Date of Award

2018

Access Restriction

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate in Education

Department

Education

School or College

School of Education

First Advisor

David Sapp

Second Advisor

Ernesto Colin

Third Advisor

Patricia Seymour

Abstract

This study examines the experiences of Spanish-speaking Latino/a parents in their attempts to obtain school-based speech and language services for their children; the impact of these experiences on parents; and parent perspectives on how school-based speech-language pathologists can co-create collaborative relationships. Through a detailed analysis of a focus group and individual interviews of 31 Spanish-speaking parents of children in the REAAD! (Reaching Educational Achievement and Development) Literacy Enrichment Program at a university in Los Angeles, California, this study provided a space for parents to share their experiences and offer insights regarding what shaped their experiences. Through the theoretical lens of dis/ability critical race theory (DisCrit), Latino critical race theory (LatCrit), and Yosso’s community cultural wealth model, parents’ stories were collected, transcribed, and analyzed. Parents consistently expressed their hope for their children to have a better life than the one they had, one that was attainable through education. Unfortunately, in their quest for educational supports, parents were often met with systematic roadblocks that denied their children resources and supports. Parents in this study were keenly aware of the struggle to support their children in the face of deficit views of their family based on the intersection of their language, race, and ability levels. More often than not, parents utilized the assistance of sympathetic teachers and speech-language pathologists to obtain services for their children. For parents in the study, having a school professional who they believed demonstrated corazón (heart) made all the difference in their ability to advocate for their children.

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