Disability and Dominant Leadership Models Over Time

This chapter is grounded in scholarly sources and personal narrative, and it concludes with recommended best practices about fostering more socially just higher education environments for college students. Specifically, the author focuses on the development of more equitable inclusion of students with disabilities in curricular and co-curricular leadership development programs. This chapter provides a context of major models of disability over time, a chronological scaffold of dominant student leadership models, and recommendations for educators inside and outside of classroom spaces. The intersection of models of disability and leadership models has not been explored. This chapter fills that gap in the literature.

Mentoring, Sponsorship, and Gender

The lack of women in leadership roles is a systemic problem in the United States and is not unique to the field of education; however, it is important to continue to challenge the status quo and provide a path for women to achieve equality and equity in the workplace. The following chapter will identify and discuss the importance of mentoring and sponsorship so that women pursuing education careers, novice women teachers, and women college, and university faculty and staff can actively and better position themselves to move into leadership positions and/or ensure a “seat at the table” in situations where decisions are made that affect their personal and professional lives.

Health Education as a Tool for Social Justice and Health Equity

All youth deserve access to effective health education that provides them with the tools they need to maintain or improve their health and the health of others. Health education, in school and community settings, can be a tool for addressing social justice and health equity across race and class. Effective health education can increase awareness and understanding of the many factors, including social determinants of health and power structures, that impact health and wellness. More importantly, health education can affect change by empowering students to address not only their own health but the health of others, their communities, and beyond. This chapter reviews the current literature, focusing on practical applications for school and community settings, and presents strategies for implementing health education that supports health and wellness at interpersonal, intrapersonal, and community levels.

Including All Abilities

This chapter shares how educators can learn about inclusive pedagogies to support students of all abilities, as well as how various school, university, and community programs are working to include people with disabilities. The chapter offers resources for educators who are seeking knowledge about inclusive pedagogies, programs, and project ideas. The authors examine methods and strategies by which teachers and teacher candidates can commit to creating inclusive classrooms and communities rooted in social justice. Each of the initiatives, organizations, and resources described can aid educators in keeping social justice central to their work with the disability community and, in so doing, to all community members.

Becoming Ellis

The chapter describes the author's experience as a counselor working with a transgender-identifying teenager named Ellis. The goals of the counseling relationship included exploring transgender identity, managing feelings of depression and anxiety connected to gender dysphoria, and helping Ellis process and cope with life struggles that he experienced. The author provides an in-depth description of Ellis's experience in counseling, as well as a follow-up interview conducted five years after termination of the counseling relationship. This chapter depicts the experience of Ellis's transition and his perspectives about what his transgender identity means to him. The author provides insights on how to best work with transgender clients that emerged from her experience of working with Ellis.

The LGBTQ+ Movement Towards Equity

This chapter will describe the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) movement, and the impacts on terms, laws, health, and social justice. First, this chapter will explore historical movements from the 1960s to the present day, outlining specific historical events that changed the discourse for many in LGBTQ+ communities. Next, the author will describe important terms and the changes in terminology over the years. Third, this chapter will discuss the lack of federal protection laws and identify states that have protection laws. Lastly, the author will connect state protection laws and the issues that face young students who are transgender.

Faith, Hope, and Strength

The author relates their life story with regard to some of the obstacles and problems they had to overcome in order to become a full professor of mathematics at a medium-sized regional university and president of a large prestigious international professional organization. The author relates their dealings with classism, poverty, gender bias, as well as overcoming self-doubt and physical obstacles. The author's goal in this chapter is to inform others in education of how they potentially may marginalize some students without realizing it. Additionally, the author wishes to champion and encourage others (students and professionals alike) who may be facing similar or even more daunting circumstances. This chapter and the author salute all who struggle to realize their potential in the face of what may too often seem to be insurmountable difficulties. The author congratulates the reader on making it to where they are and wishes the reader continued success!

Addressing Poverty-Related Trauma in School Children

This chapter explores the effects of poverty on education. The chapter is divided into three sections: “Understanding Poverty and Homelessness,” which provides formal definitions and current evidence-based data; “Children's Experience of Poverty”; and “Addressing Poverty-Related Trauma in the Classroom,” an examination of innovative educational programs and resources that seek to mitigate the effects of poverty-related trauma.

Disability as a Social Justice Imperative

Educators in the United States have the legal obligation to ensure that students with disabilities are given equitable access to an education. Under the Individuals with Education Act (2004), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (1973), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), individuals with disabilities cannot be discriminated against based on their disability and must be provided the same educational opportunities as their non-disabled counterparts. While most teacher preparation programs as well as educators in higher education are knowledgeable of these laws, there is a striking absence of learning about the historical implication of segregation, abuse, and maltreatment of individuals with disabilities that led to these laws being enacted. Most teacher preparation programs do not teach future educators about the history regarding disability rights and the social construct of disability. This chapter will present the major theoretical and historical movements in the disability rights movement, as well as the practical implications for educators today.

Opening the Doors for All LGBTQ+ Students

Given the long history of LGBTQ+ rights and the current evolving climate surrounding social justice for LGBTQ+ individuals, this chapter explores the idea of creating safe, affirming, educational environments for LGBTQ youth in K-12 and post-high-school educational settings. The authors delineate the unique concerns for the elementary, middle, high, and higher education levels separately. At each level, the authors identify the core obstacles that LGBTQ+ individuals face surrounding acceptance, developing autonomy, and gaining support. The authors delve deeply into the programs and interventions that are currently making a difference in school systems around the country and provide educators with specific ways in which they can create inclusive environments for their students. The important caveats to obtaining robust LGBTQ+ research are also discussed.