Legal Issues and Parent Rights for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Disabilities

Authors

  • Valeria Yllades (Author) Texas A&M University image/svg+xml
    Valeria Yllades, M.Ed., BCBA, is a project coordinator for the C2C project. She is a doctoral student in the Educational Psychology department with a specialization in Special Education. She has helped individuals with autism for 7 years as a researcher, registered behavior technician, therapist, and parent coach. Her main areas of interest are autism spectrum disorders, communicative interventions for bilingual individuals with ASD, and visual support.
  • Claudia Dunn (Author) Texas A&M University image/svg+xml
    Claudia Montoya Dunn is a PhD student of Special Education at Texas A&M University and her work and research ties directly into examining evidence-based classroom interventions for Latinx youth with or at risk of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) and to develop interventions culturally adapted for this population. She is also interested in examining effective ways to improve outcomes for Spanish-speaking adolescents of immigrants through examining case law supporting English language learners and their families in special education.
  • Jennifer B. Ganz (Author) Texas A&M University image/svg+xml
    Dr. J. B. Ganz is a Professor of Special Education at Texas A&M. They received their doctorate at the University of Kansas, with a concentration in autism spectrum disorder and behavioral disorders and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Their research focuses on the use of technology to improve social-communication deficits in people with autism spectrum and other developmental disabilities. Dr. Ganz has worked in general and special education and an educational consultant and continues to consult and present in Texas to schools and parents on topics relating to autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. They have also been a speaker at regional, national, and international conferences on topics including interventions for behavior and autism spectrum disorder, including strategies to address social and communication skills. Dr. Ganz has received several grants to fund research and service projects involving students with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities, and a personnel preparation project for professionals working with children with disabilities. In addition, they have authored or co-authored numerous articles, books, and chapters.
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.458
Culturally and linguistically diverse families present schools with unique challenges related to eligibility and programming for special education. There has been a dearth in the literature for this population, especially from a legal standpoint. Existing literature has offered scarce information to address the legal rights and responsibilities of practitioners working with culturally diverse families whose children receive special education. In this article, the authors present information for practitioners to understand the policy and to implement best practices, particularly as relates to diverse families, based on the laws and policies in the U.S. The purpose is to offer resources, case law examples, and information for practitioners to educate families on laws and rights for working with culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities.

Alegria M., Mulvaney-Day, N., Woo, M., Torres, M., Gao, S., & Oddo, V. (2007). Correlates of past-year mental health service use among Latinos: Results from the National Latino and Asian American study. American Journal of Public Health, 97, 76–83. American Bar Association (March, 2017) Protecting Immigrant Children’s Right to Education. Retrieved April 14, 2014 from https://www.americanbar.org/groups/child_law/resources/child_law_practiceonline/child DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2006.087197

_law_practice/vol-36/mar-apr-2017/protecting-immigrant-childrens-right-to-education-/ Amos, J. (March, 2013). THE ENGLISH LEARNER DROPOUT DILEMMA: New Report Examines Consequences, Causes, and Solutions to High Dropout Rate Among English Language Learners. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://all4ed.org/articles/the-english-learner-dropout-dilemma-new-report-examines-consequences-causes-and-solutions-to-high-dropout-rate-among-english-language-learners/

Baker, T. L., Wise, J., Kelley, G., & Skiba, R. J. (2016). Identifying barriers: Creating solutions to improve family engagement. School Community Journal, 26(2), 161-184.

Batsche, G., Grimes, J., Reschley, D., Elliot, J., Kovaleski, J., Schrag, J., . . . Tilly, D. ( July,2007). Response to Intervention: Policy Considerations and Implementation. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from https://rti4success.org/resource/response-intervention-policy-considerations-and-implementation

Brayboy, B. M. J., Castagno, A. E., & Maughan, E. (2007). Equality and justice for all. Examining race in education scholarship. Review of Research inEducation, 31, 159-194. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X07300045

Breiseth, L., Robertson, K., & Lafond, S. (August, 2018). Connecting with ELL Families: Strategies for Success. Retrieved November 13, 2018, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/connecting-ell-families-strategies-success

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

Callicott, K. J. (2003). Culturally sensitive collaboration within person-centered planning. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 60-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/108835760301800108

Cegelka, P. T., & Valles, E. C. (1996). Addressing cultural and linguistic diversity in special education. In Teaching students with moderate/severe disabilities, including autism: Strategies for second language learners in inclusive settings. 2nd ed. (pp. 292–320). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true

&db=psyh&AN=1997-97250-015&site=ehost-live Center for Parent Parent Information and Resources. (February, 2017). Supports, Modifications, and Accommodations for Students. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from https://www.parentcenterhub.org/accommodations

Civil Rights Act, 42 USCS § 2000e (1964).

Cohen, Andrew D. (1975). A Sociolinguistic Approach to Bilingual Education: Experiments in the American Southwest.

Coleman, R., & Goldenberg, C. (2012). The Common Core Challenge for ELLs. Principal Leadership, 12(5), 46-51.

Cummins, J. (1994). Knowledge, power, and identity in teaching English as a second language. Educating second language children: The whole child, the whole curriculum, the whole community, 33-58.

Cook, B., & Schirmer, B. R. (2003). What is special about special education? Overview and analysis. Journal of Special Education, 37, 200–205. Dean, S. (n.d.). Understanding Learning and Attention Issues in ELLs. Retrieved June 17, 2019, from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/english-language-learners/understanding-learning-and-attention-issues-in-ells DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00224669030370031001

Department of Education (2015) Ensuring English Learner Students Can Participate Meaningfully and Equally in Educational Programs. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/dcl-factsheet-el-students-201501.pdf

Diana v. California State Board of Education, No. C-70, RFT, (N. D. Cal. 1970). Drasgow, E., Yell, M. L., & Robinson, T. R. (2001). Developing legally correct and educationally appropriate IEPs. Remedial and Special Education, 22, 359-373. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/074193250102200606

Dual Language Education of New Mexico. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2019, from https://www.dlenm.org/what-is-dual-language-education.aspx

Duran, E. (1985). Teaching functional reading in context to severely retarded and severely retarded autistic adolescents of limited English proficiency. Adolescence, 20, 433-439.

Dyches, T. T., Wilder, L. K., Sudweeks, R. R., Obiakor, F. E., & Algozzine, B. (2004). Multicultural issues in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34, 211–222. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JADD.0000022611.80478.73

Echevarría, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. (2007). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP model (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, Pub. L. No. 94-142, § 1400-1420, Stat. 773 (1975).

Fahim, D., & Nedwick, K. (2014). Around the world: Supporting young children with ASD who are dual language learners. Young Exceptional Children, 17, 3-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1096250613477870

Great Schools Partnership. (2013, August 29). English-Language Learner Definition. Retrieved April 8, 2019, from https://www.edglossary.org/english-language-learner/

Hampton, S., Rabagliati, H., Sorace, A., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2017). Autism and bilingualism: A qualitative interview study of parents' perspectives and experiences. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60(2), 435-446. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1044/2016_JSLHR-L-15-0348

Hirano, K. A., & Rowe, D. A. (2016). A conceptual model for parent involvement in secondary special education. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 27, 43-53. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1044207315583901

Holloway S.D., Cohen S.R., Domínguez-Pareto I. (2018) Culture, Stigma, and Intersectionality: Toward Equitable Parent-Practitioner Relationships in Early Childhood Special Education. Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Sec. 300.111 Child find. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2019, from https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/b/300.111. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90994-3_6

Ijalba, E. (2016). Hispanic immigrant mothers of young children with autism spectrum disorders: How do they understand and cope with autism?. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 25(2), 200-213. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_AJSLP-13-0017

Jegatheesan, B., Miller, P. J., & Fowler, S. A. (2010). Autism from a religious perspective: A study of parental beliefs in South Asian Muslim immigrant families. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 25, 98-109. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357610361344

Kangas, S. E. (2018). Breaking One Law to Uphold Another: How Schools Provide Services to English Learners with Disabilities. TESOL Quarterly, 52, 877-910. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.431

Khanlou, N., Mustafa, N., Vazquez, L. M., Haque, N., & Yoshida, K. (2015). Stressors and barriers to services for immigrant fathers raising children with developmental disabilities. International journal of mental health and addiction, 13, 659-674. Lau v. Nichols, 414 U.S. 563 (1974). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9584-8

Lund, E. M., Miller, K. B., & Ganz, J. B. (2014). Access to assessment? Legal and practical issues regarding psychoeducational assessment in children with sensory disabilities. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 25, 135-145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1044207313478661

Lund, E. M., Kohlmeier, T. L., & Durán, L. K. (2017). Comparative language development in bilingual and monolingual children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Journal of Early Intervention, 39, 106-124. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1053815117690871

Magaña, S., Lopez, K., Aguinaga, A., & Morton, H. (2013). Access to diagnosis and treatment services among Latino children with autism spectrum disorders. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 51, 141-153. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-51.3.141

Malone, D. (2015). Culture: A potential challenge for parental involvement in schools. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 82(1), 14.

Mandell, D. S., Morales, K. H., Xie, M., Polsky, D., Stahmer, A., & Marcus, S. C. (2010). County-level variation in the prevalence of Medicaid-enrolled children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40, 1241-1246. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-0982-2

Marple Newtown School District v. Rafael N. , (E.D. Pa. 2007). 48 IDELR 184 Mayerson, A. (2018, January 26). The History of the Americans with Disabilities ActDisability Rights Education & Defense Fund. Retrieved June 13, 2019, from https://dredf.org/about-us/publications/the-history-of-the-ada/

Miller, R. D., & Katsiyannis, A. (2014). Students with limited English proficiency: Legal considerations. Intervention in School and Clinic, 50, 121-124. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451213496161

Morin, A. (n.d.). Common Accommodations and Modifications in School. Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/common-classroom-accommodations-and-modifications

Morrier, M. J., & Hess, K. L. (2012). Ethnic differences in autism eligibility in the United States public schools. The Journal of Special Education, 46, 49-63. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466910372137

Morrier, M. J., Hess, K. L., & Heflin, L. J. (2008). Ethnic Disproportionality in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Multicultural Education, 16, 31-38.

Murray, J. (2013, February 18). Children with disabilities illegally excluded from school. Retrieved October 6, 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/feb/18/children-with-disabilities-illegally-excluded

National Center for Education Statistics. December, 2016). Digest of Education Statistics, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2018, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_204.70.asp?current=yes

Ortiz, A. A. (2019). English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies. Retrieved June 26, 2019, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/english-language-learners-special-needs-effective-instructional-strategies

Özerk, M., & Özerk, K. (2017). A bilingual child learns social communication skills through video modeling-a single case study in a norwegian school setting. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 8, 83-98.

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 of Section 504.

Rossetti, Z., Sauer, J. S., Bui, O., & Ou, S. (2017). Developing collaborative partnerships with culturally and linguistically diverse families during the IEP process. Teaching Exceptional Children, 49, 328-338. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059916680103

Ryan, C. (2013). Language use in the United States: 2011: American Community Survey Reports. Retrieved August 8, 2017, from https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acs-22.pdf.

Sullivan, A. L. (2011). Disproportionality in special education identification and placement of English language learners. Exceptional Children, 77(3), 317-334. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/001440291107700304

Tekin, A. K. (2011). Parent involvement revisited: Background, theories, and models. International journal of applied educational studies, 11(1), 1-13. U.S Department of Education. (2015, January 7). English Learners DCL. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-el-201501.pdf

U.S. Department of Education. (2010, November). Thirty-five Years of Progress in Educating Children With Disabilities Through IDEA. Retrieved June 13, 2019, from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/idea35/history/idea-35-history.pdf

Walsh, Anderson, E. M., Gallegos, Green, & Treviño. (2015, January 7). The English Language Learner: Ensuring Nondiscrimination and Providing FAPE. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.region10.org/r10website/assets/File/Gallegos_E-ELL-Navigatingthe_Law_to_Ensure_Nondiscrimination_and_Equal_Opportunity.pdf

Wood, W. M., Karvonen, M., Test, D. W., Browder, D., & Algozzine, B. (2004). Promoting student self-determination skills in IEP planning. Teaching Exceptional Children, 36, 8-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/004005990403600301

Yell, M. L. (2016). The Law and Special Education (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Yell, M. L., Shriner, J. G., & Katsiyannis, A. (2006). Individuals with disabilities education improvement act of 2004 and IDEA regulations of 2006: Implications for educators, administrators, and teacher trainers. Focus on exceptional children, 39, 1-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17161/fec.v39i1.6824

Yu, B. (2013). Issues in bilingualism and heritage language maintenance: Perspectives of minority-language mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2012/10-0078)

There are 55 references in total.
Yllades, V., Dunn, C., & Ganz, J. B. (2021). Legal Issues and Parent Rights for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Disabilities. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 16(2), 81-94. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.458

Downloads

Article Information

  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted May 6, 2021
  • Published June 15, 2021
  • Issue Spring/Summer 2021
  • Section Articles
  • File Downloads 0
  • Abstract Views 1
  • Altmetrics
  • Share
Download data is not yet available.