If you’ve ever sat in an IEP meeting thinking, “How on earth are multilingual families supposed to navigate this?” — this episode is going to feel like a deep breath and a flashlight.
I’m joined by Colleen, a speech-language pathologist turned advocate who spends her days doing two things most people only talk about: supporting bilingual learners in early intervention and showing up at the IEP table alongside families who need a knowledgeable partner in their corner. She’s the real deal — part SLP, part advocate, and fully committed to helping parents participate meaningfully in a process that wasn’t designed with them in mind.
We dig into what actually gets in the way for multilingual families, why translation and interpretation aren’t “nice to have” but legally required, and how school teams can stop relying on Google Translate as a strategy (spoiler: it’s not a strategy).
In this episode, we discuss:
• The rights to translated documents and qualified interpreters — and why timelines are so murky
• How incomplete or software-generated translations derail meaningful participation
• The difference between a true language disorder and a language difference
• Why proper bilingual assessment matters (and what happens when it doesn’t)
• Classroom supports that help multilingual learners and everyone else
• Where families can start when they can’t find a bilingual advocate in their area
If you’ve been feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or unsure how to help families who don’t speak English navigate the IEP process, take a breath — this conversation will leave you informed, encouraged, and better equipped to create a truly accessible path forward for every child.
Where To Find Colleen
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.