Pulling the Lever: Supporting Critical Consciousness in Secondary Special Education and Transition

Youth with disabilities encounter multiple systemic barriers to post-school success, including racism and discrimination. Critical consciousness is the foundation of culturally responsive and anti-racist work and supports self-determination and vocational outcomes expectations among marginalized youth. While secondary special educators are interested in learning more about culturally responsive practices such as critical consciousness, they lack institutional support and resources to implement these practices. In this article, we present an ecologically based conceptual framework of Critical Consciousness in Secondary Special Education and Transition (CCSSET) to demonstrate how special education teacher preparation programs and school administrators can leverage funding, laws, policies, and resources to support critical consciousness among teachers and students. Implications for research and practice are discussed.