Examining epistemic oppression at the nexus of incarceration and disability

The most recent data polling incarcerated individuals estimates the prevalence of disability in carceral settings at around 60% (Bixby et al.). This suggests that disabled individuals comprise a significant sub-group for consideration in our discourse around education and incarceration. In this research, I examine the relationship between disability and epistemic carcerality in two ways. First, I illustrate the ways in which epistemic carcerality underpins the educational experiences of disabled students in schooling and marks those with disabilities for carceral settings. Next, I describe the ways in which the disabled are uniquely marginalized in carceral settings in their capacities as knowers as a result of their disability status. In the end, I call upon educators and legislators to center the disabled in carceral reform by taking into consideration the unique ways in which the multiply marginalized face additional forms of epistemic carcerality in both educational and carceral settings.