Barriers and Facilitators in the Placement Experiences of Disabled Pre-Service Teachers in Initial Teacher Education: A Scoping Review

Background: Teaching is a profession that should be accessible to all individuals who can meet the professional standards required for practice. Yet the experiences of disabled pre-service teachers suggest that access to initial teacher education is not always equitable, particularly during placements. Objective: This scoping review synthesises the available evidence on disabled pre-service teachers’ placement experiences and identifies the policy, practice, cultural, and individual factors that shape these experiences within initial teacher education. Eligibility Criteria: Sources were eligible for inclusion if they were published in English between 1992 and 2024 and focused on the placement experiences of disabled pre-service teachers. Sources of Evidence: Evidence was identified through five database searches and supplemented by citation searching and screening of reference lists. Charting Methods: Data were charted from included sources using a structured data extraction form and synthesised thematically to identify barriers and facilitators at policy, practice, cultural, and individual levels. Results: Seventy sources were included. Disabled pre-service teachers encountered complex and challenging barriers as well as positive and inclusive facilitators. Reported barriers included ableist assumptions about pre-service teachers’ abilities, limited placement options, inadequate accommodations, and difficulties translating human rights policies into practice. Facilitators included knowledge of human rights legislation, inclusive institutional policies, supportive faculty, flexible accommodations, and active involvement of disabled pre-service teachers in decision-making. Conclusions: To truly embrace diversity in the teaching profession, inclusion must be embedded not only in policies and practices, but in the fabric of teacher education through its cultures, values, and relationships.