Kathryn Wright
Biography
Kathryn Wright is at the final stage of a joint degree in social work and anthropology. Her dissertation, using qualitative methods, investigates the identities and social relations of racialized middle school students labeled with disability in the broader social context of racism, ableism, and class-based prejudice. This research, a 10-month ethnography using participant-observation, interviews, and focus groups, draws implications for learning sciences, education policy, and social services provision, including school social work.
Degrees and Certifications
- MA
- MSW
Awards and Honors
- 2023 Honorable Mention, Grand Challenges of Social Work Doctoral Dissertation Award ($500 prize).
- 2020 Elizabeth N. Brehler Scholars Award, School of Social Work, Wayne State University
Teaching Interests
- Accessible pedagogy
- Online and hybrid modalities
- Policy
- School social work
- Teacher education
- Anthropology
- Continuing education for social workers
Areas of Expertise
- Disability
- Education
- School Social Work
Recent Publications
Wright, K. (2024). Getting to Disability Justice: A critical conceptual review of disability models in U.S. social work. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare 51(1-2), 63-90. https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.4723
Wright, K. (2024). Book review of Schooled and Sorted: How Educational Categories Create Inequality by Thurston Domina, Andrew M. Penner, and Emily K. Penner. Social Service Review 98(3). https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/731416
McNally, K., Wright, K., Goldkind, L., Kattari, S. K., & Victor, B. G. (2024). Disability expertise and large language models: A qualitative study of autistic TikTok creators’ use of ChatGPT. Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051241279549
Marsack-Topolewski, C.N., Wright, K., DiZazzo-Miller, R., & Samuel, P.S. (2024). Careers and family quality of life: Perceptions of compound and noncompound family caregivers. Occupational Therapy in Health Care. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380577.2024.2400526
Samuel, P.S., Wright, K., Marsack-Topolewski, C.N., & DiZazzo-Miller, R. (2022). When more is too much: Compound caregiving, barriers to services, and service support for families of people with disabilities. Families in Society 103(2), 180-193. https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894211048456
Presentations
- “‘I got you, boy’: Extending care, protecting personhood, feeling delight.” Panel: Transformation in/with Disability Anthropology Part I: Institutions. Society for Applied Anthropology Annual Meeting, March 26-30, 2024.
- “Peer relations and school engagement for disabled youth in self-contained classrooms.” Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference. Washington, D.C., January 10-14, 2024.
- “A Taxonomy of work-school interaction among low-paid working parents with elementary-aged children.” Panel: Early childhood education, work-life balance and child development. Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference. Washington, D.C., January 10-14, 2024. (Authors: Kess Ballentine and Kathryn M. Wright).
- “Centering excluded students: Ethnography and multi-modal teaching methods for research with disabled youth.” Panel: Ethnographic relations: Anthropology for whom? Part I. Anthropology and Education Conference, October 20-21, 2023.
- “Naming and placing the difference of disability in school.” Panel: Positioning in institutions: Transitions between belonging and otherness. American Anthropological Association/Canadian Anthropology Society Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada, November 15-19, 2023.
Pronouns
She/her
Grand Challenges Project
Wright’s dissertation project addresses the grand challenge of eradicating social isolation by examining school exclusion for disabled youth.