Exploring the Inclusion of Disabled English Language Learners in the (New) Era of Anti-Immigration Propaganda

• In Event: 35.054 - Intersectionality and Social Contexts: What Does It Means to Live at the Intersections?

Abstract

This paper investigates the intersections between English Language Learner status and disability. The paper presents initial findings from a qualitative research study that posed questions about the ways in which the New York State Education Department inclusive policies affect the education of English Language Learners, and disabled English Language Learners, and how teachers understand and implement these policies in their educational practices. A theoretical framework based on Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) is used to discuss how the language used in these policies, along with teachers’ limited access to guidance documents and support, could lead to the exacerbation of educational inequities and exclusion of English Language Learners, despite the promise to support the inclusion and success of all students.

Authors

• Valentina Migliarini, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna

• Chelsea Mixon, Syracuse University