discussing the matter with my supervisor, I learned about the numerous boundaries and structural inequalities that put children of a low SES and/or minority background at a higher risk of having a special need that goes unrecognized and/or untreated. This paper represents my findings on the topic, which I care a great deal about. I find that my interest in these disparities is deeply rooted in my educational philosophy. More specifically, I believe that each student has the ability (and the right) to learn when the proper mechanisms are in place, yet so many students are being denied this access and equality.

Though I discovered many startling facts regarding this topic, I was most upset by the seemingly endless cycle that puts low-SES children at greater risk for having a learning disability, with less opportunities to get the help they need. For example, children from working class backgrounds are more likely to be neglected as children and/or have experienced adverse life events. This often causes developmental delays or exacerbates any pre-existing disabilities. While middle/upper-class parents may be able to seek help, get a diagnosis, and put their children a special needs school, there are many barriers that may prevent a lower-class parent from doing the same. First, the parent may have less knowledge of normal child development, and thus may not be aware that their child is delayed or disabled at all. Even if they do recognize the delay or disability, working-class families may not have the resources to seek help. This can come in many different forms: (1) the parent may not know how to seek help, (2) they may not have the financial resources, (3) there are simply less resources and less help available in poor neighborhoods. Though there are many more aspects that influence this cyclical pattern, these primary issues prevent working-class children from getting the help they need, thus reinforcing inequality.

To view my research paper regarding disparities in access to special education, click here.