Transforming “Special Education 101”: Infusing Disability Studies in Education to Promote Teacher Candidates’ Inclusive Dispositions

Despite the well-established benefits of including students with disabilities in general education classrooms, many teachers maintain indifferent or deficit-oriented perspectives on inclusion. Courses aligned with Disability Studies in Education (DSE) may be able to help teacher candidates develop more inclusive dispositions and improved self-efficacy for teaching students with disabilities. This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning inquiry explored the impacts of aligning an introductory special education course with DSE tenets. General education teacher candidates reported their beliefs about disabilities, attitudes toward inclusion, and self-efficacy at the beginning and end of the course. Results indicated that candidates endorsed more inclusive dispositions and felt more prepared for teaching students with disabilities after completing the DSE-aligned course. Changes were similar regardless of licensure area or course modality. These findings have implications for teacher educators seeking to empower future teachers to provide equitable support for all students.