Read and respond to this response to the questions listed.

What stood out to you? Anything you would add? Expand your thoughts.

QUESTIONS:

1. How might you ensure that, as a teacher, you evaluate a student who has a disability in ways that do not discriminate against his or her cultural or linguistic background?
2. How can special education teachers who are monolingual meet the educational needs of linguistically diverse students? Discuss the availability of services in your community that may be supportive to this teacher.
3. What can administrators representing a school do to produce a comfortable learning environment for all students (special education and general education)?
4. Address recommendations that university professors should include in their curriculum for special education teacher trainer programs in order to better prepare new teachers for working with students from diverse backgrounds.
5. What are some societal stereotypes often associated with special education and bilingual education?
6. What language of instruction should a non-English-speaking child with a disability receive if living in the United States? When should this student move from a bilingual classroom to an all-English class setting?
7. What role can technology play in providing special education services to students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds?

RESPONSES

1. How might you ensure that, as a teacher, you evaluate a student who has a disability in ways that do not discriminate against his or her cultural or linguistic background? Learn the student's background and find out what the cultural and linguistic background of that student is. Read their file, speak with your Principal, the counselor, anyone in the staff that has any understanding. Learn about that culture. Meet with the parents, using an interpreter if needed (not the student but an actual interpreter) and ask questions to understand their culture.
2. How can special education teachers who are monolingual meet the educational needs of linguistically diverse students? Discuss the availability of services in your community that may be supportive to this teacher. Luckily, in the school I am currently with, interpreters are available as well as English language classes specifically for students who do not yet speak English.
3. What can administrators representing a school do to produce a comfortable learning environment for all students (special education and general education)? Visuals of other cultures should be present within the school. Students should see themselves represented in the school (murals, books, posters for example). Racism should not be tolerated. Show an interest in other student's cultures.
4. Address recommendations that university professors should include in their curriculum for special education teacher trainer programs in order to better prepare new teachers for working with students from diverse backgrounds.Visit other cultures whenever possible and immerse yourself into that culture. Participate and ask questions. Learn about other cultures! You can show this in your own communities by attending cultural festivals, religious centers, community centers, even by visiting diverse neighborhoods and restaurants. Meet people and ask questions.
5. What are some societal stereotypes often associated with special education and bilingual education? ESL students are often labeled as learning disabled when actually the issue is a language barrier. Vocabulary and culture play a big part in this.
6. What language of instruction should a non-English-speaking child with a disability receive if living in the United States? English language classes as well as lessons in their native language. When should this student move from a bilingual classroom to an all-English class setting? It depends on the age. When their language ability reaches Basic Interpersonal level, they are ready in lower elementary. For higher elementary and above, students need to be more proficient and at complex cognitive speaking levels which takes 5-7 years generally to reach.
7. What role can technology play in providing special education services to students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds?Technology can allow visual learning, software specific to the needs of a diverse audience, web tools, interpretation, video, word processing, translation.