Dispositions for Inclusive Literacy: Fostering an Equitable and Empowering Education for Academically Diverse Learners

Abstract

This article offers teacher educators’ practical methods for, and shares findings from a study of, developing teachercandidate dispositions for inclusive literacy. Based on the extensive teacher disposition literature, the authors discernthat dispositions for inclusive literacy include the belief that all students have valid ways of being literate; the valueof inclusive literacy experiences for all students; and an attitude that all students should be participants in meaningfulliteracy experiences. Using a within-site case study approach, qualitative thematic analysis of three assignments usedin a literacy teaching methods course suggest that it is possible to shift narrow dispositions to broader and moreinclusive conceptualizations that support struggling readers and students with disabilities in the general educationclassroom. Conclusions suggest that dispositional development toward inclusive literacy can support teachercandidates’ implementation of inclusive literacy practices; thus, fostering an equitable and empowering education foracademically diverse learners.

Diverging Ideologies of Disability: A Critique of Literature on Inclusive Literacy

“…Third, teachers can presume competence in their students and their families. By presuming competence, teachers can push against deficient views of students with disabilities and broaden the scope of how students and their families participate in classroom communities and society more broadly (Kleekamp, 2020;Kliewer et al, 2006;Valtierra & Siegel, 2019).…”

“…Despite the absence of an explicit definition of disability, researchers' language use signals their ideological positioning in regard to disability. While four scholars did employ the term disability (Barratt-Pugh, 2017;Flewitt et al, 2009;Kliewer et al, 2006;Milton, 2017a), five authors chose not to use the term disability in their work and instead used terms that still signal disability in various ways, either employing an asset-based or deficit lens (Lacey et al, 2017;Lawson et al, 2012;Oakley, 2017;Price-Dennis et al, 2015;Valtierra & Siegel, 2019). This avoidance is notable and aligns with the "underlying attitudes, values, and subconscious prejudices and fears that ground a persistent, albeit often unspoken intolerance" of people with disabilities that permeates society and, more specifically educational spaces (Shildrick, 2012, p. 35).…”

“…Attempting to acknowledge the multidimensional nature of disability, diversity is often used as a placeholder for disability, as seen through the use of the terms, learners with diverse needs (Oakley, 2017) and academically diverse learners (Valtierra & Siegel, 2019). Oakley (2017) did not define what was meant by the term learners with diverse needs and instead cited that the focus of the piece was the benefits of using technology with students with disabilities.…”

“…However, by employing the term learners with diverse needs, Oakley (2017) positioned particular students' needs as exceptional, rather than focusing on required accommodations that must be provided to ensure disabled students' full participation in literacy learning. Valtierra and Siegel (2019) briefly explained their reasoning for using the term academically diverse learners. They used the term to encompass the variety of students featured in their study, one of which was a student with a diagnosed disability.…”

“…Specifically, the students selected for the study were "one typically developing reader, one struggling reader receiving special education services, and one non-heritage English speaker," and these students were chosen to emphasize the benefits of inclusive literacy for all learners, not just students with disabilities (Valtierra & Siegel, 2019, p. 115). This consideration regarding the language used is valuable, as is Valtierra and Siegel's (2019) aim to "shift narrow, ability-oriented dispositions toward literacy to more expansive and inclusive conceptualizations" (p. 119). In this context, inclusivity values all learners, and inclusive literacy seeks to ensure an equitable and empowering education for all.…”