Migration, disability and education: reflections from a special school in the east of England

Abstract

Studies of migrant pupils in schools have paid little attention to people with special educational needs and/or disabilities, reflecting a broader normative ableism of existing scholarship. This article, based on a case study of a special school in the east of England, explores the perspectives of staff and new migrants on their experiences. The article exposes how migrant families’ interactions with schools were shaped both by their previous migration histories and current broader processes of ‘integration’. Teachers were empathetic and supportive, but it was the extended remit of the work of migrant and minority staff (including translation and wider caring roles) that proved particularly vital for families. We employ an intersectional approach to interpret these encounters, exposing the tensions and dilemmas arising. Further research is needed to develop understanding and critical engagement with the challenges facing these families, arising from the specific intersections of disability, migration, social class and gender.

Keywords:

• Migration
• disability
• integration
• intersectionality
• schools
• special educational needs

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express grateful thanks to the staff and parents involved in this research, as well as to team members in the larger ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ project from which this study emerged: Diane Reay, Kristine Black-Hawkins and Richard Byers.

Notes

1. Integration is defined here as a two-way set of multi-dimensional processes, occurring in interrelated spheres (economic, social, cultural, civic and in relation to identity and belonging) requiring mutual efforts on the part of both immigrants and actors in the receiving society to ensure immigrants’ full and equal participation (Spencer 2011).