The persistence of deficit language: An investigation of general education pre-service teachers’ talk about disability and inclusion

General education preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) views about inclusion have been
well documented, yet PSTs’ views about the nature of disability, which are less
understood, could reveal limitations of an inclusion-only focus. We investigated
general education PSTs’ (N = 59) views of disability and inclusion at the beginning
and end of a one-semester introductory course about special education. Using
multiple modes of measurement, quantitative and qualitative data revealed that
despite changing their definitions of disability and increasing their pro-inclusion
stance, PSTs retained the use of deficit language, which complicates our interpretation
of their views. Implications for teacher preparation include a necessary
attention to both inclusion and disability.