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(Picture: containing sky, outdoor, mountains, and bridge being held up by hands)
It has been a little over 50 years since the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education (1954) allowed individuals of color to intermingle and learn alongside their white peers in public education institutions in the United States. Similarly, special education has only been officially around for a little under 50 years since the passing of the All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (EAHCA; renamed IDEA in 1990) which provided opportunities for individuals with dis/abilities to attend public schooling and receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Within those 50 years, the U.S. educational system has played both the intricate role of protagonist and antagonist in providing special education services to children with dis/abilities and their families who are also individuals of color (Harry, 2008).
Currently, students from Culturally, Linguistically, Economically, Diverse (CLED) communities make up around 50% of students receiving Special Education services in the public education system (OSEP, 2018) Schools and districts are tasked with providing the essential resources and support for the growing population of students from CLED communities in Special Education. Yet, this population of individuals and their families have been overwhelmingly understudied and under resourced.
The solution for bridging the disconnection between these two systems, Culture Brokers! Individuals working toward supporting CLED families as they navigate the education system and their intersectionality of being people of color, from varying cultures, who speak different languages, with disabilities (Mortier et. al, 2020). Cultural brokering is an intervention that supports “any advocate who engages in the purposeful act of connecting people of differing cultural backgrounds to improve collaboration” (Rosetti, et. al, 2018).
Through Culture Brokers, communities can begin developing a foundation for relationship building of partnerships with all stakeholders (families, school professionals, policy makers, etc.) with students as the focal point! Cultural Brokers can facilitate resources, conversations, and advocacy for families who require the support. Cultural brokers can translate paperwork, interpret at meetings, find local resources and agencies, be a support system, help navigate the IEP process, explain safeguards and rights, and communicate with school professionals. Anyone can become a cultural broker with appropriate training in Special Education services (e.g., Volunteer Advocacy Project) as well as Cultural sensitivity and responsiveness (e.g., Trauma-informed, Courageous Conversations, BeWelltools). Other skills that can benefit cultural brokering: 1) fluency (written and verbal) in the native languages spoken, 2) familiarity with the community and its’ members, 3) self-reflection of one’s own biases and strengths.
by Special Ed Trainee, Edwin Monárrez
Resources:
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)
Mortier, K., Brown, I. C., & Aramburo, C. M. (2021). Cultural brokers in special education.
Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 46(1), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796920975386
Rossetti, Z., Redash, A., Sauer, J. S., Bui, O., Wen, Y., & Regensburger, D. (2018).
Access, accountability, and advocacy: Culturally and linguistically diverse families’ participation in IEP meetings. Exceptionality. Advance online publication. 19 June. https://doi.org/10.1080/09362835.2018.1480948
