Tensions and perplexities within teacher education and P–12 schools for music teachers with visual impairments

Parker, Elizabeth Cassidy; Draves, Tami J.

doi:10.1080/10632913.2016.1201028

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…They advocate for the importance of teaching different models of disability to student educators (Valle et al, 2004). Similarly, Parker and Draves (2016), doing research among music teachers with visual impairments, argue that a clear way to disrupt the disabling discourses is by increasing the presence of disabled teachers in school.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The work lives of disabled teachers: revisiting inclusive education in English schools

Ware

Singal

Groce

2021

Disability & Society

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IntroductionAccording to The Education Commission, a global initiative encouraging a greater progress on improving education in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4, an increasingly diverse student population needs a deeper engagement with a diversified teacher workforce (Education Commission, 2019). However, discussions on teacher diversity in countries around the world tend to focus on race, gender and ethnicity with very little attention being paid to other factors such as disability and sexual orientation. England is no exception. Since the 1990s, while considerable attention has been placed on developing inclusive schools (Ainscow 1999), very little attention has been placed on the inclusion of disabled teachers in the education workforce. The Department for Education (DfE) requires schools in England to record how many teachers identify themselves as disabled, however, in the 2016 census, only 50% of schools reported the status of disabled teachers (DfE, 217). The most recent report makes no mention of disability at all (DfE, 2018). No data is collected on disability status among people who work as Learning Support Assistants (LSAs), Teacher Assistants (TAs) or other support staff.Available data from the 2016 census suggests that only 0.5% of the teaching workforce report having disabilities (DfE, 2017). There were 457,300 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England in 2016 (DfE, 2017), thus only some 2,287 teachers openly identifying as having disabilities were employed in England. This was also highlighted in an earlier survey of disabled teachers registered as part of an e-network under the National Union of Teachers (Rieser, 2008: 17), which observed that only a "small number of disabled students (were) entering teaching". This low figure could reflect underreporting among teachers, but it also highlights the significant underrepresentation of educators who may be coming into the teaching profession or remaining in it, should they acquire a disability.The aim of this research is to explore in depth the working lives of disabled teachers in English schools. Keeping in mind that the inclusive education agenda is paramount in the English context, we are particularly interested in exploring how inclusive is this discourse of disabled teachers. We strongly believe that disabled teachers are central to the development of inclusive schools and that their experiences and reflections can enable us to identify challenges but also, importantly they can serve as enablers in the system which can bring about positive change. This paper, based on interviews with a small group of disabled teachers, is intended to foster greater dialogue with disabled teachers about their own experiences and recommendations for improvements in the mainstream education system. Overview of existing literaturePritchard (2010:3) notes that "the plethora of research data and documentation around issues of equity in education has centered largely on the provision of opportunities for students to access all leve...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The work lives of disabled teachers: revisiting inclusive education in English schools

Ware

Singal

Groce

2021

Disability & Society

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“…Another study found that the best interests of the student was a central guideline in moral decision-making for principals (Frick et al, 2013). Most school principals and other educators believe that teachers with disabilities have a unique contribution and a positive effect on their students (Dvir, 2015; Loden and Teets, 2007; Parker and Draves, 2018). As long as the principals believed that the inclusion of a teacher with a disability was also in the best interest of the students, they faced no dilemma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, principals tend to avoid hiring teachers with disabilities due to a lack of awareness regarding the social importance and ethical values of employing them (Loden and Teets, 2007). This is especially important, because many studies point to the importance and unique contribution of teachers with disabilities to their students (Dvir, 2015; Parker and Draves, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Employing teachers with disabilities: A multifaceted prism of school principals’ ethical dilemmas

Tal-Alon¹,

Shapira‐Lishchinsky²

2020

Educational Management Administration & Leadership

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The aim of this study was to identify the ethical dilemmas of school principals who employ teachers with different physical disabilities. By conducting 18 in-depth interviews with principals from different school levels and different sectors in Israel, we identified the ethical dilemmas that emerged and their causes. The findings reveal that principals who employ teachers with disabilities struggle with multifaceted ethical dilemmas. These dilemmas reflect the tension between the educational ideology that was demonstrated by the principals’ inclination for integration and inclusion versus the three different elements of the principals’ professional responsibilities, namely commitment to the educational system, commitment to the wellbeing of the school staff, and commitment to the wellbeing of the students. Comprehending these dilemmas and understanding the ways in which these values contradict each other is a critical step on the way to building a more inclusive school.

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“…In this vein, Alon and Lishchinsky's (2019, n.p., online only) research with disabled teachers concluded that "dealing with the school environment is often more difficult and demanding than coping with the disability itself". This is a shame, because Parker and Draves (2016), in their research with music teachers with visual impairments, contend that raising the number of disabled teachers in schools is an effective means of disrupting disabling discourses. And, as Anderson (2006) highlights, disabled teachers bring to the table, through their experiences, something that isn't normally part of the formal curriculum.…”

Section: Disability and Inclusion In The Primary Classroom 11 Of 35mentioning

confidence: 99%

Raising awareness isn’t enough: The role of the psychology of education in disability-related justice and inclusion in primary classrooms

Jones

2024

Preprint

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What: When it comes to education, disability inequality is arguably a structural and systemic issue. The social model of disability, enshrined in teacher education programmes in the UK espouses the ways in which school environments rather than disabled children themselves, need to adapt and change. However, the role of psychology in addressing disability-related systemic injustice is less clear. The aim of this paper is to consider the potential role of the psychology of education in working towards disability justice in schools. Why? Many inclusive teacher-education programmes set out the ways in which environments may be created to include disabled children. Psychologists have focused on disabled children’s needs to access and participate in the classroom, but often do not consider their exclusion in social model terms, from curriculum materials, classroom displays, or material culture more generally. Favazza and colleagues (e.g. 2017) now offer a sizeable body of research showing that disability representation in school classrooms is negligible. This lack of representation is reflected among the staff in the teaching profession, where the 2016 census suggests that 0.5% of English teaching staff declared a disability (DfE, 2017) and more recent census data shows disability data were not collected (DfE, 2023a). It is this lack of representation of disabled people, and its possible psychological underpinnings, that this paper addresses. How? This paper uses social and affirmative model lenses to (a) explore the ways in which disability may be seen as a structural inequality in contemporary UK education, and (b) suggest ways in which researchers and practitioners in the Psychology of Education may work towards disability justice. This may be achieved by considering extant research practice, and through research focusing on perceptions of and attitudes towards disability, alongside existing psychological work that focuses on disabled children’s individual needs.

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Tensions and perplexities within teacher education and P–12 schools for music teachers with visual impairments

Cited by 12 publications

References 40 publications

The work lives of disabled teachers: revisiting inclusive education in English schools

The work lives of disabled teachers: revisiting inclusive education in English schools

Employing teachers with disabilities: A multifaceted prism of school principals’ ethical dilemmas

Raising awareness isn’t enough: The role of the psychology of education in disability-related justice and inclusion in primary classrooms

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