Transformative in Theory and Practice: Disability Studies in Curriculum and Community

• In Event: Forging Community Through Intersectional Disability Studies in Education

Abstract

Silence around the subject of disability hinders authentic relationship building because it excludes a vital component of a person’s identity. In addition to deconstructing deficit notions of disability, Disability Studies in Education (DSE) aligned with intersectionality allows teachers to “reimagine what interdependent community engagement looks like” (Alim et al., 2017, p.22). This presentation demonstrates how early career teachers can utilize DSE and transform their classroom communities.

Framework
This study draws on sociocultural theory and DSE. Sociocultural theory suggests that a person’s perspectives and actions are based on a set of cultural patterns that are taken for granted until exposed to alternatives (Rogoff, 2003). Applying sociocultural theory to DSE reveals that ableism in schools leads to false assumptions that students with disabilities do not belong in the general school setting (Beneke et al., 2018), and contributes to the erasure of disability histories (Lalvani, 2015). Offering DSE as an alternative to the deficit frameworks of disability, and centering the voices of people with disabilities, may lead to philosophical and material changes in teacher practice.

Methods
We collaborated with a disability activist organization creating student voice videos and curriculum centering disability history and identity, which became the center point of a DSE teacher education course. We conducted a basic qualitative study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016) of 20 in-service teachers in the DSE course. Data sources included observations of course sessions, video recordings of teachers’ enacting DSE-informed lessons, teachers’ written reflections, and optional interviews.

Results
Two results that surfaced as part of this study include: (1) teacher agency in anti-ableist practices, and (2) opportunities afforded by DSE in teacher education. A sample result that exemplifies these findings is the reflection of 7th grade social studies teacher PN. PN wrote, “I think of disability studies in terms of identity, intersectionality, and a system of oppression...and how my actions and words contribute to greater systems of oppression towards people with disabilities.” PN utilized DSE to locate disability as a social justice issue and identified his agency to change his actions. He taught at an inclusive, primarily Latinx school and while he centered Latinx history, he realized that disability was absent from his curriculum. He added a unit on intersectionality and disability history and identity to his curricula. He was initially nervous about youth discussions of disability, but happily surprised when “The quality of discourse in the classroom was not diminished but increased.” He also shared that it de-stigmatized disability and began student-initiated dialogue about ableism. It inspired community. He said that the DSE course was highly beneficial for teachers and students, stating “Disability studies must be part of the conversation in education and I am struck by how absent the topic has been in my 5 years of teaching.”

Significance
This study contributes to transformative, community-based teaching and learning practices for social justice in teacher education. It may be used to shift curricula in K-12 and higher education.

Author

• Sarah Arvey Tov, University of Washington - Seattle