Disabled and Neurodivergent Teacher Education Faculty Experiences: Connecting to Inclusion Perspectives Through Disability-Reflective Pedagogy

Abstract

Disabled and neurodivergent faculty members in higher education face barriers and stigma and there is a need to explore further the experiences of disabled and neurodivergent faculty members in teacher education. In this narrative inquiry study, I interviewed six faculty members from teacher education programs at New York State universities and colleges who self-identified as disabled and neurodivergent. Using crip methods, I conducted three interviews with each participant, giving participants a choice in the format of their interviews to improve accessibility, as modeled by other disability studies scholars in higher education. I analyzed the interview data using a constructivist grounded theory approach. This analysis revealed a new theoretical lens of Disability-Reflective Pedagogy, a novel way of explaining how these educators make connections between their embodied disability-related experiences, values and strengths, supports and strategies, and an environment of inclusion and belonging, to the benefit of themselves and their students.