The International Association of Language Learning Technology chose disability and language teaching as their theme for their 2026 webinar series. Their webinar team asked for my help, not only to invite speakers from my network of scholars and teachers who work at the intersection of disability and language education, but also to open the series in December 2025 with an introduction to disability and language teaching. 106 participants (!) joined my webinar contextualizing the theme of the series. I introduced how accessibility and disability inclusion manifest in U.S. educational contexts, discussed the elements of additional language learning that can create hurdles for many disabled students, and explored how inclusive pedagogical practices can mitigate disproportionate challenge for disabled students in language study. I also shared advice about working with disabled students, choosing appropriate terms to reference disabled students and their learning, navigating policies equitably, and finding accessibility support for teaching disabled students. Here are my slides and key references and resources.
Caitlin Cornell 