An examination of some of the additional struggles a trainee teacher with disabilities must overcome

Abstract

This paper describes my journey to become a teacher, despite seemingly overwhelming odds of autism, a stammer and other physical disabilities. I begin by explaining my methodology which is based on interpretivism and explains how I interpreted my recorded behaviours to give a detailed representation of what it is like to be student teacher with a disability from my own perspective. I then set out my literature review before presenting the conclusions of my research. I have concluded that there is a lack of clear guidance and understanding when it comes to trainee teachers with disabilities. By highlighting this knowledge gap, I hope it will pave the way for more in depth research to be undertaken in the future.