definition Structures & Ableism

DisCrit (Disability Critical Race Theory)

Where Disability and Race Meet: Understanding Overlapping Systems of Oppression

DisCrit, short for Disability Critical Race Theory, is a powerful lens that helps us understand how disability and race shape people’s lives when experienced together. Developed by scholars Subini Annamma, David Connor, and Beth Ferri in 2013, this framework shows us that disability and race aren’t separate issues—they’re interconnected realities that influence how people are treated in schools, healthcare systems, and society at large.

Unlike approaches that look at disability or race in isolation, DisCrit recognizes that these identities combine to create unique experiences that can’t be understood by simply adding racism and ableism together. For someone who is both disabled and a person of color, the discrimination they face isn’t just doubled—it takes on entirely new forms.

DisCrit challenges us to move beyond the medical model that treats disability as something to “fix” within an individual. Instead, it examines how social systems—from education to healthcare to criminal justice—are designed in ways that disadvantage people based on both disability and racial background simultaneously.

Key Aspects

Core Principles:
- Recognizes both disability and race as socially constructed yet having real consequences in people’s lives
- Centers the voices and lived experiences of disabled people of color, who are often marginalized in both disability and racial justice movements
- Examines how legal systems, historical practices, and social norms maintain both racism and ableism
- Challenges what society considers “normal” or “standard” by questioning who those standards were designed for and who they exclude
Real-World Applications:
- Reveals how race affects which children receive which disability labels in schools
- Shows how cultural differences influence how behaviors are interpreted as either “normal variations” or “disabilities”
- Exposes how support systems often fail to address the needs of people with intersecting identities
- Provides a framework for developing more inclusive and equitable policies and practices

In Their Own Words

As a Black autistic person, I’ve experienced how race and disability shape every interaction. When I stim in public, it’s not just seen as unusual behavior—it’s often perceived as threatening because of my race. DisCrit gave me language to understand that my experiences aren’t just about being disabled or being Black—it’s about how these identities create something unique that others don’t always understand.

Growing up Latina with ADHD, I noticed white classmates with similar challenges received accommodations while I was labeled ‘behavioral.’ DisCrit helped me see this wasn’t just bad luck—it was systemic. Understanding these intersections has been healing and empowering for my advocacy work.

In Everyday Life

DisCrit helps explain real situations like:

A dyslexic Black student being placed in a behavioral intervention program while a white student with similar challenges receives specialized reading support
Autistic Asian children being under-diagnosed because healthcare providers hold cultural stereotypes about Asian children being “naturally quiet” or “inherently well-behaved”
Language barriers preventing immigrant families from accessing appropriate disability services for their children
Indigenous perspectives on neurodivergence being dismissed in favor of Western medical models
School discipline policies that punish behavior differences more harshly when exhibited by students of color

Why This Matters

DisCrit provides essential tools for creating more just and equitable systems. For individuals navigating multiple marginalized identities, it validates experiences that are often dismissed or fragmented (“Is this happening because of my disability or my race?”).

For educators, healthcare providers, and policymakers, DisCrit reveals blind spots in current approaches and suggests more holistic solutions. It shows how standard diagnostic tools, intervention strategies, and support systems may unintentionally exclude or harm people with intersecting identities.

By bringing disability justice and racial justice movements together, DisCrit strengthens both causes and prevents them from working at cross-purposes. It reminds us that liberation must include everyone to be meaningful.

History

1989: Kimberlé Crenshaw introduces intersectionality theory, providing foundation for future DisCrit work
1995: Disability Studies emerges as a formal academic discipline, challenging medical models of disability
2000s: Scholars begin noting gaps in how both Critical Race Theory and Disability Studies address multiply marginalized people
2013: Annamma, Connor, and Ferri formally introduce DisCrit in academic literature
2016-present: DisCrit expands beyond education into healthcare, legal studies, and social services
2018: Publication of “DisCrit: Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory in Education” solidifies the framework

References

Annamma, S. A., Connor, D., & Ferri, B. (2013). Dis/ability critical race studies (DisCrit): Theorizing at the intersections of race and dis/ability. Race Ethnicity and Education, 16(1), 1-31.
Annamma, S. A., Ferri, B. A., & Connor, D. J. (2018). Disability Critical Race Theory: Exploring the intersectional lineage, emergence, and potential futures of DisCrit in education. Review of Research in Education, 42(1), 46-71.
Lawyer, R. G. (2017). DisCrit— Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory in Education. David J. Connor, Beth A. Ferri, and Subini A. Annamma, (Eds.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press, 2016, 279 pp., $44.95 (paperback). Educational Studies, 53(4), 402–406. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2017.1334656
Erevelles, N., & Minear, A. (2010). Unspeakable offenses: Untangling race and disability in discourses of intersectionality. Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies, 4(2), 127-145.
Sins Invalid (Disability Justice organization): https://www.sinsinvalid.org/
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network resources on intersectionality: https://awnnetwork.org/
“DisCrit: Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory in Education” edited by Subini Annamma, David Connor, and Beth Ferri
“Blackness and Disability: Critical Examinations and Cultural Interventions” edited by Christopher M. Bell
“All the Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism” edited by the Autism Women’s Network
Subini Ancy Annamma , David Connor & Beth Ferri (2013) Dis/ability critical race studies (DisCrit): theorizing at the intersections of race and dis/ability, Race Ethnicity and Education, 16:1, 1-31, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2012.730511