Embracing multilingualism and disability inclusion means valuing and integrating these diverse forms of communication into our educational systems, workplaces, and communities.
Just as ramps and elevators, which were initially designed for wheelchair users, can aid travelers with suitcases and families with strollers, solutions that support those with significant support needs in the autism community can enhance accessibility and inclusion for all.
UNESCO is celebrating this International Literacy Day 2024 by highlighting multilingual changemakers on a global scale. Among them is Hari Srinivasan, a trailblazer for disability rights, who is a multilingual American child of immigrants
Growing up, Hari Srinivasan remembers repeatedly learning about St. Patrick’s Day in his special education classroom—a holiday that, while interesting, felt disconnected from his own cultural heritage.
The approach, shaped by clinicians who advised speaking only English to autistic children, paradoxically led to a loss of cultural identity rather than the inclusive exposure that neurotypical children might receive.