Crossing Boundaries Foreign Language Learning for Students with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Learning a foreign language (FL) is a graduation requirement in U.S. secondary schools and a number of U.S. institutions of higher education. This means that every year thousands of students fill up language classes to complete this requirement. Some of these students struggle with not only the difficult task of learning a new language but also a hindering factor that stands in the way of second language acquisition: a learning disability. This research focuses on FL learning within the state of Maryland for students with learning disabilities (LD). These students are defined in this paper as learners who have phonological and/or orthographic processing problems, such as dyslexia and dysgraphia. More specifically, this research focuses on FL requirements and policies for students with LD in Maryland secondary schools and institutions of higher education and on the potential programs and/or policies that could be imp