their experiences with the educational system.
Our conversations often remind me of the additional challenges faced by parents and educators
when students who are blind and visually impaired enter the educational system speaking a
language other than English and are being educated in an English-only environment, which is
commonly the case in our public schools.
Teachers who specialize in the education of
blind and visually impaired students are highly
qualified in meeting the educational needs of
these students that result from their visual difficulties, but often have limited preparation related to
second language learning and teaching. Similarly, educators who receive preparation in teaching English as a second language (ESL) as well
as many general education teachers depend
heavily on the use of visual materials and gestures when delivering instruction and find it challenging to change their teaching styles when confronted with a student who does not use vision as
their primary vehicle for learning. Consequently,
meeting both the visual and language needs of
emergent bilinguals with visual impairments requires that educators with different professional
preparations share their knowledge and skills to
create successful educational experiences for
these students.
Labels Used for These Students
As with the case of students with special
needs, the field of education in the United States
has also used multiple labels to refer to students
who begin schools speaking a language other
than English. A term that was first used starting
in 1975 was Limited English Proficient (LEP) due
to the LAU v. NICHOLS case (1974). This term
was not viewed favorably by educators because it
emphasized what students were not able to do
instead of what students were learning. As a result, the term English Language Learners (ELLs)
emerged to describe those K-12 students who
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