Building Asset-Based Transitions to Postsecondary Education with Multilingual Students with Disabilities

This important volume presents the results from a five-year, mixed methods study on the transition from high school to postsecondary education for young adults who, during secondary school, received both English learner and special education services. It aims to improve our understanding of, and thus the supportive service provisions for, the dually identified student population in secondary and higher education settings. The book explores dually identified students’ complex and intersectional experiences, strengths, and needs using multiple methods of inquiry, including the examination of educational transition-focused policies and practices, a comprehensive review of research results, case studies, and comparative analysis of key stakeholder perspectives for this student population. With a focus on equitable, culturally sustaining transition research and practice, the book informs graduate students, researchers, and teacher educators about how to mitigate the effects of historical marginalization, increasing our collective understanding of intersectional experiences and how they shape young adults’ choices as they leave high school and move into young adulthood.

Audrey A. Trainor, PhD, professor of special education, teaches qualitative research methods and special education teacher preparation courses. After an early career as a high school special educator, she focused her research on equity and special education transition policies, procedures, practices, and perspectives.

Lindsay E. Romano, MS, is a former high school special education teacher and current doctoral candidate at New York University. Her research aims to disrupt inequities at the intersections of racism, ableism, and linguicism, studying how teachers perpetuate/disrupt inequities and how mindfulness-based practices can advance social justice in classrooms.

Lynn A. Newman, EdD, Principal Education Researcher at SRI International, has more than 30 years of research experience focused on improving access and opportunity for students and young adults with disabilities through identifying the high school and postsecondary experiences linked to positive outcomes for all individuals with disabilities.