Pathways to pedagogical diversity: dance and disability in education

An inclusive educational environment is something that all educators and students strive for. However, students who identify as disabled still find barriers that prevent their full inclusion despite progress towards rethinking curriculum content, teaching methods and ensuring that the physical environment is accessible. This chapter examines what progress has been made and where normative structures persist and thus continue to inhibit progress towards pedagogical diversity. With reference to the pathways into different stages of education for disabled students, and by drawing on the lived experience of disabled students who have navigated these pathways, the chapter will point to where work is still needed. The primary focus is on the UK context, but discussion draws on wider examples to examine the underlying principles that will support inclusion for disabled dancers in education.