Thickening Borders through Least Restrictive Environment: The Case of an Immigrant Kindergartner with Autism
This paper explores the “least restrictive environment” (LRE) determination for one Mexican immigrant kindergartener with disabilities: Luciano. Drawing from DisCrit and Foucault’s (1984) notion of “biopower,” I use case study methodology to explore how the construction of LRE for Luciano reflected White supremacy, ableism, and xenophobia embedded in our school systems and special education law. Specifically, the educators working with Luciano used physical subjection, language, and data collection to construct the child’s LRE as a special day class instead of a general education classroom. Luciano’s story highlights how special education law can be used to thicken borders between inclusive and segregated settings, mirroring the United States’ tendency to thicken borders for certain racialized immigrants. This case study calls on educators to critically examine their LRE determination practices if they are to reimagine schooling to be more inclusive and democratic for young immigrant children with disabilities.ABSTRACT
Contributor Notes
Author Bio
Dr. Soyoung Park is a member of the faculty in Early Childhood Special Education at the Bank Street College Graduate School of Education. She began her career as an inclusion and special education teacher working primarily with immigrant children with disabilities and their families. As a teacher educator and researcher, Dr. Park’s work focuses on reimagining educational practice to advance justice, belonging, and liberation for children of color with disabilities and their families. Her recent scholarship has been published in Teachers College Record, Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, Urban Education Journal, and Teaching and Teacher Education.
