T/TAC at Virginia Tech

English Learners with Disabilities

“The limits of my language are the limits of my world."

~ Ludwig Wittgenstein

VDOE's Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC)

Unlocking Multilingual Learners' Potential: Strategies for Making Content Accessible

Virtual Community of Practice: 2026-2027 School Year

3rd Tuesday from 4:00-4:45
Flyer for details
Book Summary
Table of Contents

Understanding Multilingual Learner Typologies

Feature Resources

Supporting Multilingual Learners with Disabilities

Center for the Success of English Learners

Join our growing network for future emails about events related to English Learners with disabilities.

English Learners (ELs), also referred to as ELLs, Emergent Bilinguals, or Multilingual Learners, are one of the fastest-growing student groups in U.S. classrooms, with approximately 5.2 million students enrolled nationwide (Najarro, 2024). Some of these students also have disabilities, creating unique learning needs that require thoughtful, collaborative support.

This page offers evidence-based tools and resources to help educators, families, and schools better understand, identify, and support English Learners with disabilities using the most current data and proven best practices.

Learning Requirements

Three children. The first child has a bubble labeled content and represents native English speakers without disabilities. The second child has bubbles with content and language and represents English learners without disabilities. The third child has bubbles with content, language and disability and represents English learners with disabilities.

Terminology

An image of a girl with five speech bubbles each highlighting a different region of the world map behind her.

A move towards multilingual: why this term is better than others [for now]

Arrow showing progression of terminology from English as a Second Language (ESL) to Limited English Proficient (LEP) to English Language Learner (ELL) to Emergent Bilingual (EB) to Multilingual Learner (ML).

Adapted from https://minnetesoljournal.org/labels-as-limitations/

Professional Development Opportunities

For more information, please contact Dana McCaleb or Kitty Wade.

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