I am pleased to share that I and my collaborator Robert Randez will be guest editing the 2025 special issue of Studies in Second Language Acquisition which will be focused on disability and second language learning. Please share our call for proposals widely, and let me know what questions you have: SSLAdisability@gmail.com.
Inclusion in LCTL instruction takes some extra thought
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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Disability metaphors
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, …
My thought process
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 …
Language study as an asset in dyslexic learning?
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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Associate Member of NCSSFL
It's official: I'm an Associate Member of the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL; "nuh-SESS-full"). The NCSSFL mission is "to provide leadership in facilitating and promoting policies and practices that support language education" and the council "benefits from the support of designated representatives from states that do not yet have education agency personnel …
What is it about language learning?
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 …
Accessible teaching – don’t panic; start small
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 …
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Certification in College Teaching
It’s official! The Michigan State University Graduate School has recognized my completion of its Certification in College Teaching Program. (I also completed the College of Arts and Letters (CAL) Graduate Certification in College Teaching - see March 5, 2022 blog entry). I am particularly proud that some of the work I completed for the certificate …
It’s up to institutions
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 …
Caitlin Cornell 