Bilingual Research Journal

Expanding Bi- and Multilingual Opportunity to Learn for Students with Disabilities

This special issue aims to explore opportunity to learn for PreK–12 students who are dually identified as multilingual learners with disabilities. Historically, research has examined the disproportionate representation of multilingual learners in special education, often positioning it as the primary equity issue facing these students. However, for multilingual learners with disabilities, opportunity to learn—a construct that captures the quality of the learning environments surrounding students—encompasses critical issues of access and equity that remain overlooked in bi- and multilingual education.

An emergent body of research indicates that multilingual learners with disabilities have limited opportunity to learn in terms of access to bilingual programs, bilingual special education, and inclusive placements (Cioè-Peña, 2021; de Valenzuela & Copeland, 2018; de Valenzuela et al., 2016; Kangas, 2017). Further, some multilingual learners, such as those with complex support needs, or significant cognitive disabilities, experience more restricted learning opportunities, as they are often not viewed as multilingual nor capable of acquiring more than one language (see Paradis et al., 2021).

Through this special issue, we seek to expand upon this research, providing deeper understanding of opportunity to learn for multilingual learners with disabilities in PreK–12 educational settings. In addition, research to date has primarily addressed issues of access and equity for multilingual learners with disabilities as a collective, although they are a heterogeneous population, representing a range of first and second language backgrounds and skills as well as dis/abilities. In response, this special issue also seeks to highlight how certain multilingual learners with disabilities may experience differential opportunity to learn.

We are especially interested in empirical studies that address access to bi- and multilingual (a) services, (b) assessments, and (c) innovative instruction and interventions for multilingual learners with a range of disability eligibilities and language backgrounds. Some additional topics include, but are not limited to:

• Implementation of bi- and multilingual special education programs
• Teacher preparation in bi- and multilingual special education
• Meaningful inclusion
• Educators' beliefs and roles in promoting access to bi- and multilingual services and instruction
• Perceptions of students and disabilities' bi- and multilingual capabilities
• Parent engagement and support
• Policies and policy enactments that promote opportunity to learn for multilingual learners with disabilities

For questions regarding a potential submission, please email Dr. Rosalía Pacheco at ropacheco@unm.edu.

The tentative timeline for the special issue is as follows:

January 15, 2025: Abstract Deadline

February 15, 2025: Abstract Decisions

June 1, 2025: Full manuscripts deadline

September 1, 2025: Revised manuscript deadline

December 1, 2025: Final manuscript deadline

February/March 2026: Anticipated publication date

References
Cioè-Peña, M. (2021). (M)othering labeled children: Bilingualism and disability in the lives of Latinx mothers. Multilingual Matters.

de Valenzuela, J. S., & Copeland, S. R. (2018). Parent perspectives on the importance of being bilingual for individuals with complex support needs. Soleado. https://www.dlenm.org/wp-     content/uploads/2019/11/Soleado_Winter_2018.pdf

de Valenzuela, J. S., Kay-Raining Bird, E., Parkington, K., Mirenda, P., Cain, K., MacLeod, A. N., & Segers, E. (2016). Access to opportunities for bilingualism for individuals with developmental disabilities. Journal of Communication Disorders, 63, 32– 46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2016.05.005

Kangas, S. E. N. (2017). “That’s where the rubber meets the road”: The intersection of special education and dual language education. Teachers College Record, 119(7), 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0161468117119007

Paradis, J., Genesee, F., & Crago, M. F. (2021). Dual language development and disorders: A handbook on bilingualism and second language learning (3rd ed). Brookes.