Raciolinguistics and the Education of Emergent Bilinguals Labeled as Disabled

• In Event: Translating Theory to Practice: Pedagogies of Raciolinguistics in the Classroom

Abstract

In the primary grades, decisions regarding the language/s of instruction for emergent bilingual learners (EBLs) are exclusively made by adults, mainly parents and teachers, with little to no input from the child. For emergent bilinguals labeled as disabled (EBLADs) those decisions are often made entirely by school representatives with little to no input from the child or the family (Cummings & Hardin, 2016; de Valenzuela et al., 2016; Ochoa, Brandon, Cadiero-Kaplan, & Ramírez, 2014; Pollard-Durodola, Cárdenas-Hagan, & Tong, 2014; Scully, 2016). These decisions, which often result in a monolingual placement, not only impact the linguistic practices of EBLADs in school but also at home and in their communities – often resulting in a decline in home language use (Algood, Harris, & Hong, 2013; Bedore & Pena, 2008; Brown & Ault, 2016; de Valenzuela et al., 2016). While monolingual placements for EBLADs are often the result of erroneous perceptions and misunderstandings regarding language function for students with disabilities, these decisions can also be reflective of bias grounded in the student’s racial, ethnic, linguistic and dis/abled identity (Annamma, Connor, & Ferri, 2013; Blanchett, Klingner, & Harry, 2009; Brown & Ault, 2016; Ferri & Connor, 2005).

In recent years, scholars have used the term raciolinguistics to discuss the ways in which race and language intersect in order to explore the racialization of people who speak languages other than English. The focus on raciolinguistics is of particular importance given the nationalist, and monoglossic rhetoric that underlies the current anti-immigrant political discourse in the United States. Additionally, xenophobic rhetoric has also been reflected within schools which has resulted in an increased need to discuss the ways in which raciolinguistics-based practices at school impact children at home (Donoghue, 2017; Johnson, 2016; Southern Poverty Law Center, 2016). This paper uses raciolinguistics not only to discuss the racialization of emergent bilingual children in elementary schools but also to extend the discourse to include the lived experiences of people for whom language and race are at a nexus with dis/ability. Using qualitative data from an ethnographic study of Spanish-speaking Latinx mothers and their EBLAD children, this paper will present the ways in which mothers of EBLADs understand/view school-based language decisions as racially motivated as well as the ways in which those decisions impact language practices in the home. This paper will also present the understanding that EBLADs themselves have regarding the impact that their monolingual English educations have on their linguistic development and on their mother’s ability to support their academic development. Lastly, possibilities for how these understandings can be explored within the classroom as a way to destigmatize bilingualism for students labeled as disabled as well as to empower EBLADs and their families will be shared.

Author

• María Cioe Peña, CUNY Graduate Center