Ep 184 Dr. David Connor on Disability Studies

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On this episode, Katie is joined by Dr. David J. Connor, a Professor Emeritus of Hunter College (Learning Disabilities Program) and the Graduate Center (Urban Education Program) of the City University of New York. He has taught in New York City for over thirty years, from high schoolers to doctoral students. Throughout his career, David has always been interested in issues of equality, particularly dis/ability and race. He is the author or editor of over a hundred articles and book chapters and nine books, most recent among them being DisCrit: Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory (2016) co-edited with Subini Annamma and Beth Ferri, Contemplating Dis/Ability in Schools and Society: A Life in Education (2018) and the second edition of Rethinking Disability: A Disability Studies Approach to Inclusive Practices (2019) co-authored with Jan Valle. He is currently working on two co-edited books. The first, with Beth Ferri, How Teaching Shapes our Thinking About Dis/abilities: Stories from The Field, consists of autoethnographic accounts about how initial teaching experiences influenced the research agendas of career-long educators. The second, with Subini Annamma and Beth Ferri, DisCrit Expanded: Inquiries, Reverberations & Ruptures, looks at new and innovative ways the theoretical framework of Disability Critical Race Theory is being used within the field of education.

Segment 1: Engaging in Disability Studies [00:00-14:27]

In this first segment, David discusses his work in Dis/Ability Studies, including research projects, strategies, and theories used.

In this segment, the following resources are mentioned:

• David’s book, DisCrit--Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory in Education
• David’s book, Rethinking Disability: A Disability Studies Approach to Inclusive Practices

Segment 2: Contemplating Dis/Ability

In segment two, David discusses his book, Contemplating Dis/Ability in Schools and Society: A Life in Education.

In this segment the following resources are mentioned:

• David’s book, Contemplating Dis/Ability in Schools and Society: A Life in Education
• RIA #79: Anne-Marie Dietering on Autoethnography

Segment 3: Special Education and Disability Studies [26:02-34:30]

In segment three, David provides his thoughts about Special Education as a field, including how Special Education relates to Dis/Ability Studies.

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