- Detroit, MI
Amanda L Miller
Wayne State University, Education, Faculty Member
- Disability Studies in Education, Critical Social Theory, Inclusive Education, Teacher Preparation, Social Justice, Social and Political Philosophy, and 6 moreCritical Pedagogy, Participatory Research, Community Engagement & Participation, Youth Studies, Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Qualitative methodologyedit
This duoethnography weaves the experiences and perspectives of disabled activists, poverty scholars, community scholars of color, and university-based scholars partnering on a teacher preparation professional development project that... more
This duoethnography weaves the experiences and perspectives of disabled activists, poverty scholars, community scholars of color, and university-based scholars partnering on a teacher preparation professional development project that (re)centers disability and its intersections by (a) reconsidering who creates knowledge, (b) positioning disabled activists, poverty scholars, and community scholars of color as experts with pedagogical authority, and (c) providing opportunities for teacher candidates (current and future teachers) to learn from activists and scholars in accessible, online spaces. The experiences and perspectives of multiply marginalized disabled youth and adults are often ignored and/or discounted in teacher preparation programs. However, one way to re-zone and re-people disability studies in teacher education is by teaching and learning at the intersections of critical race studies and disability studies through cross-coalitional community-university partnerships.
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Teacher education in the United States operates within the same politically polarized and tense contexts as schools. Research predominantly relies on the voices and experiences of scholars and professionals, despite the importance of... more
Teacher education in the United States operates within the same politically polarized and tense contexts as schools. Research predominantly relies on the voices and experiences of scholars and professionals, despite the importance of community-engaged pedagogies and learning approaches. Collective work that bridges the roles of scholars and community activists requires a shift in how teacher education is conceptualized for a new generation of intersectionality- focused anti-racist and anti-ableist teachers and teacher educators. Centering the knowledge of disabled activists, poverty scholars, and community scholars in partnership with educational professionals, we introduce Disability Centered Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies (DCCSPs), a conceptual framework and pedagogical application integrating Disability Critical Race Theory and culturally sustaining pedagogies in teacher education. We outline the critical need for this theory in teacher education in the United States and globally, opportunities for practical integration, and conclude with future directions.
Research Interests: Teacher Education, Critical Pedagogy, Community Engagement & Participation, Race and Ethnicity, Children and Youth, and 5 moreCulturally Responsive Teaching and Learning, Community Based Research, Disabiliy Studies, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, and DisCrit: Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory in Education
The experiences of disabled girls of color have historically been ignored within and/or excluded from US educational research and thus, are often unheard and under-recognized. Few scholars use an intersectional lens to examine how... more
The experiences of disabled girls of color have historically been ignored within and/or excluded from US educational research and thus, are often unheard and under-recognized. Few scholars use an intersectional lens to examine how inequities impact disabled girls of color. In this call to action to the research community, existing scholarship focused on their lived experiences is reviewed first. Next, the affordances of intersectionality as an axiological, methodological, and theoretical approach to educational research are discussed. As such, scholars, educators, and policymakers can use intersectionality to learn about the types of experiences disabled girls of color are having in school, including what is working and what is not working for them, from their perspectives. Therefore, intersectionality supports a deeper and more complex understanding of how schooling inequities impact students. Moreover, intersectionality supports engagement and transformation wherein scholars, educators, and policymakers act on the suggestions and solutions disabled girls of color bring forth for dismantling unjust educational systems to (re)imagine, (re)design, and (re)construct them. Finally, implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed. In sum, honoring the experiences and perspectives of disabled girls of color has the power to transform schooling.
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This paper explores ways in which cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) provides a useful framework for examination of reflection and action during inclusive education fieldwork. Deeper understanding of combined reflection and... more
This paper explores ways in which cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) provides a useful framework for examination of reflection and action during inclusive education fieldwork. Deeper understanding of combined reflection and actionpraxisis needed for researchers and teacher educators to support teacher candidates' implementation of inclusive practices. We present a framework that includes core components of CHAT and potential insights these elements can bring to describing, analysing, or facilitating praxis during fieldwork. In particular, we discuss affordances of identifying activity systems, examining tool appropriation, and discovering tensions in teacher fieldwork. Examples based on evidence from two studies applying a CHAT lens to inclusive education fieldwork are embedded throughout the paper to illustrate the utility of this approach.
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The experiences of girls of color labeled with significant cognitive disabilities in middle school and high school have historically been excluded from educational research. This study sought to better understand how girls of color... more
The experiences of girls of color labeled with significant cognitive disabilities in middle school and high school have historically been excluded from educational research. This study sought to better understand how girls of color labeled with significant cognitive disabilities navigated multimodal discourses and classroom practices as well as how they were impacted by them. Using Disability Critical Race Theory and critical discourse theory, six students were focal participants and eight educators were secondary participants. Multiple case studies were used with primary (i.e., observations, audio/video recordings) and secondary (i.e., interviews, focus groups) data sources. Findings revealed how focal participants showed their discursive resourcefulness, despite absent communication supports and prioritization of oral/aural communication. Students also repositioned themselves in response to marginalization through talk and actions. Implications for research and practice are discussed. This study underscores the necessity of centering the experiences of girls of color labeled with significant cognitive disabilities in educational research to improve their school experiences.
Research Interests: Disability Studies, Critical Race Theory, Race and Ethnicity, Critical Discourse Analysis, Multimodal Discourse Analysis, and 4 moreDisability, Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders, Critical Discourse Theory, and DisCrit: Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory in Education
Adults with disabilities have long been at the forefront of disability advocacy in the United States. Grounded in the tenets of radical disability studies and principles of disability justice, this study explored the lived experiences of... more
Adults with disabilities have long been at the forefront of disability advocacy in the United States. Grounded in the tenets of radical disability studies and principles of disability justice, this study explored the lived experiences of 12 adults with disabilities, including intellectual disability and developmental disabilities, with a particular focus on self-advocacy. Two focus groups were primary data sources. Three participants and one university-based researcher analyzed the data collaboratively. Iterative data collection and analysis yielded 8 primary codes and 22 subcodes. We discuss a subset of our findings, focusing on three major themes. The findings illuminated how adults with disabilities conceptualised self-advocacy expansively, including self, other, and the collective. Participants also described problems they faced advocating. Finally, adults with disabilities shared solutions to inequities at individual, group, and societal levels. This project illustrates the importance of centering adults with disabilities in research and policy with implications for future thought.
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This study explores how an ideology of color-evasive racism (i.e., color evasiveness; Annamma et al., 2017) imbued white educators' discourse surrounding intersectional inequities in schools for Girls of Color in the U.S. Our analysis of... more
This study explores how an ideology of color-evasive racism (i.e., color evasiveness; Annamma et al., 2017) imbued white educators' discourse surrounding intersectional inequities in schools for Girls of Color in the U.S. Our analysis of interview and focus group data addresses a gap in educational research identifying color-evasive racism in discourse by in-service educators, specifically for white educators making sense of inequities in schools. We draw from Bonilla-Silva's (2018) application of color-blindness to discourse to identify three specific discursive frames that white educators employ, namely 1) centering self, 2) claiming white racial innocence, and 3) employing progressive notions, and the
discursive tools within each. This focus on white educators' discourse expands understandings of how color-evasivene racism is employed, (re)producing intersectional inequities in education. Given that each
of these educators was nominated because of their strengths working with Girls of Color, we believe this paper's significance captures the complexities of teaching in a system of white supremacy and identifies underlying ideologies animating discourse that can be disrupted through a Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) lens.
discursive tools within each. This focus on white educators' discourse expands understandings of how color-evasivene racism is employed, (re)producing intersectional inequities in education. Given that each
of these educators was nominated because of their strengths working with Girls of Color, we believe this paper's significance captures the complexities of teaching in a system of white supremacy and identifies underlying ideologies animating discourse that can be disrupted through a Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) lens.
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Context Girls of Color are overrepresented in school disciplinary actions based on subjectively judged, minor infractions. Studies have consistently shown that this exclusionary discipline has long-lasting impact on Girls of Color and... more
Context Girls of Color are overrepresented in school disciplinary actions based on subjectively judged, minor infractions. Studies have consistently shown that this exclusionary discipline has long-lasting impact on Girls of Color and their educational outcomes, including increased risk for pushout and involvement in the criminal legal system. Focus of Study We sought to uncover the processes that animate the statistics of overrepre-sentation of Girls of Color in disciplinary actions. Said differently, we sought to understand where, how, and why Girls of Color were being disciplined in schools. Using a Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) lens and centering the voices of Girls’ of Color, this empirical study was guided by the question, What mechanisms propel and dispel disciplinary inequities for Girls of Color? Research Design The qualitative research took place in a suburban school district in the Midwestern United States marked by increasing racial, cultural, and linguistic ...
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The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine parents’ perspectives and experiences of special education, including the degree to which decisions about their child’s education were implemented as they had agreed upon with the... more
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine parents’ perspectives and experiences of special education, including the degree to which decisions about their child’s education were implemented as they had agreed upon with the school personnel. Additionally, a secondary purpose of this study was to understand how parents explain why school personnel do or do not implement elements of their child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). In this study, parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities described their experiences attempting to reach agreement with school personnel on decisions involving their child’s educational placement and special education services. Parents expressed a desire to be involved in decisions, and they described a desire to obtain inclusive educational placements for their children. Parents described varied experiences with the implementation of special education services. They also described both successes and concerns related ...
Families should be an active part of educational decision making for their children, and they can be particularly influential in advocating for inclusion for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Yet, significant... more
Families should be an active part of educational decision making for their children, and they can be particularly influential in advocating for inclusion for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Yet, significant research has shown that parents do not feel schools effectively collaborate with them. We interviewed 19 parents of children with disabilities to investigate the ways they were included and excluded from educational decision making and how they decided on their children's placement and services. Five themes emerged: parents' exclusion from decision making, parents' independent efforts to shape their children's educational services, parents' decisions as a result of school and district factors, parents' role changes to direct their children's education, and discrepancies between beliefs and experiences of inclusion. Parents' responses indicate that specific school structures and institutionalized procedures may regularly e...
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Disabled girls of color have unique intersectional schooling experiences. Yet, they are underrepresented in educational research, and often unheard. Grounded in Disability Critical Race Theory and sociocultural learning theory, this study... more
Disabled girls of color have unique intersectional schooling experiences. Yet, they are underrepresented in educational research, and often unheard. Grounded in Disability Critical Race Theory and sociocultural learning theory, this study expands current understandings of how academic and social opportunities are afforded or constrained in schools for disabled girls of color from their perspectives. Through their narratives, photographs, and maps, focal participants in middle and high school described how social and spatial practices interacted with texts and technologies and in doing so, positively and negatively impacted their literacy opportunities at school. This study adds to the current literature with an intentional focus on the gifts, strengths, and solutions of disabled girls of color. Implications for future research (e.g. conducting student-led photovoice research with disabled girls of color) and generative teacher practices (e.g. using photovoice to learn about student experiences and make pedagogical changes) are discussed.
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Inclusive education is contextualised within local systems and represents a continuous struggle to ensure access to meaningful and equitable education. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine international empirical studies... more
Inclusive education is contextualised within local systems and represents a continuous struggle to ensure access to meaningful and equitable education. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine international empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals from 1999 to 2019 focused on teacher agency for inclusive education for students with disabilities in grades K-12. The conceptual framework used for this research identified teacher agency for inclusive schooling as requiring a disruption of traditional special educator identities, particularly pertaining to segregated schooling practices and deficit notions of disability. Eleven articles met the inclusion criteria. The results revealed varied conceptualizations of how teacher agency promotes inclusive education. We identified the following themes related to teachers' agentic actions towards inclusive education: (a) instructional strategies, (b) collaboration, (c) family-school-community connections, and (d) other agentic moves. Implications for future research are discussed. ARTICLE HISTORY
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Context: Girls of Color are overrepresented in school disciplinary actions based on subjectively judged, minor infractions. Studies have consistently shown that this exclusionary discipline has long-lasting impact on Girls of Color and... more
Context: Girls of Color are overrepresented in school disciplinary actions based on subjectively judged, minor infractions. Studies have consistently shown that this exclusionary discipline has long-lasting impact on Girls of Color and their educational outcomes, including increased risk for pushout and involvement in the criminal legal system. Focus of Study: We sought to uncover the processes that animate the statistics of overrepresentation of Girls of Color in disciplinary actions. Said differently, we sought to understand where, how, and why Girls of Color were being disciplined in schools. Using a Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) lens and centering the voices of Girls' of Color, this empirical study was guided by the question, What mechanisms propel and dispel disciplinary inequities for Girls of Color? Research Design: The qualitative research took place in a suburban school district in the Midwestern United States marked by increasing racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity. This was part of a larger two-year study that Conclusions/Recommendations: Our analysis revealed the ways in which discipline disparities were animated by inequitable academic and behavioral responses of teachers to classroom interactions, which we name debilitating practices. Further, Girls of Color embodied repositioning as ways of maintaining their integrity and individuality when experiencing academic and behavioral injustices. We conclude with major implications for school personnel: (a) academically, educators must reflect on how ability is distributed and withheld in the classroom along racialized and gendered lines, and (b) behaviorally, positive behavior supports should be imagined and implemented through a race and gender conscious lens. Though we focus on classroom interactions, we also understand that public schools, schools of education, and society all have a role to play in dismantling the school-prison nexus. However, classroom interactions continue to be identified as the source of disciplinary disparities in both quantitative and qualitative studies. Consequently, teachers have an opportunity to change their classroom practices to academically and behaviorally support Girls of Color.
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Family-school partnerships between special education personnel and culturally and linguistically diverse families can be fraught with disrespect and cross-cultural and linguistic barriers. As a ‘wicked problem,’ the negative interactions... more
Family-school partnerships between special education personnel and culturally and linguistically diverse families can be fraught with disrespect and cross-cultural and linguistic barriers. As a ‘wicked problem,’ the negative interactions culturally and lin- guistically diverse families have over time with professionals oper- ate as mechanisms to disempower families, further resulting in inequitable and unbalanced family-school partnerships. That said, I propose a (re)conceptualization for special education teacher preparation research and practice to support the expansion and transformation of school personnel’s interactions and collabora- tions with culturally and linguistically diverse families. I thread two existing frameworks: community cultural wealth and ecological resilience to imagine this (re)conceptualization. Then, I discuss implications for institutional change, including transformations in thought, research, practice, and policy.
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Family-school partnerships between family members and school personnel can be successful as well as unproductive for parents who have children and youth with developmental disabilities (DD). This qualitative study sought to capture... more
Family-school partnerships between family members and school personnel can be successful as well as unproductive for parents who have children and youth with developmental disabilities (DD). This qualitative study sought to capture parents' identities as they negotiated family-school partnerships when making inclusive education decisions and discussing special education service-delivery options for their children and youth with DD. Seventeen participants shared their personal narratives in interviews and focus groups. Data were thematically analyzed after an initial round of open-coding generated broad themes. Findings revealed that the experiences parents have in partnering with schools span an identity spectrum, including (a) victim, (b) advocate, (c) perseverer, (d) educator, (e) broker and negotiator, and (f) surrenderer. Implications for policy, practice, and research focus on parent identity and family-school partnerships.
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Families should be an active part of educational decision-making for their children and can be particularly influential in advocating for inclusion for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Yet, significant research... more
Families should be an active part of educational decision-making for their children and can be particularly influential in advocating for inclusion for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Yet, significant research has shown that parents do not feel schools effectively collaborate with them. We interviewed 19 parents of children with disabilities to investigate the ways they were included and excluded from educational decision-making, and how they decided on their children’s placement and services. Five themes emerged: parents’ exclusion from decision-making, parents’ independent efforts to shape their children’s educational services, parents’ decisions as a result of school and district factors, parents’ role changes to direct their children’s education, and discrepancies between beliefs and experiences of inclusion. Parents’ responses indicate that specific school structures and institutionalized procedures may regularly exclude parents from decision-making. Results have implications for parent-professional partnership during decision-making for students with disabilities and personnel preparation.
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This chapter examines how two disabled girls of color honor their discursive practices and reposition themselves (Davies & Harré, 1990), refusing to accept academic and social inequities in schools and classrooms. We seek to understand... more
This chapter examines how two disabled girls of color honor their discursive practices and reposition themselves (Davies & Harré, 1990), refusing to accept academic and social inequities in schools and classrooms. We seek to understand how hegemonic modes of expression (e.g., talk, English) influence their learning. We explore how two multiply marginalized focal participants, one disabled 8th-grade Afghan girl in middle school and one disabled Latina girl in a high school postsecondary program, discursively navigate general and special education classrooms through their varied modes of expression and communicative mediums (e.g., eye gaze, facial expressions, gestures). First, we discuss how scholars have used discursive practices (e.g., talk, actions) as analytical tools in general and special education classrooms. Then, we outline our theoretical framing: Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit; Annamma et al., 2013b) to uncover how teaching practices impact opportunities for two disabled girls of color. We close by examining how the focal participants use their discursive practices as strengths in the classroom, and how schools burden them with carrying the discursive load of showing their knowledge predominantly with hegemonic modes of expression (e.g., talk, English).
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This chapter provides “viewpoints” on the education of learners with extensive and pervasive support needs. That is, students who require the most support to learn, often categorized as having intellectual disability, multiple... more
This chapter provides “viewpoints” on the education of learners with extensive and pervasive support needs. That is, students who require the most support to learn, often categorized as having intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, or related disabilities. The lenses through which we provide these viewpoints are historical and future-oriented; we begin with historic perspectives on the education of students with extensive and pervasive support needs, and then provide 21st century view- points for these learners. We interpret the notion of viewpoints in two ways: first, consistent with a viewpoint as indicating an examination of objects (in this case, practices and interventions) from a distance so as to be able to compare and judge; and, second, viewpoint as indicating our perspective on said interventions and practice.