Voces de la Gente: Spanish-Speaking Families’ Perspectives on Early Childhood Special Education

The Individual with Disabilities Education Act specifies that families should be include in the special education process and they must provide informed consent. However, families from Spanish-speaking backgrounds, often report barriers to participation. In this study, we provided a forum for Spanish-speaking families to tell their stories using multiple methods to uncover the experiences of 39 Latine caregivers of young children with disabilities. Family experiences reported on a survey and during focus groups are summarized in three areas: evaluation, eligibility determination, and service provision. While most families agreed on surveys that they were satisfied with EI/ECSE practices in their child’s case, during focus groups families frequently described reduced access to information about EI/ECSE, lack of support for the home language, feeling excluded from their child’s educational planning, and, in some cases, delays in services. Families also shared the importance of self-advocacy in EI/ECSE and the value of support from community advocates, including EI/ECSE professionals. Implications for policy and practice are presented.