Access to Special Education for Exceptional Students in French Immersion Programs: An Equity Issue

Auteurs-es

  • Nancy Wise OISE/University of Toronto

Mots-clés :

French immersion, elitism, exceptional pupils, students with special needs, equitable access, special education

Résumé


Exceptional pupils enrolled in Canadian French immersion programs rarely have access to the same range of special education programs and services that are available to students in the regular English program. More often than not, students with special needs are encouraged to transfer to English programs to access necessary support services. This counselling-out process perpetuates the elitist status commonly attributed to French immersion programs. From a critical pedagogy perspective, this inquiry examines the lack of incentive on the part of multiple French immersion stakeholders to accommodate students with special needs. It further attempts to unveil the myths created by these stakeholders to better understand this discriminatory educational practice. The impact of federal and provincial funding models on access to special education programs and services is discussed, and the application of funding allocations by English-language district school boards is explored. The inquiry concludes with recommendations to promote more inclusionary practices.

Biographie de l'auteur-e

Nancy Wise, OISE/University of Toronto

I am a doctoral candidate in the Second Language Education program at OISE/University of Toronto. My research interests include at-risk and exceptional students in early French immersion programs. I am currently working as a special education teacher in a French immersion elementary school with the York Region District School Board.

Publié-e

2012-01-24

Comment citer

Wise, N. (2012). Access to Special Education for Exceptional Students in French Immersion Programs: An Equity Issue. Revue Canadienne De Linguistique appliquée, 14(1), 177–193. Consulté à l’adresse https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/CJAL/article/view/19873

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