Urban Narratives

The Author: David J. Connor is Associate Professor at Hunter College, City University of New York. He is the co-author of Reading Resistance: Discourses of Exclusion in Desegregation and Inclusion Debates (Peter Lang, 2006), and his articles have been featured in a wide variety of journals. He has won several awards, including the Teachers College President’s Grant for Student Research in Diversity; the 2005 Outstanding Junior Scholar Award in Disability Studies in Education; and the 2006 Emerging Scholar in Disability Studies in Education awarded by the DSE/Special Interest Group of the American Education Research Association.

«Too often, educators rely upon labels to identify their students, not recognizing how we may inadvertently stigmatize and limit their potential as a result. ‘Urban Narratives’ reminds us that there are real students with hopes, dreams, strengths, and compelling stories behind these labels. By bringing the experiences of students to life, David J. Connor reminds us to treat each child with the dignity and respect they deserve.» (Pedro Noguera, New York University)«In this book, David J. Connor shares cumulatively constructed (counter) narratives of eight nonwhite urban youths ages 18-23 who were labeled learning disabled (LD) in public school. …This is the first time that the academic community has heard voices from this group, who compositely constitute the largest group of students in urban special education. Connor uses disability studies, critical race theory, LatCrit, and black feminist thought to analyze intersectionality in these ‘portraits in progress’ through a matrix of domination, and in so doing challenges the assumption that learning disabilities can be studied apart from their historical, social, and cultural contexts. ‘Urban Narratives’ is a unique and important contribution for researchers, theorists, and educators interested in promoting social justice in America’s segregated classrooms, schools, and neighborhoods.» (D. Kim Reid, Teachers College, Columbia University)«As an adult labeled learning disabled, and as an advocate for young people with this label, I’ve often been amazed at how many powerful forces talk about kids like me. Drug companies make a billion dollars medicating young people like me. Professors study students like me. Publishing houses sell books to fix kids like me. Unfortunately, the individuals who live this experience are silenced…but no longer. David J. Connor has written a groundbreaking book that gives voice to students labeled LD in an authentic and compelling way. ‘Urban Narratives’ is a must-read.» (Jonathan Mooney, President of Project Eye to Eye and author of ‘The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal’)