Abstract
Ableism, defined as societal expectations of ability that foster the idea of the able body as the norm against that of disability, shapes dominant standards influencing all areas of life, including educational institutions. At classroom level, these standards can be in rigid expectations of ability in lesson planning. This study investigates ableist thinking which emerges from class and support teachers’ arguments regarding the (im)possibility of connecting lesson planning for the class and individual education plans (IEPs) for students with disabilities in 17 primary-school classes in Italy. Teachers’ arguments were categorised into three types (i.e. ableist, accommodation, and universal argumentation) through a type-building qualitative content analysis, and then related to secondary information (e.g. type of objectives defined in the IEP, parents’ arguments). The types are illustrated in detail through exemplary classes, while the role of IEPs as central tools for providing the necessary support to students identified as having special educational needs (SEN) within the context of inclusive education is discussed in relation to the reproduction of ableist thinking.