This dissertation examines how the intersection of race and ability impact an urban school's implementation of restorative justice. Because restorative justice can ideally be used in any setting with any group of people, its generalization often overlooks exceptionally vulnerable or traditionally silenced populations. As such, using Critical Race Theory and related frameworks such as Dis/ability Critical Race Studies and Critical Race Parenting, this work specifically highlights how Black students with disabilities, their teachers, and their parents are impacted by, and engaged with restorative justice at school. This dissertation is written in the form of three papers. In paper one, I conduct an interview study in order to examine insights from special education teachers about their role in using restorative justice and how it impacts their students, particularly in terms of how race and ability are pivotal factors. In paper two, I conceptualize restorative justice literacies. This entails an examination of how reading, writing, and speaking play a role in how marginalized populations are able to understand and participate in restorative justice practices. This research took place in the form of case study, with student observation, interviews, and document analysis being primary sources of data. Finally, in paper three, I analyze the perspectives of the parents of students from paper three regarding their engagement with restorative justice. Findings from my research highlight aspects of the experiences and needs of students with disabilities that have yet to be addressed within literature on restorative justice, and has positive implications for the ways that school communities can better understand and accommodate students with disabilities within both general and special education settings.
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