Readings on Race and Disability
This list is not complete and includes a variety of readings related to race and disability, with an emphasis on education and universal design teaching resources for faculty. The list is meant to serve as a starting point for those interested in these topics.
AHEAD has not updated this list of resources since 2016. For an updated list of books about race and disability in higher education, please visit the NCCSD Clearinghouse and search for the word "books".
AHEAD has not updated this list of resources since 2016. For an updated list of books about race and disability in higher education, please visit the NCCSD Clearinghouse and search for the word "books".
Andre-Eames, K. (2015). Warrior for justice: The George Eames story. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company.
Annamma, S. A., Connor, D., & Ferri, B. (2012). Dis/ability critical race studies (DisCrit): Theorizing at the intersections of race and disability. Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 16(1), 1-31.
Banks, J. (2014). Barriers and supports to postsecondary transition: Case studies of African American students with disabilities. Remedial and Special Education, 35, 28-39.
Banks, J., & Hughes, M. S. (2013). Double consciousness: Postsecondary experiences of African American males with disabilities. The Journal of Negro Education, 82(4), 368-381.
Bell, C. (2011). Blackness and disability: Critical examinations and cultural interventions. Munster, Germany: LIT Verlag.
Bell, C. (2006). Introducing white disability studies: A modest proposal. In L. J. Davis (Ed.), The Disability Studies Reader (2nd ed.), (pp. 275-282). New York: Taylor & Francis Group.
Bertelli, Y., Silverman, J., & Talbot, S. (2009). My baby rides the short bus: The unabashedly human experience of raising kids with disabilities. Oakland, CA: PM Press.
Blood, G.W., Blood, I., Kreiger, J., O’Connor, S., & Qualls, C.D. (2009). Double jeopardy for children who stutter: Race and coexisting disorders. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 30(3), 131-141.
Burgstahler, S. E., & Cory, R. C. (2008). Universal design in higher education: From principles to practice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Cartledge, G., & Kourea, L. (2008). Culturally responsive classrooms for culturally diverse students with and at risk for disabilities. Council for Exceptional Children, 74(3), 351-371.
Connor, D. J. (2008). Urban narratives: Portraits in progress. Life at the intersections of learning disability, race, and social class. New York: Peter Lang.
Connor, D.J., & Ferri, B.A. (2005). Integration and inclusion-a troubling nexus: Race, disability, and special education. Journal of African American History, 90, 107-127.
Connor, D. J., Ferri, B. A., & Annamma, S. A. (Eds.) (2015). DisCrit: Disability studies and critical race theory in education. New York: Teachers College Press.
Davis, A.T. (2006). Disability support services at historically black colleges and universities. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Montgomery, AL: Alabama State University.
Ferri, B. (2010). A dialogue we're yet to have: Race and disability studies. In C. Dudley-Marley & A. Gurn (Eds.), The Myth of the Normal Curve (pp. 139-150). New York, Peter Lang.
Harbour, W.S. (2008). Final report: The 2008 AHEAD survey of higher education disability services providers. Huntersville, NC: The Association on Higher Education And Disability.
Harry, B. & Klinger, J. (2006). Why are so many minority students in special education? Understanding race and disability in schools. New York: Teachers College Press.
Higbee, J. L., & Barajas, H. L. (2007, July-August). Building effective places for multicultural learning. About Campus, 16-22.
Jacobs, E.A., Rolle, I., Ferrans, C.E., Whitaker, E.E., & Warnecke, R.B. (2006). Understanding African American’ views of the trustworthiness of physicians. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21(6), 642-647.
James, J.C., & Wu, C. (2006). Editor’s introduction: Race, ethnicity, disability, and literature: Intersections and interventions. Melus, 31(3), 3-15.
Jenerette, C., Funk, M., & Murdaugh, C. (2005). Sickle cell disease: a stigmatizing condition that may lead to depression. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 26(10), 1081-1101.
Jones, V. L. (2010). Resiliency instructional tactics: African American students with learning disabilities. Intervention in School and Clinic, 46(4), 235-239.
Krezmien, M.P., Mulcahy, C.A., & Leone, P.E. (2008). Detained and committed youth: Examining differences in achievement, mental health needs, and special education status. Education and Treatment of Children, 31(4), 445-464.
McCaskill, C., Lucas, C., Bayley, R., & Hill, J. C. (2011). The hidden treasure of black ASL: Its history and structure. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
McGuire, J. M., & Scott, S. S. (2006). Universal design for instruction: Extending the universal design paradigm to college instruction. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 19(2), 124-134.
Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., & Gordon, D. (2014). Universal design for learning: Theory and practice. Wakefield, MA: CAST Professional Publishing.
Mollow, A. (2006). When "black" women start going on Prozac: Race, gender, and mental illness in Mari Nana-Ama Danquah's "Willow Weep for Me." MELUS, 31(3), 67-99.
Moore, L. F. (2015). Black kripple delivers poetry and lyrics. Madera, CA: Poetic Matrix Press.
Moore-Cooper, R.L. (2006). A national census: State of disability services at historically black colleges and universities. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University.
Mwachofi, A.K. (2008). African Americans’ access to vocational rehabilitation services after antidiscrimination legislation. The Journal of Negro Education, 77(1), 39-59.
Nichols, J. C., & Tanksley, C. B. (2004). Revelations of African-American women with terminal degrees: Overcoming obstacles to success. The Negro Educational Review, 55(4), 175-185.
Oesterrich, H.A., & Knight, M.G. (2008). Facilitating transitions to college for students with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Intervention in School and Clinic, 43(5), 304.
Patel, N.C., DelBello, M.P., & Strakowski, S.M. (2006). Ethnic differences in symptom presentation of youths with bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disorders, 8(1), 95-99.
Pelka, F. (2012). What we have done: An oral history of the disability rights movement. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press.
Petersen, A.J. (2009). “Ain’t nobody gonna get me down”: An examination of the educational experiences of four African American women labeled with disabilities. Equity & Excellence in Education, 42(4), 428-442.
Pickens, T. A. (2014). New body politics: Narrating Arab and black identities in the contemporary United States. New York: Routledge.
Rahman, F.A. (2009). It’s not just about racism, but ableism. Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 26(4), 16-16.
Rose, D. H., Harbour, W. S., Johnston, C .S., Daley, S. G., and Abarbanell, L. (2006). Universal design for learning in postsecondary education: Reflections on principles and their applications. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 19(2), 135-151.
Rowden, T. (2009). The songs of blind folk: African American musicians and the cultures of blindness. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Ruffins, P. (2008). Creating an atmosphere of acceptance. Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 25(9), 14-16.
Samuels, E. (2014). Fantasies of identification: Disability, gender, race. New York: New York University Press.
Schalk, S. (2013). Coming to claim crip: Disidentification with/in disability studies. Disability Studies Quarterly, 33(2), n.p. Available at http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/3705/3240
Skiba, R. J., Poloni-Staudinger, L., Gallini, S., Simmons, A. B., & Feggins-Azziz, R. (2006). Disparate access: The disproportionality of African American students with disabilities across educational environments. Exceptional Children, 72, 411-424.
Skloot, R. (2010). The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Broadway Books.
Taylor, A. (2015). The discourse of pathology: Reproducing the able mind through bodies of color. Hypatia, 30(1), 181-198.
Tettenborn, E. (2006). Melancholia as resistance in contemporary African American literature. MELUS, 31(3), 101-121.
Vance, M. L. (Ed.). (2007). Disabled faculty and staff in a disabling society. Huntersville, NC: Association on Higher Education And Disability. (Available only through the publisher at www.ahead.org.)
vanGarderen, D., & Whittaker, C. (2006, Jan/Feb). Planning differentiated, multicultural instruction for secondary inclusive classrooms. Teaching Exceptional Children, 38(3), 12-20.
Wagner, M., Newman, L., Cameto, R., & Levine, P. (2005). Changes over time in the early postschool outcomes of youth with disabilities. A report of findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.
Williams, C. E. (2007). Black deaf students: A model for educational success. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
Zeff, R. (2007). Universal design across the curriculum. New Directions for Higher Education, 2007(137), 27-44.
Zuckoff, M. (2002). Choosing Naia: A family's journey. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.