Addressing the Need: Spanish-speaking immigrants and access to special education resources

Spanish-speaking families: Growing up, my pride in my Hispanic heritage defined much of my identity. As a proud Latina, being Argentinian was a source of immense joy and pride for me. I eagerly took any opportunity to share stories about my father’s journey from Argentina to the United States, leaving his family behind for a flight that spanned twelve long hours. I constantly dreamed of visiting Argentina to see my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, whom I rarely saw.

Each year, I eagerly counted down the days until my grandparents’ annual visit, when my parents would fly them out from Argentina to spend time with us with a suitcase full of Argentine candies, which I would stash in my closet and ration carefully until the next year’s visit. As much as I longed for my family in Argentina, I couldn’t begin to fathom what it must have been like for my father when he first arrived in the country with barely any English, no family, and scant knowledge of the country and its culture that he was about to embrace.

My own story is brought back to my mind each year as I meet my new students. Being from New York, I have always had classrooms filled with students of diverse and interesting backgrounds. I cherish learning about their backgrounds, and I know that they all come with stories of their own cultures, both joyful and full of hardships. Many of them also leave behind families and cultures for a new and promising but different country and culture.

Barriers for Spanish-Speaking Families

 As a special educator and the daughter of an immigrant, I understand the barriers many parents may face when coming to the United States and trying to advocate for their children’s needs without understanding the intricacies of the US educational system. Even parents who possess knowledge of the system encounter hurdles in accessing the services their children require, leading to unmet needs and compromised educational outcomes. The lack of understanding regarding the rights outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), coupled with the myriad barriers accompanying immigration—like language obstacles and inadequate cultural and linguistic representation—underscore the importance of my mission as an educator: to promote awareness and advocacy in this critical area.

US Education System and Spanish-Speaking Parents

Navigating the intricacies of the educational system can be overwhelming, especially for immigrant parents unfamiliar with its structure and processes. Unfamiliarity with the system’s structure and processes poses a significant hurdle. Many immigrant parents may not understand the complex bureaucracy of school districts, including eligibility criteria and procedures for accessing special education services. Although these students may have had special education services in their home countries, the services, and procedures in the United States may be completely different from what they were previously used to or offered.

Parents may not know who or what to ask about getting their children evaluated for special education services. In some districts, parents may even be told that their children do not need services, and if administrators in their building shut them down, they may not know where to go next to get support advocating for their child. As a bilingual special educator, I have worked with many families trying to navigate the US special education system for the first time. I hope to continue supporting other educators in understanding the steps to supporting immigrant families in this process as well.

Communication with Spanish-Speaking Families

First, it is important that as educators, we cultivate open communication with the families of our students even before they enter our classrooms on the first day of school, allowing families the comfort to reach out if they have questions or concerns, especially if they notice their child might need extra support in school or want to talk about special education services that their child may have received in their home country. It is important that we make translation services readily available for parents so they can clearly communicate their concerns.

In the past couple of years, my district has been working to provide informational sessions or workshops specifically tailored to Spanish-speaking parents, as almost all of our immigrants come from Spanish-speaking countries, covering topics such as eligibility criteria and procedures for accessing special education services. In districts with high numbers of immigrants from non-Spanish speaking countries, these types of sessions could be offered in their native language as well. As a special education advocate, I will always urge other educators to empower families through special education by educating them about their rights and the evaluation process.

Through time as a special educator, I have seen parents give up on their quest to find support for their children because they do not fully understand the special education process and are ignored by overwhelmed building administrations. As true advocates, we must follow through with the families we support by providing continuous guidance and updates throughout the entire process of accessing special education services for their children. 

Language Barriers and Special Education Resources

Language barriers further compound the challenges faced by immigrant families navigating the US special education system. In many districts or schools, the absence of readily available translators exacerbates these difficulties, hindering effective communication between parents and educators. This was strikingly evident during my early experiences as a student teacher when two sisters, refugees from a Spanish-speaking country, entered our school. Despite receiving special education services in their home country, we could not obtain any documentation from their previous school. All we had were a few documents provided by their mother, offering only a vague understanding of the girls’ abilities.

Being the sole Spanish-speaking individual in the school, I became intimately involved with the family’s journey. I regularly conversed with their mother, updating her on her daughter’s progress in the classroom. However, despite our efforts, the mother encountered significant obstacles in accessing updated evaluations and services for her daughters. Frustrated by the administration’s lack of support and understanding, she eventually transferred her daughters to another school in the district that offered programs for new immigrants.

Native Language and the Research

The 2021 US census showed that  21.3% percent of k-12 students spoke another language as their native language, for 15% of these students that language was spanish. As an educator with a master’s degree in teaching English as a second language for school-age students, I want to emphasize how incredible it is that students are not losing their native languages. While teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Philadelphia, immigrant parents often asked me if they should start speaking to their children in English at home. My answer is a loud and emphatic “NO!”. Nothing is more beautiful than cultures and languages continuing to bloom even when moving to a new country with new cultures and languages. I feel deep anguish every time an immigrant family tells me they have been advised to start speaking English at home and stop speaking their native language.

The research shows that children who speak their native language from the time they are born helps build their minds in a way that actually can help them excel even further both in school and once they graduate. Bilingual students have been shown to have strong thinking skills and exhibit early school readiness as their brains can switch between languages and strong social-emotional ability as they continue to create ties with their home culture and cultivate long-term success, as being bilingual opens doors for more opportunities in the workforce.

As the parent of a now second-generation American, I work to create a solely Spanish-speaking environment at home to ensure he stays strong in his roots and has the invaluable skill of speaking multiple languages, which is often lost in the United States. 

The Need For Information and Resources

With all this being said, it is important that we support families who are new to this country and struggling to learn a new culture while hopefully still cultivating their own. It is imperative that we create and maintain language support services within schools, ensuring that immigrant families receive the assistance they require to navigate the complexities of the special education system effectively. Families may face insurmountable barriers in advocating for their children’s needs without adequate linguistic support, potentially impeding their educational progress and overall well-being.

Through all of these challenges, I find myself always returning to giving immigrant parents more access to resources and advocacy as the solution. The challenges faced by immigrant families in navigating the US special education system underscore the critical need for better advocacy and support services.

In every district, it is crucial to appoint advocates who can support parents in finding various advocacy groups. These advocates would accompany parents to meetings, translate for parents, liaise with schools, and advocate directly alongside parents to ensure the best options for their children.

There is an urgent need for improved language support services and culturally sensitive advocacy efforts to empower immigrant families in advocating for their children’s educational needs.

Promoting Awareness and Advocacy

As an educator, I aim to promote awareness and advocacy in this critical area. By providing immigrant families with the necessary resources, support, and information, we can work towards ensuring equitable access to special education services for all children, regardless of their background or language proficiency. There is still a long way to go, but through collaboration and concerted efforts, we can bridge the gaps in the system and ensure that every child receives the support they need to succeed academically and thrive in school.

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