A Critical Review of Educator and Disability Research in Mathematics Education: A Decade of Dehumanizing Waves and Humanizing Wakes

Abstract

Disabled students have historically been dehumanized in education, generally, and in research and practice related to school mathematics (K–12), particularly. Typically, they are only offered access to low-rigor school mathematics emphasizing rote procedures and narrow skills, often segregated physically and socially from their nondisabled peers. Educators are crucial to the humanization of disabled students via anti-ableist and antiracist work toward systemic transformation. The purpose of this review is to take stock of the current knowledge base of educator and disability research concerning school mathematics, recommending directions for humanizing future research and practice. Through a humanizing mathematics education lens, we analyze 61 articles involving educators, disabilities, and school mathematics published during the decade between 2007 and 2016. Results of our analysis point to not only the continued perpetuation of dehumanizing approaches and positioning but also substantial shifts toward humanization in mathematics education for disabled students. Over half of the studies reflected humanizing shifts. Yet, overwhelmingly, studies continue to avoid meaningful intersectional considerations of race and disability.