Situating my positionality as a Black woman with a dis/ability in the provision of equity-focused technical assistance: a personal reflection

Abstract

In this essay, I reflect on how an equity-focused technical assistance (TA) practitioner who holds intersectional minoritized social identities is in a unique position to introduce tensions in the TA activity system, disrupt marginalizing dominant narratives about difference, and affect educators’ development of new ideas about the treatment of difference in schools. To start, I situate myself as the TA provider by focusing specifically on the socio-historical context in which I experienced public K-12 education as a Black, woman with a dis/ability. Next, I outline three reflections related to my experience with the treatment of difference during that time, particularly in terms of race and dis/ability; I consider how my personal history informs my current interactions within the provision of equity-focused TA. I identify three marginalizing impacts resulting from educators’ treatment of my and other students’ difference; and describe three strategic moves I employ to disrupt and mitigate these impacts. Additionally, I reflect on the question: How might my social identities, intersectional education history, and lived experiences serve as instruments that evoke tensions and affect interactions within the TA activity system?

Keywords:

• Positionality
• equity-focused technical assistance
• social identities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interests was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Seena M. Skelton is Director of Operations of the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, one of four federally-funded centers providing technical assistance and training in the areas of race, sex, national origin, and religion for public school systems to promote equitable education opportunities. Seena has more than 20 years of experience working with education practitioners and scholars to support transformational change in school systems, with particular emphasis on creating inclusive and equitable learning conditions for historically marginalized youth.