Zero Reject: The Uncertain Future of Special Education
Zero Reject is an investigative podcast from the nonprofit Understood.org about the uncertain future of special education in the United States. Hosted by award-winning journalist Anya Kamenetz, it examines how shifting federal policies are reshaping the way schools serve students with disabilities. Each episode explores what is at stake for families who are legally entitled to support but often find themselves fighting to get it. The show mixes reporting and personal stories to explain the practical consequences of policy changes on children and parents.
Episodes
The chimichanga solution | 4
Kelly, a kindergarten teacher, knew her son McKay struggled with reading even before he started school. It took years and repeated pushback from the school before he was tested and diagnosed with dyslexia. Even then, the district resisted formally including it in his education plan. By seventh grade, McKay was faking being sick just to avoid school. This episode follows the family through yea
The dumping ground | 3
Before 1975, there was no legal guarantee that a child with a disability could attend public school at all. Kids were hidden in attics and basements, sent to state institutions, or simply turned away. Rosemary Kennedy’s family concealed her intellectual disability for decades. It took a movement of parents, teachers, and advocates — like Rosemary’s sister Eunice — to build the legal rights familie
25,000 complaints, and 7 minutes | 2
When the Trump administration gutted the Office for Civil Rights, around 25,000 complaints from families were stuck in limbo. One of them was filed by a mom in southern Indiana on behalf of her two kids with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. She’d spent years fighting for them after facing suspensions, exclusion, and a school that called her son a “bad kid.” In this episode, Anya Kamenetz spends a
Reduction in force | 1
Beth Gellman-Beer spent her whole career fighting for kids with disabilities — first as a student written off as “lazy,” then as a federal civil rights attorney who found her dream job protecting students like her younger self. But on one ordinary night, a phone call changed everything: Her entire office had been eliminated.In the premiere of Zero Reject, reporter Anya Kamenetz traces Beth’s journ
Introducing “Zero Reject: The Uncertain Future of Special Education”
Every year, millions of families fight to get their kids the special education services they’re legally owed. And right now, changes under the Trump administration are making that fight even harder. Find out what those changes mean on Zero Reject, a new investigative podcast from Understood.org, hosted by award-winning journalist Anya Kamenetz. Over six episodes, Anya follows real families na
