INSIDERS’ PERSPECTIVES
Susan L. Gabel, PhD
TENETS OF DISABILITY STUDIES IN
EDUCATION
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.

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH 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 coresearchers, 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.
LESSONS LEARNED





Disability identity is fluid.
Avoid literal translation when working crossculturally (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

QUESTIONS TO ASK



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?