I’ve gotten a fair amount of individual questions recently about accessibility tips for presentations and presentation materials. I thought I should share my responses with a wider audience, especially since it’s conference season for world language educators in the U.S. (and conference season for applied linguists will be here before we know it). I’ve put …
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Exemption from language study shouldn't be the default for disabled students. It is certainly an option, and I argue we should take the lead from students who are the ultimate authorities on their disabilities and best understand the point at which challenge becomes prohibitive and demotivating. If a disabled student wants an exemption and they …
I was contracted by the World Languages & International Education department of Washington State's Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop and deliver a module on accessibility and disability inclusion for K-12 world language teachers as part of their professional development program: Statewide Proficiency Initiative for Languages and Leadership (SPILL). Informed by the program's …
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I recently facilitated a session on accessibility and disability inclusion in LCTL assessment for the National LCTL (less commonly taught languages) Resource Center's Professional learning community. I was discussing the importance and helpfulness of embracing multimodality in teaching strategies including assessments, when one participant asked a question specific to her language teaching context that I …
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I got this question recently from an editor: What do you think about the term "blind" to describe the process of anonymizing a manuscript for review? Here's a little window into my thought process behind my answer to this question. The first thing to consider is what blind and visually impaired people feel about this, …
I received this question recently, and I thought you might like a peek into my thought process: If a student has weak eyesight and can't read letters well, which means the student hardly writes, how should a teacher evaluate the skills? Well, I’d need more information to offer meaningful advice. I have several curiosities about …
Not long ago, a student wrote to their language program at my institution sharing that their language study helped them with certain aspects of their dyslexia. Essentially, they noted that their dyslexia makes it hard for them to read and write and having to learn a second set of linguistic rules to follow "made it …
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What is it about language learning (and teaching) that makes it particularly difficult to learn for students with certain disabilities? Here's the short version: We language educators sometimes have a rather rigid notion of what active participation in language classes must look like. That speaking component of proficiency is very important to us and communicative …
Last month, I mentioned that as part of my dissertation study I'll be asking Big Ten language instructors what their programs and institutions can do to better support them in their accessibility and inclusion efforts (see August 15, 2023 blog entry). This month, I'm writing to those language instructors directly, who may feel very alone …
Continue reading "Accessible teaching – don’t panic; start small"
While I believe each of us has some personal, ethical responsibility to do better and recognize ableism when we see it (including the unintentional kind, which is everywhere), my primary focus has never been on blaming individuals. Not all educators are willfully perpetuating ableism. It's also true that individual instructors are not always fully autonomous …
