Creating a Disabled Speakers’ Bureau to Influence Policy and Practice in Teacher Preparation

Abstract

This article outlines the creation of a Disabled Speakers’ Bureau that centers disabled and neurodivergent preservice educators as leaders and contributors to teacher preparation. The bureau functions as both a learning community and a feedback structure, in which participants share lived experiences, advise on policy and program design, and mentor peers. Grounded in disability justice and neurodiversity frameworks, this initiative positions disability as a source of professional expertise rather than a deficit (Berne et al., 2018; Botha et al., 2025). Potential outcomes for teacher education programs embracing this approach include stronger self-advocacy; increased retention of disabled preservice teachers, thereby improving disability representation and epistemology in PK-12 schools; and improved faculty understanding of accessibility and inclusion. For special education teacher educators, this model offers a practical pathway for embedding disabled voice and leadership in teacher education and working toward the goals of retaining neurodivergent and/or disabled teacher candidates and highlighting less medicalized and stigmatizing views of disability within special education. This article offers implementation steps, lessons learned, and recommendations for reimagining diversity and inclusion as dynamic, participatory, and continually evolving practices.