This list is curated for special education practitioners in Texas — diagnosticians, evaluators, and anyone who wants to understand the civil rights and advocacy history behind the work we do. It spans foundational texts, disability justice perspectives, parent advocacy, and practical resources. Items marked with a link can be accessed online.
No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement
Book
Joseph P. Shapiro, 1993
The foundational account of the American disability rights movement — how people with disabilities organized, fought for the ADA, and shifted from charity to civil rights. Essential background for understanding why IDEA exists.
Civil RightsADAHistory
Crip Theory: Cultural Signs of Queerness and Disability
Book
Robert McRuer, 2006
Introduces crip theory — a framework that interrogates how "normal" is constructed and how disability and queerness intersect in culture, policy, and institutions. Useful for understanding the social model of disability.
TheorySocial ModelIdentity
The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public
Book
Susan Schweik, 2009
Documents the "ugly laws" that barred disabled people from public spaces across American cities from the 1860s through 1974. A sobering history of how disability was criminalized — and what it took to dismantle that.
HistoryLawExclusion
Disability Justice: A Working Draft
Book
Mia Mingus & Sins Invalid Collective
Articulates the 10 principles of disability justice — a framework that centers intersectionality, cross-movement solidarity, and the leadership of disabled people of color. Essential for understanding how disability intersects with race, class, and gender.
Disability JusticeRaceIntersectionality
A History of Special Education: From Isolation to Integration
Book
Margret Winzer, 1993
Comprehensive history of special education from ancient times through IDEA — covering institutionalization, the eugenics movement, parent advocacy, landmark court cases, and the shift toward inclusion. A core reference for the field.
Special EducationHistoryInclusion
Sally Shaywitz, 2020 (2nd ed.)
The definitive science-based guide to dyslexia — how the brain reads, why some brains struggle, and what evidence-based intervention looks like. Cited throughout the TEA Dyslexia Handbook. Accessible to both practitioners and parents.
DyslexiaScienceIntervention
From Emotions to Advocacy: The Special Education Survival Guide
Book
Pam Wright & Pete Wright, 2006
The Wrightslaw guide for parents navigating special education — IEP rights, evaluation procedures, dispute resolution, and advocacy strategies. Understanding what parents read helps diagnosticians communicate more effectively.
Parent AdvocacyIEPRights
wrightslaw.com ↗
The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of Your Differently Wired Brain
Book
Thomas Armstrong, 2010
Makes the case for a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming approach to learning differences — challenging deficit-model frameworks and offering a different lens for understanding ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and other conditions.
NeurodiversityStrengths-BasedADHDAutism
International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
Organization
The leading professional organization for dyslexia research, advocacy, and practitioner standards. Publishes Knowledge and Practice Standards for teachers of reading, position papers, and research briefs. Texas has an active branch.
DyslexiaResearchStandards
dyslexiaida.org ↗
Disability Rights Texas (DRTx)
Organization
Texas's federally designated protection and advocacy organization for people with disabilities. Provides free legal assistance, special education advocacy, and policy work. An important resource to know when families need help beyond what a district can offer.
TexasLegal AidAdvocacy
disabilityrightstx.org ↗
Sins Invalid
Organization
A disability justice organization rooted in art and performance that centers disabled people of color and queer/gender-nonconforming people. Developed the 10 Principles of Disability Justice framework widely used in advocacy and education.
Disability JusticeRaceCulture
sinsinvalid.org ↗
Partners Resource Network (PRN) — Texas
Organization
Texas's federally funded Parent Training and Information center. Provides free training and support to families of children with disabilities navigating special education. Knowing PRN is essential — it's where you can direct parents who need independent support.
TexasParent SupportTraining
partnerstx.org ↗
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)
Organization
National legal advocacy organization that shaped major disability rights legislation including the ADA and IDEA amendments. Publishes legal analysis, training materials, and policy briefs. A key source for understanding the intent behind special education law.
Federal LawADAIDEAPolicy
dredf.org ↗
National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
Organization
Research and advocacy organization focused on learning and attention differences. Publishes the annual State of Learning Disabilities report, policy briefs, and family guides. Good source for data on how students with learning disabilities are faring nationally.
Learning DisabilitiesResearchPolicy
ncld.org ↗
PARC v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1972)
Legal Decision
The landmark consent decree that established the right of children with intellectual disabilities to a free public education — four years before EHA/IDEA. Understanding PARC explains why the "free appropriate public education" language in IDEA exists at all.
Landmark CaseFAPEID
Mills v. Board of Education of DC (1972)
Legal Decision
Companion to PARC — extended the right to public education to all children with disabilities, not just those with intellectual disabilities. Established that lack of funds is not an acceptable reason to deny a child education. Both cases directly led to EHA (1975) and IDEA.
Landmark CaseFAPEAll Disabilities
Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017)
Supreme Court Decision
The Supreme Court unanimously raised the FAPE standard — ruling that IEPs must be "reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child's circumstances," not merely provide some minimal benefit. Directly relevant to how evaluators frame impact and recommendations.
Supreme CourtFAPEIEP Standard
OSERS Dear Colleague Letter: Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia (2015)
Federal Guidance
The 2015 letter from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services clarifying that IDEA does not prohibit use of the terms dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia in evaluations, eligibility determinations, or IEPs. Foundational for Texas diagnosticians identifying dyslexia and dysgraphia.
DyslexiaDysgraphiaFederal Guidance
Read the letter ↗
10 Principles of Disability Justice — Sins Invalid (2015)
Framework Document
The foundational articulation of disability justice as distinct from disability rights — centering intersectionality, collective access, cross-movement solidarity, and the leadership of multiply-marginalized disabled people. Widely cited in advocacy and academic contexts.
Disability JusticeFrameworkIntersectionality
Read the principles ↗
Racial Disproportionality in Special Education
Research Area
A body of research documenting that Black, Latino, and Indigenous students are disproportionately identified for certain disability categories (especially ED and ID) while being underidentified in others. IDEA requires states to monitor and address significant disproportionality. Key reading for evaluators making eligibility decisions.
RaceDisproportionalityEquityIDEA
NCLD State of LD Report ↗
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020)
Documentary
Netflix documentary following a group of disabled teenagers from Camp Jened in the early 1970s through their transformation into ADA activists. Covers Section 504 sit-ins, Judy Heumann, and how the disability rights movement organized. One of the most accessible introductions to disability rights history available.
ADA504ActivismNetflix
The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia (2012)
Documentary
HBO documentary following children and adults with dyslexia — covering identification, emotional impact, and the strengths that often accompany the disorder. Useful to share with families who are newly navigating a dyslexia evaluation, and good viewing for educators who work with these students daily.
DyslexiaFamilyHBO
Including Samuel (2007)
Documentary
A father documents his son Samuel's life with cerebral palsy and the family's journey through inclusive education — raising questions about what inclusion really means and at what cost. Prompts important reflection on LRE decisions and the difference between placement and belonging.
InclusionLRECerebral Palsy
Disability Visibility Podcast
Podcast
Hosted by Alice Wong
Long-running podcast featuring disabled people in conversation about culture, identity, politics, and daily life. Companion to the Disability Visibility Project and anthology. Grounding for practitioners who want to understand disability from the inside rather than as a clinical category.
CultureIdentityCommunity
Listen ↗
Sold a Story (APM Reports, 2022)
Investigative Podcast
Emily Hanford, APM Reports
Six-episode investigative series on how whole language and three-cueing reading instruction persisted in schools for decades despite evidence that it harmed struggling readers — especially those with dyslexia. Essential context for the current science of reading movement and Texas's HB 3928.
Reading ScienceDyslexiaPolicyHB 3928
Listen ↗
Special Ed Advocate Podcast
Podcast
Wrightslaw
Practical episodes on navigating special education law — IEP rights, evaluations, dispute resolution, and advocacy strategies. Hearing what parents are being advised helps diagnosticians anticipate questions and communicate more effectively at ARD meetings.
LawIEPParent Rights
Listen ↗
ERIC — Education Resources Information Center
Database
Institute of Education Sciences (IES) · Free
The primary free database for peer-reviewed education research — hosted by IES/U.S. Department of Education. Search millions of journal articles, reports, and conference papers on special education, dyslexia, SLD, ADHD, early childhood, and evidence-based instruction. No login required for most content.
FreePeer-ReviewedSpecial Education
Search ERIC ↗
Elsevier ScienceDirect
Database
Elsevier · Subscription (university login or purchase)
Major academic publisher hosting hundreds of journals relevant to special education practice — including Learning and Individual Differences, Research in Developmental Disabilities, and Journal of Learning Disabilities. Many articles available through university or district library access. Individual articles can be purchased directly.
SubscriptionPeer-ReviewedBroad Coverage
Search ScienceDirect ↗
International Journal of Educational Research
Database
Elsevier · Subscription
Peer-reviewed journal covering educational psychology, learning, assessment, and policy across international contexts. Useful for cross-national perspectives on SLD identification, inclusive education, and assessment practices. Published by Elsevier — access via ScienceDirect or university login.
SubscriptionInternationalAssessment & Policy
View Journal ↗
Court Case Search — Coming Soon
Database
Link TBD
A searchable court case database for special education due process decisions and case law is planned for this section. If you remember the database you used in grad school, send it via the feedback form and it'll be added here.
Case LawDue ProcessComing Soon
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