Socially-Just Disability Resources: An Approach to Access and Equity in Higher Education

Abstract

The increasingly pervasive special education teacher shortage has become a crisis in the United States, warranting immediate attention to minimize negative impacts on students with disabilities. More specifically, all efforts to mitigate the shortage by strengthening the special education teacher pipeline should be explored. One population of teacher candidates, teacher candidates with disabilities, would benefit from increased efforts from the teacher education field, as they consistently cite negative and inaccessible preparation experiences that hinder their ability to complete preparation programs necessary for teacher licensure. As a result, this dissertation will (a) investigate the experiences of teacher candidates with disabilities in teacher preparation programs through a systematic review of the literature from 2008 to 2022, and (b) explore an emergent professional paradigm in higher education disability resources as a potential means to enhancing access and equity in the experiences of teacher candidates with disabilities through a qualitative case study of one higher education disability resource center. Together, this dissertation aims to first present a key leverage point to stemming the shortage of special educators through attracting, preparing, and retaining educators with disabilities, and second, assess an approach for higher education disability resource professionals to lead the charge in enhancing the experiences of disabled teacher candidates. Implications for both higher education disability resources and special education teacher preparation programs will be presented.