SEL for Equity and Social Justice
A fascinating aspect of the current, fervent push for social justice and equity has been the contributions from members of the disability rights movement. Individuals of color who also have disabilities have been shining a light on the fact that equity has not actually been reached unless it also includes people with disabilities since they are a vital part of our citizenry.
At present, CASEL is making adjustments to the details in their SEL framework to include explicit reference to issues being highlighted today. Addressing cultural inclusion and complexities in SEL research has lagged and there has been criticism that practices are primarily based on a version of white norms, so this is a wonderful step forward. The next step? The specifics of how this framework promotes equity for individuals with disabilities.
I cannot speak for the wider community, but there are areas of these adjusted definitions that stand out to me as an instructor. In the coming days I will include posts that look at each area of the updated SEL competencies with some suggestions on how we can extend these ideas to our students. Below is a link to the webinar CASEL published as an introduction to the subject.