ABSTRACT

Teachers are uniquely positioned to mitigate ableism and address disability in the classroom; however, many hesitate to do so. This silence perpetuates bias and may teach children that difference is negative. Situated within the field of Disability Studies in Education, this investigation of PK-12 teachers (n = 256) aims to broadly characterise the types of discussions that occur in classrooms as well as identify obstacles and facilitators associated with disability discussions. Data reveal 71.9% of participants currently discuss disability with their students, mostly in relation to students’ own learning needs. Findings indicate that internal, rather than external, factors drive teachers’ decisions to discuss disability, laying the groundwork for pre-service and in-service programming to increase disability-related conversation.

摘要

教师具有独特的优势，可以减轻课堂上的能力歧视和解决残疾问题；然而，许多人对此犹豫不决。这种沉默使偏见长期存在，并可能教导孩子差异是消极的。位于教育残疾研究领域内，这项对 PK-12 教师的调查 ( n = 256) 旨在广泛描述课堂上发生的讨论类型，并确定与残疾讨论相关的障碍和促进因素。数据显示，目前有 71.9% 的参与者与学生讨论残疾问题，主要是与学生自身的学习需求有关。调查结果表明，内部而非外部因素促使教师决定讨论残疾问题，为职前和在职计划奠定基础，以增加与残疾相关的对话。