The Unteachables: Disability Rights and the Invention of Black Special Education

by Keith A. Mayes

"The Unteachables examines the overrepresentation of Black students in special education over the course of the twentieth century. Excavating the deep-seated racism embedded in both the public school system and public policy, it explores the discriminatory labeling of Black students, and how it indelibly contributed to special education disproportionality, to student discipline and push-out practices, and to the school-to-prison pipeline effect"--

Genres: Education

401 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little repetitive at times, in the nature of academic books that are written so people can read a single chapter as a stand-alone piece. I found the writing very accessible for an academic text, but it is very academic. The emotional weight of some of the sections was harder for me to deal with, personally.

I had heard for years about how disability rights came out of civil rights, and also how the disability rights movement centered the needs of white people, but it was still eye-opening for me to see it in practice through exerpts from congressional hearings and policy analysis. These weren't new puzzle pieces for me, but Mayes put them together in a clear picture that helped me understand the situation better.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible piece of scholarship. Mayes makes a compelling case that special education, which surfaced during the formative years of segregation, is therefore a product of that segregation. He argues that "white middle class students who struggled would receive a different, and more financially resourced version of special education. Not only was this belief baked into the system during it's infancy, arguably the expectation remains of white middle class families that children of color will receive a lesser education in both general and special education systems."

Through a meticulous investigation of the policies themselves and the rhetoric surrounding their creation and passage, he argues that many special education policies, including the Education for all Handicapped Children Act (later IDEA), appeared inclusive in protecting the rights of all disabled students, but excluded disabled students of color through differential diagnoses such as "culturally deprived," "delinquent," and "educably mentally retarded," which contrasted more resourced diagnoses like "learning disabilities," and "emotionally disturbed."

Mayes ties together his expertise in African American studies with serious engagement with disability studies and dis/crit analysis. Recognizing the social construction of both race and disability, this book not only illuminates the history of the US Special Education system, but also the ways racism and ableism reinforce once another.

[D.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was hard to read, hence taking me 8 months to complete it. It was very well researched and made many important points. Every teacher should read it and struggle with it as I did. My only critique is that this book does not acknowledge the very real toll that students who are consistently unsafe on other students. Two things can be true at the same time. It is absolutely true that African American students are over identified for Special Education and disproportionately subject to disciplinary action at school. And, not creating a physically and emotionally safe school environment harms all students. Both phenomena harm African American children more than other groups because of our nation’s history. Learning the history is a first step to correcting the ongoing inequalities.

[Niki Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really insightful for educators to read to better understand the history/origins of special education and the impact it’s had, especially on Black students. It’s an incredibly dense book packed with information, which made it hard to read at times to try to understand the profound history and implications addressed in each chapter. This is not a light read, both in its content and with how it’s written, so be ready to give this book your full attention! Only reason I ranked it as I did is because of how it’s a lot crammed in each chapter, making it difficult to navigate the book and allow for mental breaks to process the information and better understand it.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Mayes does a great job of incorporating a variety of sources to examine the overrepresentation of Black students in special education over the course of the twentieth century.  Excavating the deep-seated racism embedded in both the public school system and public policy, The Unteachables highlights the role that researchers, policymakers, administrators, and teachers have played in the process.

Excellent book for shifting your perspective about race, dis/ability, and education.

[Hannah Pfeffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information in this book is very important and did change my perspective on special education to be more informed. The writing, however, was very dense and not an accessible text for all readers.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it to be a bit repetitive, but it did really change my view on SPED and how much white educators have continued to try and segregate Black students from school. I had to write a book report on this for grad school so let me know if you want the full review lol

[Dylan Bass · Rating 4 out of 5]

10/10 subject matter, only 4 stars bc the language isn't very accessible and i had to look up like every other word