Rightful Presence? Teacher Candidates Navigating Inclusive Education for Youth With Complex Support Needs

The purpose of this study, grounded in rightful presence and disability studies in education, was to examine contextual factors and teacher candidates’ agentic moves when transforming schools towards inclusive education, particularly for students with complex support needs. A critical phenomenological design was used focusing on 11 teacher candidates who were concurrently teaching and pursuing a master's in special education. Narrative analysis yielded the following themes: signifying spatiality, identifying gatekeeping, and mitigating control. Implications for research and practice are discussed, which together form a roadmap for future policy development. This study illuminates the challenges, complexities, and possibilities when disrupting (or attempting to disrupt) beliefs, policies, and practices that inherently repress students with complex support needs.