A Teacher’s Deconstruction of Disability: A Discourse Analysis

Abstract

In this study I use critical discourse analysis to explore how one special education teacher who is informed by a sociocultural perspective of disability deconstructs disability in the way that she talks about her practice as a special educator and about her work with students who are labeled as having disabilities. By analyzing her discourse, I reveal the positioning of the teacher in relation to her school and show the importance that language plays in constructing and deconstructing disability, knowledge, and power.