Towards Decolonized and Experiential Pedagogies in Inclusive Learning Environments for People with Differing Abilities

Given the growing number of individuals with disabilities on college campuses in the U.S., social work educators must address and challenge disparities in education related to disabilities. Students and faculty with differing abilities face challenges in accessing and participating in class-related activities and many social work programs lack comprehensive content that addresses disability, often focusing more on deficit-based models rather than recognizing the strengths, capabilities, and lived experiences of individuals with disabilities (Kim & Sellmair, 2020). The authors incorporated multimodal ways of learning into three undergraduate Diversity courses using experiential activities as mechanisms to shift towards decolonized education and disability justice. Such activities included the dots exercise, visual literacy practices (e.g., Crip* art exhibition), and elements of eco-therapy and art-therapy in a university-community photovoice project. These strategies were implemented to create transformative experiences aimed at increasing access and participation, enhancing students’ abilities to internalize topics and theoretical concepts, and to create a framework of “classroom as community” in social work courses. Through personal reflections on lived experiences and examples of teaching strategies, this paper provides guidance for moving toward disability justice focused pedagogy with classroom engagement.