Exploration of Preservice Teacher Attitudes towards Disability

Community colleges have a significant role in preparing early childhood educators who will likely one day teach in inclusive classrooms. Inclusive education models educate children with disabilities alongside their non-disabled peers, promoting acceptance, decreasing discrimination, and fostering a society in which everyone lives and works together. Teachers' experiences in working with children who have disabilities and attitudes toward disability affect teacher behavior and practice. The preservice teacher training years are important for preparing teacher candidates to teach in inclusive classrooms; thus, it is imperative that teacher educators have knowledge of methods that will positively impact teacher attitudes toward disability and offer experiences in classrooms with children who have disabilities. This study investigated the effect of an introductory special education course at a community college that included a fieldwork component in inclusive classrooms, as well as the ability status of the course's professor on early childhood preservice teachers' attitudes toward disability. Mixed methods pre- and posttest data was collected from 108 students enrolled in a large urban community college's teacher education program. Students attended class in-person with a professor who had a disability, in-person with a professor who did not have a disability, or online. Posttest results indicated that student attitudes toward disability became significantly more favorable after completing the course, but the professor's disability status did not influence the change. While there were positive changes, some students continued to objectify disability and perceive disability with a deficit lens. Further research is needed to foster positive attitudes toward disability in teachers.