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 …
SPILL it: developing a K-12 PD module on disability and language learning
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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Study Alert! Accessibility and inclusion in language education
Attention university language educators! I am asking second / foreign / additional language instructors at universities to participate in a study about accessibility and inclusion in language education. Participants who complete a background questionnaire and are selected for and complete a 1-hour interview will be compensated for their time with a $50 Amazon.com gift card. …
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Special Issue on Disability and Second Language Learning
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 …
Caitlin Cornell 