A Study of the Impact of Disability Studies on the Perceptions of Education Professionals
Main Article Content
Keywords
inclusive education, online learning, teacher preparation
Abstract
Scholars in the field of Disability Studies (DS) have asserted that introducing future and current educators to the field of DS may impact their perceptions of disability and their practices in supporting students with disabilities. However, little empirical research exists on how introduction to DS actually shifts their perspectives. This study examined the impact of Disability Studies online modules on the perceptions of education professionals. Results of this study suggested that participating in online modules and learning about Disability Studies did impact the ways in which some participants viewed disability, as well as their views on supporting students. These findings suggest that online DS learning modules could be a powerful tool in preparing education professionals to work with students with disabilities.
References
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Smith, S. s., & Basham, J. D. (2014). Designing Online Learning Opportunities for Students with Disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 46(5), 127-137.
Taylor, S. (1988). Caught in the continuum: A critical analysis of the principal of least restrictive environment. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 13, 41-53.
Tomlinson, C. (2000). Differentiation of instruction in the elementary grades. ERIC Digest, ED443572. Retrieved from www.eric.ed.gov
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Valle, J. W., & Connor, D. J. (2011). Examining the beliefs and expanding notions of normalcy. In Rethinking disability: A disability studies approach to inclusive practices, 39-54. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Yang, S., & Lui, S. (2004). Case study of an online workshop for the professional development of teachers. Computers in Human Behavior, 20(6), 733-761. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2004.02.005
Anastasiou, D., & Kauffman, J. (2012). Disability as cultural difference: Implications for special education. Remedial and Special Education, 33(3), 139-149. doi: 10.1177/0741932510383163
Ashby, C. (2012). Disability studies and inclusive teacher preparation: A socially just path for teacher education. Research & Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 37(2), 89-99.
Balgieri, S., Bejoian, L., Broderick, A., Connor, D., & Valle, J. (2011). (Re) claiming “inclusive education” toward cohesion in educational reform: Disability studies unravels the myth of the normal child. Teachers College Record, 113(10), 2122-2154.
Baglieri, S., Valle, J. W., Connor, D.J., & Gallagher, D.J. (2011). Disability studies in education: The need for a plurality of perspectives on disability. Remedial and Special Education, 32(4), 267-278.
Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
Brown, A., & Green, T. (2003). Showing up to class in pajamas (or less!) the fantasies and realities of on-line professional development. The Clearing House, 76(3), 148-151.
CAST. (2015). About universal design for learning. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/our- work/about-udl.html#.VsH3dXQrIfE
Chitanana, L. (2012). A constructivist approach to the design and delivery of an online professional development course: A case of the iEARN online course. International Journal of Instruction, 5(1), 23-48.
Cochran-Smith, M., Shakman, K., Jong, C., Terrell, D., Barnatt, J., & McQuillan, P. (2009). Good and just teaching: The case for social justice in education. American Journal of Education, 115(3), 347-377.
Connor, D. J., Gabel, S. L., Gallagher, D.J., & Morton, M. (2008). Disability studies and inclusive education: Implications for theory, research and practice. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 12(5), 441-457.
Cosier, M., & Pearson, H. (2016). Can we talk? The underdeveloped dialogue between Disability Studies and teacher education. SAGE Open, 6(1), doi. 10.1177/2158244015626766
Cranton, P. (1994). Understanding and promoting transformative learning: A guide for educators of adults. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Dalog, L. (1986). Effective teaching and mentoring: Realizing the transformational power of adult learning experiences. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Dirkz, J. M. (1998). Transformative learning theory in the practice of adult education: An overview. PAACE Journal of Lifelong Learning, 7, 1-14
Feinstein, B. C. (2004). Learning and transformation in the context of Hawaiian traditional ecological knowledge. Adult Education Quarterly, 54(2), 105-120.
Ferguson, P. M. & Nusbaum, E. (2012). Disability studies: What is it? What difference does it make? Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 37(2), 70-80.
Ferri. B. A. (2006). Teaching to trouble. In S. Danforth, & S.L. Gabel (Eds.), Vital questions facing disability studies in education, 2, 289-306. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing.
Freire, P (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: Seabury Press
Hehir, T. (2002). Eliminating ableism in education. Harvard Educational Review, 72(1), 1-33.
Holmes, A., Signer, B., & MacLeod, A. (2010). Professional development at a distance A mixed-methods study exploring inservice teachers’ views on presence online. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 27(2), 76-85.
Hughes, R. (2010). The social model of disability. British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, 4(10), 508-511.
Giangreco, M. (2002). Clearing the path for people with special needs clears the path for everyone (cartoon). Minnetonka, MN: Peytral Publications.
Jordan, M., Glenn, C., & McGhie-Richmond, D. (2010). The Supporting Effective Teaching (SET) project: The relationship of inclusive teaching practices to teachers’ beliefs about disability and ability, and about their roles as teachers Teaching and Teacher Education. 26, 259-266.
Kitchenham, A. (2008). The evolution of John Mezirow’s transformative learning theory. Journal of Transformative Education, 6(2), 104-123.l
Leatherman.m J., & Niemeyer, J. (2005). Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion: Factors influencing classroom practice. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 26(1), 23-36.
Lipsky, D., & Garnter. A. (1996). Inclusion, school restructuring, and the making of American society. Harvard Educational Review, 66(4), 762-797.
Merriam, S. B. (2004). The role of cognitive development in Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory. Adult Education Quarterly, 55(1), 60-68.
Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Mezirow, J., Taylor, E. W., & Associates. (2009). Transformative learning in practice: Insights from community, workplace, and higher education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
McMillan, J. H. (2012). Educational research: Fundamentals for the consumer (6th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Shakespeare, T., & Watson, N. (2002). The social model of disability: An outdated ideology? Research in Social Science and Disability, 2, 1-34.
Smith, P. (2012). Whatever happened to inclusion? New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Smith, S. s., & Basham, J. D. (2014). Designing Online Learning Opportunities for Students with Disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 46(5), 127-137.
Taylor, S. (1988). Caught in the continuum: A critical analysis of the principal of least restrictive environment. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 13, 41-53.
Tomlinson, C. (2000). Differentiation of instruction in the elementary grades. ERIC Digest, ED443572. Retrieved from www.eric.ed.gov
U.S. Department of Education. (2012). Fall 2012 IDEA part B data. Retrieved from www.ideadata.org
Valle, J. W., & Connor, D. J. (2011). Examining the beliefs and expanding notions of normalcy. In Rethinking disability: A disability studies approach to inclusive practices, 39-54. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Yang, S., & Lui, S. (2004). Case study of an online workshop for the professional development of teachers. Computers in Human Behavior, 20(6), 733-761. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2004.02.005