Legal Issues and Parent Rights for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Disabilities

Culturally and linguistically diverse families present schools with unique challenges related to eligibility and programming for special education. There has been a dearth in the literature for this population, especially from a legal standpoint. Existing literature has offered scarce information to address the legal rights and responsibilities of practitioners working with culturally diverse families whose children receive special education. In this article, the authors present information for practitioners to understand the policy and to implement best practices, particularly as relates to diverse families, based on the laws and policies in the U.S. The purpose is to offer resources, case law examples, and information for practitioners to educate families on laws and rights for working with culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities.