Graduation Year
2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ed.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Major Professor
Zorka Karanxha, Ed.D.
Committee Member
William Black, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Jennifer Wolgemuth, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Kimberly Golombisky, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Monica Verra-Tirado, Ed.D.
Keywords
ableist assumptions, Educational Organization, Recursive Practices, Special Education
Abstract
The current organizational autoethnographic study aims to problematize ableism as an ideology that permeates and contributes to the inequities students with disabilities face in education. I share how I came to see ableism as an ideology that permeates and contributes to recursive practices in special education and share experiences that illustrate to school leaders ableist assumptions that are ingrained in leading a Special Education Center. Using organizational autoethnography, I share my experience as a first-year principal to provide a first-hand account of recursive practices within the educational organization, rooted in ableism, and discuss how those practices affected both myself, as a school leader and the organization. Data sources include journal entries, memories, reflections, and discussions with critical friends. Sources blend together to create stories that represent key moments that had a significant impact on my understanding of ableism which led to an internal philosophical shift in my thinking about the educational organization. Stories are told in order beginning with the difficulty applying and interviewing for the position, touring the school, introduction to parents and staff to the barriers I faced by the organization. Each story was chosen due its connection to ableist assumptions. Insights from Manning’s minor gesture are intertwined with the stories. Thinking with the minor gesture, as an activator, there were moments where an opportunity to see things differently was created and challenged me to question my role as a school leader within an organization created from ableist assumptions. Key Words: ableism, Special Education, school leader, recursive practices, minor gesture, educational organization, ableist assumptions
Scholar Commons Citation
Basham, Scottie, "A School Leader’s Experiences with Ableism in an Educational System" (2024). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10595
