Toward Literate Citizenship for All: A Photovoice Study Exploring Student Expression in Inclusive Classrooms

• In Event: 25.054 - Disability Narrative Reclamation: The importance of Raising the Voices of Disabled Students

Abstract

Pedagogy that centers primarily on oral and written language may significantly limit the educational progress of students with disabilities because it does not regularly afford them opportunities to express their learning. Increased opportunities for expression through multiple modalities may lead to greater literate citizenship for all students. The purpose of this research study was to examine how inclusive elementary teachers describe expressive opportunities for students with disabilities. Photovoice methodology engaged participants in taking photographs and sharing of stories about their regular classroom practice as it relates to student expression. Initial analysis indicates that Photovoice allowed participants to simultaneously grapple with the relationship between perceptions of disability and pedagogical decision-making with a view towards intentional instructional design for multimodal expression.

Author

• Francesca Ciotoli, St. Thomas Aquinas College