Can We Talk? The Underdeveloped Dialogue Between Teacher Education and Disability Studies

Abstract

Disability Studies reframes the study of disability by focusing on it as a social phenomenon, social construct, metaphor, and culture utilizing a minority group model. It examines ideas 626766S GOXXX10.1177/2158244015626766SAGE OpenCosier and Pearson AbstractDespite the possibility for mutual benefit, it seems that the fields of Disability Studies (DS) and teacher education have not communicated and collaborated in deep and meaningful ways. This exploratory study utilized an e-survey of 32 teacher education faculty members in the state of California to investigate how, if at all, teacher educators were utilizing DS in their curriculum. Results suggested that some teacher educators confuse DS with special education or rehabilitation. Furthermore, many teacher educators in general education teacher preparation programs indicated that disability issues were only covered in one course. The results of this study suggest the need for further meaningful collaboration and communication between the fields of DS and teacher education.

Critical Disability Studies and ‘Inclusive’ Early Childhood Education: The Ongoing Divide

“…Scholars in the field of education have presented a case for incorporating a cds or Disability Studies approach into teacher preparation programs (Cosier & Pearson, 2016;Gilham & Tompkins, 2016;Ashby, 2012;Ferri & Bacon, 2011;Oyler, 2011). Connor (2008) states "unless the (mis)representations of disability are addressed within the curriculum, most students' understanding will be Eilers 14 journal of disability studies in education 1 (2019) 1-26 informed by the hegemonic domain of the media" (p. 376).…”

Curriculum Theory: The Missing Perspective in Teacher Education for Inclusion

“…Exceptions appear to be a small number of combined programs grounded in a Disabilities Studies in Education (DSE) philosophy (e.g., Ashby, 2012; Oyler, 2011). Taking up curriculum theory in relationship to teacher education, DSE scholars have raised challenging questions about the construction of disability, equity, and intersectionality (Cosier & Pearson, 2016; Siuty, 2019). But a DSE orientation can also appear sporadically within special education pre-service programs, rather than systematically defining a curriculum (Siuty, 2019).…”

“…Drawing on hidden curriculum discourse decoupled from discourse around teaching and learning, an issue noted poignantly by Ashby (2012), responds to only part of the problem. For example, embedding units on disability rights or disproportionality (Cosier & Pearson, 2016), and assuring that stories underscoring the experiences of individuals with disabilities are heard (Annamma & Morrison, 2018; Boveda, Reyes, & Aronson, 2019), address curriculum from the perspective of what has previously been absent (the null curriculum). This can prepare teachers to open up important conversations to build critical awareness and shift how disabilities are conceptualized.…”

“…But this additive approach by itself is not sufficient for addressing the challenges in teacher education for inclusion, as it does not take on questions of, for example, how the curriculum as a whole is structured, or how concepts like funds of knowledge (Moll, Amanti, Neff, & Gonzalez, 1992) could help change the dominant general education curricular structure and advance new student learning. When attempts to make connections between critical stances toward special education and what this means for the practice of teacher education do occur (e.g., Ashby, 2012; Cosier & Pearson, 2016), larger questions of curriculum and curriculum development are uncommon, especially in the discourse of collaboration—where accommodations and modifications for individual students typify (and limit) how special education teachers address curriculum.…”

Breaking the Cycle: Preparing Pre-Service Teachers for Disability-Related Discussions

“…Teacher preparation programs play a seminal role in addressing pre-service teachers’ perceptions of inclusion and providing them with the theoretical and pedagogical tools to boost their feelings of self-efficacy (Crowson & Brandes, 2014). Yet, few programs focus on how to discuss disability with students (Abernathy & Taylor, 2009; Cosier & Pearson, 2016). Although scholars (Artman-Meeker, Grant, & Yang, 2016; Prater, Dyches, & Johnstun, 2006; Salend, 2011) have offered strategies and related materials for in-service teachers who want to address disability in the classroom, there is scant literature on how to best prepare pre-service teachers to hold disability-related discussions in their future classrooms.…”