Disparities Involving Race, Ethnicity and Special Needs

Disparities Involving Race, Ethnicity and Special Needs

The unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic, a declining economy, and the confrontation of systemic racism culminating under the umbrella of the Black Lives Matter movement have all magnified the existing challenges people with special needs face every day.

Cicily Cares is focused on raising awareness about the challenges of the people we serve; ALL those with special needs, (especially children and young adults) and aging seniors trying to live out their best lives in the comfort of their own homes. Simply put, the unprecedented times we now live in have added to the struggles of this vulnerable group.

In general, people with disabilities are challenged with the ordinary mundane facets of living their lives, and depending on the level of disability, special accommodations, special programs and additional support is always needed to navigate their worlds, including school, work and community. Unfortunately the challenges are multiplied if you are a black or brown person with special needs. It should not be a surprise that data backs up the fact that black and brown children with disabilities receive less support and have less access to resources to mitigate their unique needs.

Given all we are confronted with today, now is as good a time as any, to look at how resources are allocated, and how determinations are made to activate assistance for all those with special needs, especially black and brown children. Presently two debates have taken center stage; both rage on with varying spins on how to explain the racial and ethnic disparities that exist within the Special Education arena and beyond. Findings from a variety of sources question the reasons:-

Two sources are included here: Data compiled by US Department of Education in 2016 revealed Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Special Needs. Link : https://www2.ed.gov/programs/osepidea/618-data/LEA-racial-ethnic-disparities-tables/disproportionality-analysis-by-state-analysis-category.pdf
And a later study: Black Students Less Likely to be Identified as Having Disabilities was published in 2019. Link: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/study-black-students-unfairly-labeled-learning-disorders-n1046836

Both studies paint a picture of disparities and disproportionality in how black and brown students are managed in the Special Education system across the country. The reasons may be multifaceted, but the raw data is indisputable. The disparities found in the data impacts black and brown students negatively, and highlights a variety of concerns, including the limiting of resources, segregation of students apart from peers, as well as exposure to more drastic disciplinary actions compared to their white counterparts. An article published in Child Trends in 2017, highlights five major disparities in special education and they are worth reviewing. The Link is attached here: https://www.childtrends.org/publications/5-things-to-know-about- racial-and-ethnic-disparities-in-special-education

I agree these are not easy issues to tackle; the multifaceted problems that already exist within the special needs community mostly supersede the underlying challenges that are unique to black and brown students. Unfortunately, this makes the added layer of addressing the disparities among minority students with disabilities even more complicated.

We may not have all the answers right now, but existing studies and data paint a serious picture, which at best needs to be confronted with the open-mindedness and courage the issue demands.