Melissa Cuba, an assistant professor of special education at the University of Maine, is leading groundbreaking research to address the complex needs of multilingual learners with disabilities who require special education services. Growing up in a multilingual family herself, Cuba understands the challenges faced by students with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Cuba emphasizes the importance of providing individualized instruction that meets the academic, linguistic, and social-emotional needs of these students. She highlights the legal entitlement of multilingual learners in special education to both disability-specific services and language development services under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Despite federal policies mandating two separate plans for these students, one for special education needs and another for language needs, Cuba notes that schools often fail to implement both sets of services effectively. This oversight can lead to disparities in access to content and skill development for multilingual learners with disabilities.
Cuba’s research, conducted in collaboration with Adai Tefera from the University of Arizona, sheds light on the disproportionate representation of multilingual learners in special education. Their study, published in Teachers College Record, applies an intersectional framework to analyze educational practices and policies affecting these students.
Looking ahead, Cuba is focused on developing solutions to reduce disparities and improve support for multilingual learners in special education. The launch of the Multilingual Special Education graduate certificate at the UMaine College of Education and Human Development underscores the commitment to equipping educators with the tools and interventions needed to effectively serve culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities.