Challenging the Dominant Narrative on Undocumented Latinx Students with Disabilities: Understanding Is Not Enough

The purpose of this manuscript is to advance an understanding of how the dominant narrative shapes and mediates through a deficit perspective the educational experiences of undocumented Latinx students with disabilities (ULWD) in the United States We do this in three different ways. First, utilizing Latina/Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) and Dis/ability Critical Race Studies (DisCrit) as theoretical frameworks, we describe the historical progression of the dominant narrative in the United States: how it has adapted through time to maintain status quo racial, linguistic, and ability hierarchies. Then, we focus on how this narrative portrays ULWD and explain how these portrayals influence the education of ULWD as forms of discrimination and tracking, for example. Finally, we urge educators to counteract the dominant narrative and its manifestations in the education of ULWD and provide actionable recommendations for doing so.