Abstract
This chapter reexamines the role of school counselors in special education through a critical lens, emphasizing their potential to disrupt deficit-oriented practices and advocate for multiply-marginalized students. Drawing on liberation psychology, critical race theory (CRT), and positive psychology, we argue that centering the lived experiences of students of color with dis/abilities can challenge systemic inequities that fuel the school-to-prison pipeline. We highlight how deficit-based ideologies pathologize difference, while strength-based and culturally responsive approaches affirm students' identities and resilience. Positioned within comprehensive school counseling programs and multi-tiered systems of support, school counselors are uniquely equipped to advocate for equity through collaboration with educators, families, and communities. Using data critically, fostering restorative and inclusive practices, and honoring community cultural wealth, counselors can shift special education from surveillance and exclusion toward belonging and justice. Ultimately, we propose a framework in which school counselors serve as coconspirators in dismantling systemic oppression and building inclusive educational ecosystems.