Question:

My special education students come from culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Some of the parents speak and understand English; however, I want to make sure that when I discuss the area of Transition in planning meetings that I practice cultural sensitivity. What are general tips that you have found useful and I should keep in mind during planning meetings?

Answer:

I am glad you asked this question. As educators, we sometimes tend to project a narrow focus when it comes to cultural issues. However, if we desire parents to participate in transition planning meetings or, for that matter any other meeting, we must not presume our own vision is the "right" vision. Our vision for becoming a self-determined and self-advocating independent adult may not represent what some cultures value. So it behooves us to pay attention to those behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and values that create effective communication across cultures. I hope the following tips and resources are useful, promote family participation in transition meetings, and are shared with your colleagues.

Tips to initiate and nurture family involvement:

• Learn about effective communication strategies
  All family involvement should begin with effective communication that bonds the relationship between school and home. To establish two-way communication, begin by…
  
  • Creating a welcoming atmosphere in the meeting environment
  • Observing family communication patterns
  • Providing translators as needed
  • Valuing parents and making them feel important in their child's life
  • Listening more than talking
  • Eliminating professional and technical jargon
  • Acknowledge family fears/concerns
    
    
• Create a healthy climate that fosters the empowerment of families; ask yourself…
• Do I believe that families are my equal and can provide "expert" information about their child?
• Do I stop to listen to what parents and their children are saying?
• Do I listen to the parent's point of view?
• Do I speak plainly and avoid "intellectual" jargon?

  R. A. Hatter et al Transition to Adulthood, Nurturing and Working in Partnership with Parents During Transition, (2000, p. 214), www.brookespublishing.com

• Plan informal visits or conversational opportunities
  If possible, capitalize on informal contacts that occur during the school week, e.g., family-dropping off/picking up child from school. This creates a family comfort zone and families who become active partners rather than polarized participants in their child's transition planning.

• Learn about the family's attitudes and beliefs toward disabilities
  Families may be uncertain about how the label "disability" affects their child's educational/transition planning. Do they see the importance of identifying a disabilities and the impact on their child's future? Is a child with a disability someone/thing to be hidden from public view? Exploration of answers to these questions is critical before transition planning discussions take place. Defining the implications for future career opportunities is a beginning step.

• Find out what ideas the family views as important and their goals and dreams for their child's future
  In addition to obtaining the student's ideas, preferences, and interests, it is valuable to do so with families as well. Find out what goals and dreams are important to them. You can then show acknowledgement of the family's ideas and statements by genuine acceptance, and writing a collaborative action plan implementing parent's goals.
  

• Learn about the family's attitude toward self-determination, self-advocacy, and adult independence
  Many families value group agreement and identity rather than their child's need to develop these independent life skills. It is up to you, the educator, to bridge the legal mandates and the family's values. Read a family focused on-line training at the Diagnostic Center Northern California's home page http://www.dcn-cde.ca.gov for information parents should know about Transition.

• Make a home visit if possible
  Home visits tend to be less threatening and intimidating because the family is in a familiar environment. In addition, home visits offer the opportunity to observe family-child dynamics, family values, and materials common to the home that might be useful in transition planning. Remember that home visits take planning and should not be a spontaneous venture!

• Use culturally sensitive assessment tools
  Try a variety of tasks, measures, and materials to assess student competencies. Include the family in the process. Use of such measures, in conjunction with the communication strategies cited above, should make information easier to share with family members.

• Make sure meetings take place in locations and at times convenient for the family
  

  As you can see, many of the above tips overlap. Just remember that including diverse parents in the educational/transition planning process and implementing these tips is a continuous task. As a teacher, you must ensure active participation of ALL parents. However, with parent's from diverse ethnic groups, make sure you provide opportunities for increased understanding between the school and families, enrich their knowledge of the purpose of special education, and most of all provide open communication. An excellent resource is Developing Cross-Cultural Competence: A Guide for Working with Young Children and Their Families by E. Lynch and M. Hanson, Brookes Publishing Co., www.brookespublishing.com.

  Good luck and please encourage your colleagues to submit questions to our forum. Oh, before I sign off, please visit the following website for additional information on educational and transition planning: http://www.cde.ca.gov/spbranch/sed