| Colin Ong-Dean
University of California, San Diego
Parents' role in the diagnosis and accomodation of disabled children in the educational context
This research will examine the question of the relationship between rates of diagnosis with various disability conditions in school districts and the aggregate socio-economic traits of people in those school districts. Past studies have tended to see inequalities in diagnosis with difficult-to-diagnosis behavioral and cognitive disabilities in terms of a simple equation between social marginality and higher rates of disability. The current research hypothesizes another relationship existing alongside this one, one in which relative privilege creates new disability categories and provids the means for supporting particular disability claims. This hypothesis is tested by examining numbers of students disgnosed with various disabling conditions in school districts and the socio-economic traits of these districts. This will provide a more detailed and methodologically adequate description of the variation of diagnostic rates across school districts and across time periods than past studies. Using log-linear modeling, the research will then go on to explore the explantory value of different models using socio-economic features of school districts to predict the numbers of students with specific disabilities. To explore the possible meanings of a postitive relationship of higher socio-economic status and culturally mainstream identity with disability diagnosis, the remainder of the research will consider the discourses and practices supporting such a relationship. This qualititative component of the research will involve study of court cases, parent organizations, and advice literature for parents.
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