Addressing the Intersectionality of Race, Gender, and Disability: Investigating the School-to-Prison Pipeline for Disabled Girls of Color

The school-to-prison pipeline is a deeply concerning phenomenon that has devastating consequences for marginalized youth. This pipeline, which disproportionately affects students of color, LGBTQ+ youth, and students with disabilities, funnels students out of schools and into the criminal justice system.

The Pedagogy of Pathologization: Dis/abled Girls of Color in the School-prison Nexus

by Laurie E. Westphal

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Disabled girls of color face a unique and particularly alarming intersection of oppressions that places them at even greater risk of entering the school-to-prison pipeline. They experience discrimination and bias in both education and juvenile justice systems, often due to societal stereotypes and misunderstandings about their abilities and behaviors.

Systemic Barriers and Challenges

Disabled girls of color face numerous systemic barriers and challenges that contribute to their increased risk of entering the school-to-prison pipeline. These include:

• Inadequate Support in Education: Disabled girls of color often lack access to appropriate supports and accommodations in schools, which can lead to academic difficulties and behavioral challenges.
• Disproportionate School Discipline: Disabled girls of color are more likely to be suspended and expelled from school than their non-disabled peers, even for minor infractions. This is often due to a lack of understanding about their disabilities and a reliance on punitive disciplinary measures.
• Racial Profiling and Bias: Disabled girls of color are more likely to be stopped, questioned, and arrested by police than their non-disabled peers, even when they have not committed any offense. This is due to racial profiling and implicit biases that associate disability with criminality.
• Lack of Diversion Programs: Disabled girls of color who come into contact with the juvenile justice system often do not have access to diversion programs that could help them avoid further involvement with the system.

Transformative Interventions and Policy Changes

Addressing the school-to-prison pipeline for disabled girls of color requires transformative interventions and policy changes at multiple levels. These include:

• Inclusive Education Practices: Schools need to adopt inclusive education practices that provide all students, including those with disabilities, with the support and accommodations they need to succeed.
• Trauma-Informed Discipline: Schools need to implement trauma-informed discipline practices that focus on understanding and addressing the underlying causes of disruptive behavior, rather than resorting to punitive measures.
• Implicit Bias Training: Educators and law enforcement officers need to receive training on implicit bias to help them recognize and challenge their own biases, which can lead to discriminatory practices.
• Diversion Programs: Juvenile justice systems need to develop and implement diversion programs that provide disabled girls of color with alternatives to incarceration, such as counseling, education, and job training.
• Community-Based Supports: Community-based organizations can provide essential support services to disabled girls of color, such as tutoring, mentoring, and after-school programs, which can help them stay on track in school and avoid involvement with the juvenile justice system.

The school-to-prison pipeline is a complex and multifaceted issue that has devastating consequences for disabled girls of color. By understanding the intersectionality of race, gender, and disability, we can begin to develop and implement transformative interventions and policy changes that address the systemic barriers and challenges faced by this marginalized population.

It is crucial that we work together to create a more just and equitable society where all students, regardless of their race, gender, or disability, have the opportunity to succeed and thrive.

References

• Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund. (2019). A Manifesto: Investing in Girls of Color With Disabilities to Transform School Discipline and End the School-to-Prison Pipeline.
• The Sentencing Project. (2019). The School-to-Prison Pipeline for Girls of Color.
• American Psychological Association. (2021). Reducing Disproportionality in School Discipline.