School Counselors' Microaggressions Towards Students With Disabilities in Inclusive Schools

Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore school counselors' microaggressions directed at students with disabilities (SWD) in inclusive schools. The study involved conducting structured interviews with 23 counselors employed at public primary and secondary schools. The data obtained from these interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, resulting in the identification and categorization of 10 themes. The findings revealed that school counselors exhibited various forms of microaggressions towards SWD, including denial of privacy, patronization, otherization, secondary gain, second class citizenship, helplessness, denial of identity, minimization, positive discrimination, and spread effect. Implications of these findings for school counselors are highlighted and discussed, considering relevant literature. The study underscores the significance of raising awareness regarding microaggressions targeting SWD, which can foster personal and systemic changes towards social justice-oriented practices and the development of counseling competencies in this domain.