What is Dis/ability

Students from the Dominican Republic are a growing demographic in United States schools, particularly in the Northeast. As the number of Dominican emergent bilingual students in special education grows, it is imperative that educators consider transnational issues of dis/ability and language learning. In this chapter, the author explores a set of interviews with teachers in Santiago, DR, and draws connections between the interview data and recommendations for US bilingual special educators. The chapter ends with suggestions for how educators can collaborate with families to ensure that the cultural understandings, questions, concerns, and wisdom of immigrant students and families are central to the bilingual special education process.