Six Strategies for Effective Family-Practitioner Communication Through ACCESS

Abstract

M iss Owens, a second-year special education teacher, co-teaches an inclusive kindergarten class with Mrs. Benson, the general educator. Last school year, Mrs. Benson attempted to involve families and keep them informed in a variety of ways. Despite their efforts, Mrs. Benson and Miss Owens agreed that some families were not fully accessing important information. For example, Miguel, a student who speaks English and Spanish, did not pass the vision screening in the fall. His family speaks Spanish at home, but Miguel's 13-year-old sister often relays important information that is sent home in English. A letter was sent home in English indicating that Miguel passed his hearing screening but not his vision screening. Several weeks passed and the teachers noticed that Miguel was squinting frequently and holding class materials close to his eyes. The teachers asked the bilingual interpreter to call the family to follow up about further evaluation of Miguel's vision. When the interpreter called, the family replied that they thought Miguel passed both the hearing and vision screenings. The teachers were disappointed in the miscommunication that prolonged Miguel's struggles in school and wanted to prevent similar instances 928330Y ECXXX10.

Strategies for Teachers Who Face Opposition to Reading Disability Literature With Children

“…Giving opportunities for families to voice their views is an essential feature of collaborative relationships (Sawyer, 2015; Sears et al., 2021). Teachers must acknowledge and respect the families’ cultural position, and as a cultural mediator, teachers may explain their beliefs and how these beliefs transfer into instructional practices in their classroom (Hooks et al., 2021; Isik-Ercan, 2017). Through ongoing discussion and collaboration, families and teachers can collectively decide how to approach the topic of including disability literature in a way that values the families’ cultural perspective.…”