In Whisper Writing three teenage girls share their stories about life as students, as young women with disabilities, and as minorities in a male-dominated special education school culture. Their stories are unique because of their disability label and the experiences that go along with such a label. Trapped in an artificial school culture created by educators, these girls have gained valuable insight about power and subordination both in and out of school. Their narratives, along with extensive observations and interviews with these students and their peers, will both stun and enlighten the reader, prompting questions about current school practices involving segregation, a curriculum of control, and the devaluing of students with disabilities particularly those with behavior issues.

Autorentext

Melissa M. Jones, Assistant Professor of Education at Northern Kentucky University, received her PhD. in educational leadership at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. As a sibling of someone with a disability, and as a teacher, supervisor, and consultant in special education, Jones has had the opportunity to gain knowledge and insight from many people with disabilities. She is the author of Within Our Reach: Behavior Prevention and Intervention Strategies for Learners with Mental Retardation and Autism (1998).

Inhalt

Contents: Welcome to Wonderland - Complexity in the «Air» - There's Substance in the «Air» -4: Two Sides of «Isis» - Fire and Isis - Silencing «Mandy» - Finding Mandy's Key - The Presentation Of «Self» - Powerful Influences: Societal Power Makes Its Mark - Organizational Power and a Curriculum of Control - Interpersonal Power and Social Hierarchies - Individual Power: Taking Back Control - Another Fantasy? Personal Empowerment and Power-To - Questions And Possibilities.