Gangsters and wheelchairs: urban teachers’ perceptions of disability, race and gender

Abstract

This investigation provides inquiry into Disability Critical Race Studies to analyze the intersecting attributes related to race, gender and disability. The application of Disability Critical Race Studies revealed the ways in which race/ethnicity and gender merge to erroneously typecast African-American men who are wheelchair users as reformed ‘gang bangers’ or ‘victims’ of neighborhood gun violence. This investigation examines urban pre-service teachers’ understandings of disability and underscores the challenging intersection of race, gender and disability within urban communities.

Keywords:

• Disability Critical Race Studies
• urban community
• African-American males
• teacher candidate perspectives

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.