I NSIDERS ’ P ERSPECTIVES Susan L. Gabel, PhD

T ENETS OF D ISABILITY S TUDIES IN E DUCATION Contextualize disability within political and social spheres. Privilege the interests, agendas, and voices of people with disabilities. Promote social justice, equitable and inclusive educational opportunities, and full and meaningful access to all aspects of society for people with disabilities. Assume competence and reject deficit models of disability.

G UIDELINES FOR R ESEARCH IN DSE Scholars with disabilities and non-disabled scholars work together. Recognize and privilege the knowledge derived from the lived experience of people with disabilities. Whenever possible adhere to an emancipatory stance (for example, working with people with disabilities as informed participants or co- researchers, not ‘subjects’).

Welcome intradisciplinary approaches to understanding the phenomenon of disability, e.g. multiple research approaches. Challenges research methodology that objectifies, marginalizes, and oppresses people with disabilities.

● Cultivates interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the phenomenon of disability, e.g. interfacing with multicultural education, the humanities, social sciences, philosophy, cultural studies, etc.

L ESSONS L EARNED Disability identity is fluid. Avoid literal translation when working cross- culturally (e.g., learning disabled). Use participants’ native language when possible. Question basic concepts used by participants (e.g., normal). Conduct more than one analysis (e.g., thematic, theoretical).

Be clear about unit of analysis (e.g., individual, group, micro-, macro-, etc.). A thorough literature review is essential prior to data gathering/analysis. Context is essential. Social Political Historic Economic

Q UESTIONS TO A SK How can I avoid reproducing medical model discourses? How can I understand and articulate the complexities of my participants’ lives in context? What are the things in the data that bump up against each other? Where are the dissonances?