Inclusive education in the (new) era of anti-immigration policy: enacting equity for disabled English language learners

The authors present a qualitative study which investigates the intersections between English Language Learner (ELL) status, disability, and special education in a mid-sized urban school district in Upstate New York. They explore how teachers conceptualize and implement New York State Education Department policies which affect the inclusive education of ELL students. The authors discuss how the discourse used in these policies, along with teachers’ limited access to guidance and support, could lead to the exacerbation of educational inequities and exclusion of ELLs, despite the promise to support inclusion and success for all students. The Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) framework is used as an intersectional tool to help re-frame existing inclusive policies and practices.