Ask a Self-Advocate: How I Overcame the Academic Achievement Gap

In my previous blog post, I explained how the Academic Achievement Gap (AAG) disproportionately impacts students of color (SOCs) with disabilities. In this blog post, I will talk about how I, a former SOC with a disability, personally overcame the AAG.

How did I overcome the Academic Achievement Gap?

One reason I was able to circumvent the AAG is because my mother advocated for me to receive a proper education. For example, when my school wanted to hold me back a year in kindergarten due to my disability, my mom pushed for me to be promoted to the first grade because I met all the academic requirements. Furthermore, my mom, a Black woman, made her voice heard in predominantly White Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team meetings. Whenever she had a question or concern, she brought it to the team’s attention and did not let them talk over or down to her. This enabled my mom to make sure that I was given an IEP providing me with proper accommodations and services and allowing me to learn in general education classrooms alongside my non-disabled peers.

Another way that I surmounted the AAG was developing self-advocacy skills. As a SOC with a disability, I had to fight against the preconception that I was unmotivated and unintelligent and prove to my predominately White teachers that I was motivated to learn and capable of being educated. As such, I asked for help and clarification whenever I did not understand an assignment and took their feedback on my work very seriously to make it its best. My hard work paid off as my teachers appreciated my work ethic and gave me the help and support I needed, allowing me to pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test and graduate from high school and then from college.

What can be learned from my experience?

In order to overcome the AAG, SOCs with disabilities must work twice as hard to succeed in school, while their parents must work twice as hard to advocate for their children’s needs. Schools must recognize that SOCs with disabilities are some of their most dedicated and hardest-working scholars and that their parents are putting in immense effort to ensure their children get the best education possible. Even though the AAG disproportionately impacts SOCs with disabilities, they should not get discouraged because I am an example of a person who overcame it.

Jevon Okundaye is the Program Assistant for MAC’s Racial Equity and Access Project (REAP) and a former MAC Young Adult Leader Fellow. This post is a part of MAC’s Race and Disability webpage. Jevon is a Black autistic young man. He graduated from Tufts University in 2019 with majors in Africana Studies and English. Jevon hopes this blog can teach people about the intersectionality of race and disability. The suggestions in this blog are based on Jevon’s personal experience. He realizes that what worked for him may not work for everyone else.