This study draws upon King's [1991. "Dysconscious Racism: Ideology, Identity, and the Miseducation of Teachers." "Journal of Negro Education" 60 (2): 133-146] concept of "dysconscious racism," extrapolating from it the analogous conceptual device of "dysconscious ableism." We report upon data drawn from an inquiry at a US university-based teacher preparation programme, wherein we analyse our teacher education candidates' writing through the conceptual lens of dysconscious ableism, to better understand their conceptualisations of dis/ability, and their understanding of existing examples of educational segregation based upon those conceptualisations. We make an argument for the necessity of engaging in studies of ableism in teacher education generally, and also for the usefulness of using the specific conceptual device of "dysconscious ableism" as a central tool of social justice pedagogy in teacher education.