“Not Just on the Sideline”: A Phenomenological Study of Disability, Belonging, and Exclusion

Persons with disabilities must be afforded a voice in constructing a system of inclusion in education to which they truly belong. Laws governing special education have increasingly adopted the concept of including individuals with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, often believing doing so counters the inherent othering of exclusion. Identity is not a singular dimension, and disability is only part of one’s identity. But special education tacitly continues a mission of assimilating students with disabilities while simultaneously labeling them as disabled, revealing an ableist bias and perpetuating othering attitudes toward those on its rolls. This phenomenological qualitative study (N = 8) explored the lived experience of students enrolled in special education to gain greater understanding of the impact special education has on their sense of belonging in school. The study found enrollment in a school where all students had disabilities helped reveal to students nondisabled aspects of their identity, enabling them to feel more accepted by peers and staff, and enhancing their sense of belonging within the school.