Disabilities Awareness and the Pre-service Teacher: A blueprint of a mentoring intervention

A method of mentoring pre-service teachers in a US setting aimed at enhancing their understanding of and sensitivity towards disabled learners is described and discussed. The study assumes that pre-service teachers need the opportunity to process and overcome their fears and assumptions about difference. The contemporary value of inclusiveness in education was made explicit through a teaching intervention that engaged pre-service students in learning about severely disabled persons and their issues. Student awareness of the disability literature was expanded through an encounter with a congenital amputee, a disabilities specialist who communicated how she wants teachers to relate to her. The data for this study were based on these reflective teaching methods, including class discussion, essay writing, and a survey, and on interviews conducted with the guest speaker.