A Political Economy of Learning Disabilities

The invitation to participate in this issue of LDQ asked me to review my earlier contributions to learning disabilities research, reflect on trends since then, and offer suggestions or predictions for the future of the field. I begin by reviewing my work on the social construction and representation of school failure as student disability and on the reconstruction of special education and public education to avoid the need for such representations. In the remaining sections, I identify several trends in education and society and, by linking them, recommend that the field of learning disabilities join the struggle to create a strong democratic future for students and communities, a project that involves transforming education and American democracy itself, and begins with a transformation of professionalism in education and special education.