When Special Education and Dual-Language Education Intersect: Stories of a Chinese Language Immersion Program Teachers

• In Event: Bilingual and English Language Learners With Disabilities: Research and Practice

Abstract

This ethnography-informed narrative inquiry investigates how teachers’ understanding of inclusion and the interplay of multiple personal and contextual factors mediate teachers’ agency as they negotiate a system that limits the participation and outcome of students with both language learning and special education needs. This study was conducted over four months of fieldwork at a Chinese language immersion charter school with four teacher participants. Data collection involves observations, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of key policy texts. Preliminary analysis reveals that teachers perceive inclusion as every student getting the support they need, without addressing the systematic barriers such as language separation policy, English-monolingual assessment, and perception of dis/ability as a gatekeeper to language learning.

Author

• Lingyu Li, University of Wisconsin - Madison