Challenges and Possibilities: Integrating Disability Studies in Education Into and Beyond Teacher Education

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Preparation at the Intersections of Disability Studies

Abstract

Teacher educators are uniquely positioned to introduce teacher candidates to disability studies in education (DSE), including the field’s orientation towards a social model of disability and inclusive education. In this paper, we review two decades of research that report the methods and results of efforts to introduce key principles of DSE to teacher candidates. Within this research, we highlight studies of teacher candidates’ and recent graduates’ attempts to integrate DSE principles beyond their coursework, including in practicum and professional classroom experiences, and in completing performance-assessments for certification. We argue that this line of research should be expanded, as it provides valuable direction for addressing aspects of the long documented tensions between DSE theory and the practice of K-12 teaching.

Authors

• Amy Applebaum, Syracuse University

• Justin Freedman, Rowan University

• Casey Woodfield, Rowan University