Unlearning Deficit Thinking, Reimagining Inclusion: Preparing Teachers Through the ThinkClusive Framework and Disability Studies in Education

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 3:45pm
  In Poster Session: Trajectories of Transformation: From Preparation to Resistance in Teaching

Abstract

This study explores how teacher candidates’ understandings of disability and inclusion shift through exposure to both the medical and social models of disability. Grounded in Disability Studies in Education (DSE) and supported by the ThinkClusive Framework (TCF), a reflective and equity-centered model created by the author, this research draws from two qualitative studies conducted a decade apart. This study examines reflective writings from 25 preservice educators enrolled in introductory special education courses. Findings reveal a transformation in student beliefs, from deficit-oriented thinking to systemic, justice-oriented perspectives on inclusion. Aligned with the AERA 2026 theme of Unforgetting Histories and Imagining Futures, this study offers a replicable framework for enacting pedagogical change in teacher preparation and constructing more inclusive educational futures.

Author

• Hyun Uk Kim, Springfield College