Speaking With, Not for: Methods for Centering Student Voice in Special Education Research

Elevating student voice is a critical need in the design, implementation, and dissemination of special education research. Centering student voice in special education research would increase opportunities for students with dis/abilities to act as causal agents in their own lives, yet students with dis/abilities are largely excluded from the student voice movement. In this paper, we operationalize a student voice orientation for pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade (PK–12) special education research, describe five methodological strategies for adopting a student voice orientation in PK–12 special education research, and discuss barriers to doing so. Each methodological strategy includes examples from selected prior studies drawing on a range of methods and methodologies. Our goal is that all PK–12 special education researchers consider and begin to adopt a student voice orientation in their work.