Message from the Guest Editor
I am honored to be the guest editor for this
DVIQuarterly issue on diversity and to collaborate with knowledgeable colleagues in
the field who are also interested in this
topic. Through our collaboration I believe
we have created an issue that will provide
essential information about the education of
students with visual impairments who are
from culturally and/or linguistically diverse
backgrounds (CLDB) and their families.
The number of students from CLDB who
are educated in America's schools is continually increasing. According to Grassi and
Barker (2010), the number of school-aged
students who speak a language other than English is projected to grow to 40% by the year 2030.
Data from the field of blindness are similar to
those of education in general. As we continue to
see and work with more students and families
from CLDB, our needs as professionals and to
provide quality services will also intensify.
This issue begins with an article from Olaya
Landa-Vialard about her experiences as a bilingual diagnostician and teacher of the visually impaired (TVI). She discusses the challenges when
conducting assessments with students who are
visually impaired and also from CLDB. LandaVialard also provides a checklist and resources
that TVIs could use to better provide services to
these students and their families.
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In "Emergent Bilinguals with Visual Impairments: Guidelines for Instruction," Madeline Milian provides an overview of the challenges educators face when trying to meet both the visual
and language needs of emergent bilinguals with
