Sustaining Disabled Youth: Centering Disability in Asset Pedagogies

Asset-based pedagogies are used to improve the educational experiences of students of color, but they have evaded important aspects of students' culture and identity, such as disability. Sustaining Disabled Youth is the first book to bring disability in conversation with asset-based pedagogies, highlighting the contributions of both university scholars and community activists and offering practical tools for researchers, classroom teachers, and school administrators.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 25 November 2022
Publisher: Teachers' College Press

Asset-based pedagogies, such as culturally relevant/sustaining teaching, are commonly employed to enhance the educational experiences of students of color and to challenge the White curriculum that has historically shaped school practices. However, asset-based pedagogies have overlooked significant aspects of students' culture and identity, particularly those related to disability. Sustaining Disabled Youth is the first book to address this gap. It brings together a diverse collection of work that positions disability as a central element in the cultural identity construction of children and youth. The book explores how disability intersects with other markers of difference to create unique cultural repertoires that should be valued, sustained, and utilized for learning. Readers will gain insights from renowned and emerging scholars and activists in disability studies who engage with critical questions such as whether disability can be considered an identity and culture on par with race and ethnicity, how disability can be integrated into asset-based pedagogies to address intersecting forms of marginalization, how disability can contribute to inquiries about the use of asset-based pedagogies, whether all disability identities and embodiments deserve sustaining support, and how disability justice can be incorporated into broader social justice efforts.

The book offers valuable insights to bring disability into conversation with asset-based pedagogies. It highlights the contributions of both university scholars and community activists, providing practical tools for researchers, classroom teachers, and school administrators. The book also offers important recommendations for teacher education programs.

In conclusion, Sustaining Disabled Youth is a groundbreaking work that contributes to the understanding of disability as a cultural and identity-forming aspect of children and youth. By highlighting the intersections of disability with other markers of difference, the book offers valuable insights and practical tools for educators and activists working towards creating more inclusive and equitable educational practices.

Weight: 362g
Dimension: 154 x 229 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780807767689