Expanding Law- and Policy-Relevant Discourse Within Special Education Research

Abstract

The field of special education stems from the efforts of parents, adults and children with disabilities, invested policymakers, and other civil rights advocates within legal and policy forums. Yet, over time, as intervention- and scientific-based research within special education were moved to the forefront, the focus on how special education practices are shaped by law and policy were siloed within academic discourse in special education journals. To better understand the use of legal and policy analysis as a methodology within special education journals, the authors systematically analyzed the submission criteria for the top-10 U.S. -based special education journals. Stemming from these findings, this article argues why it may be necessary to consider expanding the field of special education research to include more peer-reviewed academic journals with a predominant focus on special education and disability law and policy, as an understanding of how law and policy shape the academic and personal lives of students with disabilities and their families remains pertinent. Finally, the article offers a framework for creating new academic journals in this space that may offer opportunities to generate dialogue between academics, practitioners, and policymakers across an interdisciplinary discourse.