Reciprocity And Collaboration With Families In Special Education: The Intersections Of Culture, Family, & Disability
Dr. Beth Harry has written 10 books and has given numerous talks addressing the intersections of culture, family, and disability.
Dr. Beth Harry is a Professor Emerita of special education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Miami. Beth’s passion for special education was a response to the needs of her daughter, Melanie, who had cerebral palsy. In response to Malanie’s needs, Beth founded the Immortelle Center for Special Education in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Cultural reciprocity is the process of recognizing and understanding the subtle, deep-seated values in our professional beliefs and practices. We can then share these values with families and, most importantly, find out what values they hold related to their children with disabilities. We can then collaborate with families to identify and pursue goals that will be compatible with both professionals’ and families’ values and concerns. Cultural reciprocity, as opposed to cultural competence, is a two-way process between professionals and family members.
“We still have a long way to go. That’s one reason why advocacy is so important for training our future teachers.”
— Dr. Beth Harry
Professor Emerita of Special Education, Multiculturalist & Author
If you want an inspiring yet grounded keynote speaker for your conference or a practical, hands-on academic workshop for your professional development, please message me using the contact form below.
I’m a field-based rather than an ivory tower academic. As a speaker, I believe this is evident in my presentations and workshops through a relaxed, humorous, and interactive style, using real-life examples to bring theoretical concepts and perspectives to life.
Many who have heard me speak ask if I’m a special educator or a multiculturalist. Of course, I’m both, as I bring a wide range of cultural experiences to my work. Open ‘My Bio’ for more on my background and experience.
My Bio
I grew up and completed high school in Jamaica; studied for my Bachelors and Masters degrees at the University of Toronto, Canada; lived in Trinidad and Tobago as a mother, academic, and disability advocate; and completed my Ph.D. at Syracuse University in the United States.
As a professor of special education for 25 years at the University of Miami, I’ve taught undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students, and have been awarded 11 federally funded research or personnel preparation grants and published 10 books and over 60 journal articles.
I bring a broad cultural lens to everything, weaving personal and professional learning into a complex tapestry. Most important is a deep, intimate knowledge of disability that comes from my experience with my daughter, Melanie, who had cerebral palsy.
I bring to my work both the joys and pains of growing wings with Melanie, as I gradually learned how to be her mother and advocate. Two books document my journey of both personal and professional advocacy – a memoir, “Melanie, Bird With a Broken Wing” and “Childhood Disability, Advocacy, and Inclusion in the Caribbean: A Trinidad and Tobago case study,” which describes and reflects on the history of the Immortelle Children’s Center, the school I founded in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and which continues today.
From this background, I’ve developed a research and teaching plan focusing on the range of complex ways in which families’ experiences with disability intersect with multiple markers of identity, such as culture, ethnicity, race, and socio-economic status. My studies have included Puerto Ricans, African Americans, and a wide range of other cultural groups. My research findings on these topics have been published in several books and articles, including the highly acclaimed, “Why Are So Many Minority Students in Special Education?” which we are revising for a third edition.
Honors I’ve Received:
Earning an honorary doctorate at Lesley University in Boston
Serving as a member of the National Academy Of Sciences’ 2002 panel to study the disproportionate placement of minority students in special education
In 2002, Beth served as a member of the National Academy Of Sciences Panel to study the disproportionate placement of minority students in Special Education programs. This prestigious body produced its findings in 2002 in a book entitled Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education, by Suzanne Donovan and Christopher Cross.
Receiving a Fulbright award to do research on Moroccan children’s schooling in Spain in 2003.
In 2003, Beth received the prestigious Fulbright research award to study the education of Moroccan children in Spain. Based at the University of Seville, she conducted a six-month study of the challenges faced by a rural school district that was struggling to meet the needs of bilingual/bicultural high school students who recently emigrated from Morocco. This research resulted in an article entitled “Equity, excellence, and diversity in a rural secondary school in Spain: Integration is very nice, but…”. Published in 2005 in the European Journal of Special Needs Education (Volume 20, #1, pp. 89-106).
Now retired, I’m ready to share this extensive body of lived learning experiences with school districts, university faculty and students, and parent advocacy organizations.
9131
days as professor
10
successful books
61
academic journal articles
What Professionals & Doctoral Students are saying:
The first time I attended a lecture by Dr. Beth Harry was in 2009 and she inspired me so deeply that it completely changed and shifted my equity lens when working with racially, culturally and linguistically diverse families whose children receive special education services. Dr. Harry has continued to inspire my work as an administrator and researcher in special education.
In my course, Families, and Advocacy, we are reading Drs. Harry and Ocasio-Stoutenburg’s brilliant book, Meeting Families Where They Are: Building Equity Through Advocacy with Diverse Schools and Communities. It has challenged students and led to deep and crucial discussions on ability/disability, privilege, intersectionality, power, and challenging concepts of the norm.
Dr. Harry’s expertise as a parent and professional transcends common understandings of families engaged with special education, particularly those marginalized. For example, Dr. Harry contributed a stimulating video discussion to “The Envelope” that inspires family leaders, practitioners, administrators, and professional development providers to apply the ideas behind Meeting Families Where They Are in meaningful ways.
Dr. Bonnie Keilty, Ed.D.Professor and ChairDepartment of Special Education Faculty, Early Childhood Learning and Development: Diverse Children and Families–Hunter College, New York
How many of us can say we have truly stood on the shoulders of giants? As a mother of a child with a disability, a qualitative researcher, and an ethnographer, I can say I was trained by the best. Dr. Beth Harry challenged my thinking, expanded my questions, provided me with the theory, and gave me the tools to uncover and discover. She has not only had an influence on the questions her students ask but how we ask them and of whom. It is because of her guiding hand that we always center our work on equity.
Dr. Lydia Ocasio-Stoutenburg
Dr. Harry is a phenomenal educator, researcher, writer, and public speaker. I have been so very fortunate to have her as a professor, mentor, and dissertation chair. She is truly an inspiration.
Dr. Kristin Kibler
Dr. Beth Harry, Beth, has been one of the most influential professors of my academic life. Her ability to present rigorous academic content through story-telling and rich discussions left an imprint on me as a student and one I hope to carry on to my students as a professor.
Dr. Ana Menda
Dr. Harry was my safe person at the University of Miami. From my very first phone conversation with her, she listened supportively and believed my story without even meeting me in person. Such was the beginning of a beautiful professional and personal friendship. On accepting me into the Ph.D. program Dr. Harry became my advisor and mentor throughout my studies. She has a meticulous style of delivering instruction and asking thought-provoking questions that lead to deeper thought and transformation beyond the classroom space, as well as critical and in-depth feedback to help me improve my academic skills. Her classroom space was always a safe environment that promoted boldness and confidence in every student regardless of one’s background. Besides academics, Dr. Harry also cared for all her doctoral students’ well-being. She would host social gatherings at her home to make sure we students could ‘let our hair down’ and build relationships with each other. To sum it all, being around her has made me a well-rounded person — professionally and personally.
Is your university, school district, or institution hosting an event for special education teachers or disability advocates? Dr. Beth Harry is able to deliver a keynote presentation addressing topics within areas of disabilities, families, and minority students.
Lectures & Workshops
Dr. Beth Harry can help parents and communities of children with disabilities work effectively. Fill out the form below to ask her to provide your school with a lecture or professional workshop.
School System Trainings
Dr. Beth Harry can help you communicate more effectively with caregivers and families of children with disabilities. She is an expert when it comes to areas of over-representation of minority students within special education.
University & College Commencement Addresses
Dr. Beth Harry not only publishes many books on cultural reciprocity in special education, but she is an inspirational and informative speaker on topics related to culture, families, and disabilities.
