Special education services for students with disabilities experiencing houselessness:

This systematic literature review aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the research which documents experiences of school-aged students with disabilities who are houseless in the public education system in the U.S. I use cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) as a theoretical framework to identify contradictions within and between activity systems (i.e., schools, shelters, families, etc.), all ostensibly committed in supporting these students. According to the National Center for Homeless Education (2020), students with disabilities accounted for 18% of all houseless students in 2020, a 15% increase from the previous school year. While many studies have addressed issues faced by students who are houseless, to our knowledge none have examined the ways in which disability factors into these experiences, especially as students navigate the complexities of being both houseless and disabled. This synthesis has implications for how schools and educators serve students at the intersections of disability and houselessness.