Multiculturalism in Early Intervention

 

In your career, you will most likely work with families from diverse sociocultural backgrounds. A respect for differences and the ability to acknowledge each family's values will enable you to be an effective special educator. This section reviews some ideas to make early intervention more appropriate for families whose customs, values, and understanding of disability may be very different from your own.

  1. Bulmaro Hernandez was born premature. After assessment, he was found to be deaf. Due to complications from the prematurity, he needed to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit for many weeks after he was born. His mother, Ofelia, rarely visited him in the hospital. The nurses said that when she did come, she seems distracted and did not stay long. The nurses were critical of her ability to take care of Bulmaro after his release. A bilingual patient advocate spoke with Ofelia. Although she was reluctant to talk, it was learned that Ofelia worked in a produce warehouse where she was not allowed to take time off. She was not on a busline so she depended on a co-worker to drive her to the hospital. The co-worker's car was 15 years old and often broke down. Ofelia was from Oaxaca, a rural part of Mexico, and came illegally to the United States two years ago. Her husband left her for unknown reasons so she will be a single parent. Ofelia is more comfortable speaking Mixtec than Spanish, although she knows a lot of spoken Spanish. She said that she felt extremely uncomfortable in the neonatal unit because the nurses seemed to be speaking badly of her. She is eager to bring Bulmaro home. She has saved money toward a healing ceremony that she believes will help Bulmaro. This ceremony involves placing eggs on the person's body to draw out the evil spirits.

    2. Discussion Questions

    1. Given that only Spanish interpreters are available, what qualities would you look for in an interpreter to work with Ofelia during early intervention?
    2. How would you balance respecting Ofelia's beliefs while ensuring that Bulmaro receives appropriate medical services?
    3. How would you find agencies which offer services to undocumented immigrants?

     
  2. Shaquana Williams was born with a low birth weight and acquired a bacterial infection during her early infancy. Her mother, Shantell, was a teenager who smoked and drank during the pregnancy. Shaquana moved around to different relatives during her first eight months. She will now be cared for by her paternal grandmother, Patricia, who works two jobs as a cook and a housekeeper. Patricia has strong feelings against Shantell because she believes that her son was tricked into getting her pregnant. Patricia is glad to be taking over the care of Shaquana but she is concerned about how it will be for Shaquana because she is biracial. Like Patricia, most of Patricia's co-workers and neighbors are white and Patricia has heard them make jokes that seemed subtly racist. Patricia is very religious and she believes in prayer and faith. She believes that doctors make more serious blunders than anything else. Patricia plans to take Shaquana to her minister for healing. Patricia is also considering trying to legally change Shaquana's name to Cynthia.

    Discussion Questions

    1. What is the relationship between socioeconomic status, low birth weight, and infection?
    2. How would you address Patricia's concerns about raising a biracial child?
    3. How would you respect Patricia's religious beliefs while ensuring Shaquana receives the care she needs?


[ top ]