Looking in the Shadows: Literature on Undocumented Latinx Students with Disabilities

ABSTRACT

FERPA (1974) privacy laws protect undocumented Latinx learners with disabilities (ULWD) from disclosing their immigration status. The right to maintain anonymity provided by FERPA, however, potentially results in challenges in identifying and supporting the unique needs ULWD in home and school environments. Due, in part, to a lack of information, school professionals may view ULWD from deficit perspective perpetuated by the dominant narrative. In an effort to uncover what does exist within the literature of ULWD and better understand their experiences in school systems, the purpose of this review was to bring to light the available peer-reviewed and dissertation research about ULWD published in the U.S. between 2002 and 2021. Three research questions guided this review: (1) What was the purpose of research studies concerning ULWD? (2) Who were the participants, what were the research methods, and theoretical frameworks used? and (3) What were the common themes across the studies? Findings indicate that there is little research addressing the needs of ULWD and their family caregivers, with existing literature consistently calling for further research on this population. Implications for future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Undocumented
• Latinx
• disability
• education
• student
• discrimination

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

¹ In this paper the term Latinx refers to anyone who identifies as Latino, Latina, Chicano, Chicana, and/or Hispanic. The authors chose this term based on the work of LatCrit scholar Francisco Valdes (1996) and Xicana feminist scholars Soto and colleagues (2009). Valdes (1996) explains the importance of focusing on “shared aspirations and common purposes as a way to join like-minded forces from groups or communities that may be otherwise grouped in along divisive characteristics in an effort to work on projects or ideas that benefit a Latino coalition (p. 28). Additionally, Soto and her colleagues (2009) provide a series of valid arguments for the use of Latinx to include, rather than exclude, people in the margins, or at identity intersections. Further, the “x” represents the possibility of reflection and ability of questioning current realities and definitions, allowing for change or modification, as needed (Soto et al., 2009). Therefore, the use of the term Latinx is meant to include and welcome as many people as possible, rather than to exclude people in the margins or at an intersection of identities.