Teacher counternarratives: transgressing and ‘restorying’ disability in education

Abstract

This inquiry aims to explore the disconnect between the disability studies in education (DSE) perspectives on inclusive schooling held by a group of dually certified inclusive educators and the everyday, lived experiences of these same teachers who find themselves teaching students with labelled disabilities within the confines of the special education bureaucracy. Through a collaborative inquiry circle (with a teacher educator who is a faculty member in a dual-certification programme informed by a DSE perspective and seven teachers who are graduates of this teacher education programme), this study aims to: (1) articulate the dominant narratives or storylines about disability in education that may ‘discipline’ teachers' practice within the special education bureaucracy; (2) illustrate some of the ways in which teachers do resist and transgress the discursive structures of schooling in ways that enable them to ‘restory’ disability in education; and (3) explore the implications of this work for preparing teachers to be dually certified, inclusive educators of all children in public schools.

Keywords:

• teacher education
• dual certification
• inclusive education
• disability studies

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to gratefully acknowledge the support of a 2008 Teachers College Dean's Competitive Grant for Pre-Tenured and Non-Tenure Track Faculty which supported the preparation of this manuscript.

Notes

Throughout this article, the first person singular pronoun represents the voice of the first author. First person plural pronouns represent the voice of the collective inquiry group (all eight authors), unless otherwise specified (e.g. ‘second through eighth authors’ or ‘we, the faculty of the Elementary Inclusive Programme’).

The irony of inviting only those who had previously expressed an interest in such an undertaking to participate in an inquiry circle exploring issues of inclusive teacher education is not lost on me. In many ways it could be understood as somewhat akin to a teacher relying upon the pedagogical participation structure of only calling upon students who raise their hands in class, and such volunteer structures can be exclusionary in multiple ways. Nevertheless, I was able only to organise and support a small group of people in this endeavour, and the logistical challenges of getting eight people together in person to engage in inquiry and dialogue proved to be even more formidable than I had imagined, and the intimacy of the dialogue could not possibly have been sustained with a group two or three times our size. Nevertheless, my colleagues and I have continued to think about systematic ways to create structures for inclusive, open engagement with these issues among all of our graduates, including our forthcoming (March 2010) Elementary Inclusive Preservice Education Programme first annual Teach-In.