Dis/ability identification as bordering: constructing and classifying difference in South Korea’s special education system

Dis/Abilities identification is often framed as a neutral, technical process that unlocks access to services for students with dis/Abilities. This paper challenges that assumption by examining how identification processes in South Korea function as bordering practices, regulating who is recognized, supported, or excluded, through racialized, monolingual, ableist, and nationalist logics. Drawing on a qualitative case study, this paper examine how multicultural students with dis/Abilities are constructed, interpreted, and institutionalized within South Korea’s special education system. Findings reveal that diagnostic tools and service systems fail to meet the intersectional needs of these students, reifying bordered classifications that obscure their complex experiences and caregivers’ knowledge. This paper call for a reimagining of dis/Ability identification as a fluid, relational process grounded in intersectional justice. Implications call for culturally sustaining assessment practices, integrated service delivery models, and intersectional policy reforms that affirm the interlocking identities and educational needs of multicultural students with dis/Abilities in South Korea.