Shaping teacher education: Identity circles and disability justice


Carly Christensen, University of British Columbia; Leyton Schnellert, University of British Columbia

Often within university settings, specifically teacher education programs, disabled identities become decontextualized and considered from a deficit perspective (Purach et al., 2021). Within teacher education, a focus on social justice is gaining prominence, yet disabled identities often remain excluded. Considering disability to be a valued and intersectional identity essential to humankind involves a paradigm shift in teacher education (Ashby, 2012). There is a general lack of research concerning disabled teacher candidates’ experiences in teacher education programs, courses, and practicums (Strimel et al., 2023). Our research seeks to create more equitable teacher education guided by the principles of disability justice and insights of disabled teacher candidates. This research involves the University of British Columbias Rural and Remote Teacher Education (RRED) program, a pioneering hybrid model in British Columbia which enables candidates to remain in their communities for online coursework and practicums. The current cohort includes 25 teacher candidates who co-create the program alongside course instructors through iterative engagement in meetings, classes, and forums, offering both verbal and written feedback. This paper involves initial, ongoing, small-scale research that focuses on the experiences of a select number of teacher candidates self-identifying as disabled. We employed a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach (Rusek, et al., 2021), which is particularly effective for investigating educational practices within real-world settings. DBR is based on iterative design and feedback processes that deeply engage with social and contextual factors. We gathered data from teacher candidates through term-end focus groups, written reflections, and the curation of student portfolios. Using identity circles, the teacher candidates from equity-deserving groups in the rural and remote teacher education program contributed to the co-creation of inclusive design principles. In one of these identity circles disabled teacher candidates, faculty, and graduate students shared their experiences and ideas informed by disability justice. Equity-oriented design principles derived from the first iteration of this designed based research included: multimodality, accessibility, community, pedagogy and practice, predictability, and differentiation. In our second iteration of data collection after a semester striving to implement these principles, teacher candidates reported some success and the increased need for five themes in their coursework, program experience, and K-12 education. These themes were: removing barriers, taking a strengths-based approach, the social model of disability, student voice and use of language, and Universal Design for Learning. This research facilitates a more nuanced understandings of what it means to be a disabled teacher candidate and how teacher education can align with the principles of disability justice. Ultimately, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of inclusivity and equity in teacher education. It underscores the importance of recognizing disabled teacher candidates as key stakeholders in the discourse on educational diversity and justice. The insights gained here will inform future iterations of the RRED program, and UBC’s larger teacher education program, ideally paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable teacher education framework that recognized disability as a valued identity within the academy and profession.

Non-presenting authors: Hazel Ryan Sheehan, University of British Columbia; Andrea Kellaway, University of British Columbia; Joann Anokwuru, University of British Columbia; Shelley Moore, University of British Columbia

This paper will be presented at the following session: