Rethinking Disability and Mathematics

Rachel Lambert is an Associate Professor in Special Education and Mathematics Education at the University of California Santa Barbara. Before becoming a professor, she worked for over 10 years as both a special education and a general education inclusion teacher in New York City and Los Angeles. Dr. Lambert researches how students of color with disabilities construct identities as math learners and the role of emotions in mathematics. She also researches UDL in the area of mathematics, as well as neurodiversity in mathematics. Her goal is to increase access to meaningful mathematics for students with disabilities.

Dedication Foreword by Megan Franke Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Trust in Their Thinking Part 1: Shifting Our Conceptions Chapter 2: Rethinking Disability Chapter 3: Rethinking Mathematics Chapter 4: Beyond the Binary Choice of Inquiry vs. explicit instruction Part 2: Defining UDL Math Chapter 5: What Is Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Math? Chapter 6: Designing with UDL Math Part 3: Design in Action: Classroom Stories Chapter 7: Investing in Core Ideas Chapter 8: Designing to Support Language Variability Chapter 9: Designing for Understanding of Mathematical Models Chapter 10: Designing for Fact Fluency Chapter 11: Developing Student Strategies Through Number Strings Chapter 12: Supporting Relationships and Community in Math Class Chapter 13: Connecting Multiple Representations Chapter 14: Rethinking Assessment for Equity Chapter 15: Reimagining Math Goals in Individual Education Plans Appendix A: Core Ideas in K-8 Mathematics Aligned with Teaching Practices Appendix B: Barriers and Supports in Math Class from a Neurodiverse Perspective

Rachel Lambert skillfully delivers cogent background and advice for addressing the complexity of teaching mathematics to students with disabilities. By contextualizing all approaches in an environment of high expectations, trust, and strengths-based instructional approaches, she suggests a carefully crafted continuum to spur one to rethink what mathematics educators and special educators do. Every individual engaged in working with K-8 learners needs to delve into this critical information. Let the sense-making begin. -- Karen Karp * Baltimore, MD * This book by Rachel Lambert, a leading expert in special education and mathematics education, is an invaluable contribution to our thinking and knowledge of the best ways to support students with learning differences in their understanding of mathematics. A must-read for any educator or parent. -- Jo Boaler * Stanford, CA * This book is long overdue! I applaud Lambert for challenging mathematics educators to reimagine what students with disabilities are capable of in mathematics. Lambert confronts the deficit perspectives that have permeated the way many educators think about students with disabilities in mathematics. Lambert also provides specific examples that show that students with disabilities can engage in rich, cognitively demanding mathematics when given the proper support and guidance. -- Kyndall Brown * Los Angeles, CA * All too often in my career, I've heard neurodiverse students discussed in deficit ways in terms of their opportunities to know and do mathematics. Lambert's book provides shining examples of strategies we can use to empower and provide access to neurodiverse students so that they can demonstrate their full mathematical brilliance in math class. The strategies described are simultaneously revelatory and straightforward to implement. -- Michael D. Steele * Muncie, IN * UDL can now truly become a tool that mathematics educators can use to change how they go about designing mathematics experiences for disabled students. -- John Staley * Randallstown, MD * This book is a transformer! Rethinking Disabilities and Mathematics is a must-read for all educators. Dr. Lambert provides insight into different types of disabilities and strategies to implement UDL Math to engage and support learners in developing positive mathematics identities. She goes beyond strategies and instruction, giving us clarity through the lens of different perspectives that will make educators rethink disability. -- Joleigh Honey * Sandy, UT * As I read this extraordinary book, it felt like I was having a conversation with Rachel Lambert. Connecting with my innermost being in a deep and meaningful way; this is what is needed to change mindsets and practices. The vignettes, coupled with well-documented research, allow the reader to reflect on their own experiences and teaching schema with practical transformative methods from the perspective of not only researchers but also authentically from teachers. -- Christina Lincoln-Moore * Downey, CA * The word "strength" rarely makes its way into conversations about students' disabilities in school buildings. In Lambert's work, strength is a basic tenet of students with disabilities. From classroom visits to conversations with mathematicians with disabilities, Lambert unveils a landscape of possible math learning with a UDL Math framework and strengths-based pedagogies because disabled learners were never the problem to be fixed in math education, the system is. -- Fawn Nguyen * Oak View, CA * If there is one book you need to read about the field of special education and mathematics, this is it. Rachel Lambert has torn apart our old tapestry of beliefs and teaching practices and rewoven another with clarity, powerful examples, and research. This book breaks new ground. -- Catherine Fosnot * New York, NY * This is a groundbreaking exploration that transcends traditional teaching paradigms and revolutionizes our perspectives on disability in mathematics education. With insightful chapters exploring the brilliance of diverse learners, real-life stories, and rigorous research on UDL, it empowers educators with a strengths-based approach. A transformative guide, it ignites introspection and catalyzes action, shaping a more inclusive mathematical landscape. -- Ma Bernadette Andres-Salgarino * San Jose, CA * This is the book I've been hoping for for so long! Lambert dares us to think radically about and reimagine math instruction and disability, while also giving us the practical, classroom-tested tools to bring these bold dreams to life. I feel both inspired and equipped to make real progress in my district with this trusted guide at my side. -- Tracy Johnston Zager * Portland, ME *