Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (CLD)

 

Culturally diverse – being from a cultural group what is not Eurocentric or of mainstream America, may or may not be immigrant status

Linguistically diverse – having a home or native language other than English, considered LEP or ELL, require language supports in classroom settings

Being CLD puts people at risk for discrimination, bias, reduced opportunities, and challenging life situations. CLD students are disproportionately poor and often have limited access to healthcare, being homeless, and attending low quality schools which all creates further inequity. CLD students are distinctive in many ways and their differences can be inaccurately determined to be disabilities. Teachers should recognize that these variations can be due to a culture that is different than the American mainstream.

A mismatch of home and school cultures, often referred to as cross-cultural dissonance, may explain why many diverse students seems to constantly be in trouble and why traditional classroom instruction is often ineffective. One example of a culture clash would be competition in the classroom. Children from cultures that value cooperation may find this difficult and strange.

Teachers who are culturally competent can prevent cross-cultural dissonance in their classrooms. They know the backgrounds, heritages and traditions of their students and they adjust their teaching and make accommodations accordingly. A culturally competent teacher understands culture and its role in education, engages in self-reflective examination of his or her own cultural attitudes and assumptions, takes responsibility for learning about student’s cultures and communities, uses student culture as a basis for learning and creates learning environments that are culturally responsive. Culturally responsive means using a curriculum that includes multiple perspectives.

CLD students have a higher likelihood of having a disability caused by environmental factors.  Lead is one example of something that can cause a disability. The children’s defense fund reports that lead is found in 16% of low income children and 4% of all children in the US.  Unequal educational opportunities and poverty also contribute to disabilities. There is no denying the lifelong impact of poor nutrition and limited or no access to healthcare, or even prenatal care. So, how can disabilities in diverse children be prevented?

The most effective and efficient way to reduce the number of children who actually have disabilities is to remove the risk variables by improving access to health care, guaranteeing universal vaccinations, and ensuring safe living environments. 

When teachers have CDL students with disabilities in their class the response needs to be special. The educator must be steeped in the practices of multicultural education, include intensive support for language development and incorporate the most current evidence based practices to address each student’s particular disabilities.

Teachers can also develop an atmosphere of trust and respect, make families and communities feel welcome at school, select community leaders to serve as representatives of both school and home, identify families preferred means of communication, communicate on a regular basis, use interpreters, incorporate materials and activities that reflect the diversity of the community, seek meaningful ways to involve families in communities, and hold meetings with families at times and places that are manageable for them.

Finally, the importance of providing the support of multicultural education to all diverse students with disabilities cannot be understated. It is critical that teachers be sensitive to their student’s home cultures and backgrounds and use differences to their advantage as they enrich the curriculum in their teaching routines.

When multicultural education is infused into special education some key features set it apart. These include sensitivity to student’s backgrounds and home cultures, high expectations and opportunities for success, family and community involvement, respect for non-majority values and attitudes, support and inclusion, accommodations, individualized instruction, and documented results.