CRP is an approach to teaching and learning that has benefits for all students. However, it is important to recognize that CRP is not just for some students. A national study of more than 11,000 special education students found that Black and Latinx students with sensory impairments had considerably lower oral reading fluency rates than their White peers.ĬRP can be an effective tool for improving literacy outcomes for racially and linguistically diverse b/vi students. Though more research is needed, there are already some data indicating racialized reading disparities among b/vi learners. The benefits of CRP can also extend to students with visual impairments. This approach has been found to boost self-confidence, engagement in school, and academic success among Latinx, African/African American, and Indigenous/First Nation students, who have traditionally underperformed academically. CRP broadens the center of teaching and learning and affirms the plurality of cultural beliefs, practices, and ways of being that the diverse student body brings to the classroom. Statistics indicate that the racial breakdown of the b/vi student population is similar to that of the larger student body.ĭespite the dramatic shift in the cultural diversity of students, the standard curriculum, instruction, customs and teacher force of America’s schools continue to reflect the dominant, European, middle class culture. Blind/visually impaired students are no exception to this demographic reality. According to federal education data, students of color make up 51% of the nation’s public school students. The new mainstream of America’s school-aged population is multilingual and multicultural. It is at the heart of education.ĬRP is also essential in contemporary education because of the shifting demographics of the U.S. Culture is also reflected in how we think, believe, and behave. The cultures that we carry are deeper than surface manifestations, such as food, clothing, and music.
We all have culture, whether we are aware of it or not. First, and perhaps foremost, is the salience of culture in our lives. There are three primary reasons why CRP matters for blind/visually impaired (b/vi) students. Drawing from this family of pedagogies, I will refer to CRP inclusively as any teaching that 1) empowers students by using their cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives as conduits for learning, and 2) sustains and extends the rich languages, literacies, and cultural practices of all students, particularly those who disproportionately experience educational underachievement.
Since that time, CRP has been expanded by several scholars through iterations such as culturally responsive, culturally congruent, and, most recently, culturally sustaining pedagogy. Gloria Ladson Billings, who used the term Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to describe a way of teaching that promotes the academic success and critical consciousness of African American students by using cultural referents to impart knowledge.
This article discusses why CRP matters and how it can be infused into tactile/auditory/digital literacy learning with students who are blind or visually impaired.ĬRP was originally conceptualized over twenty years ago by Dr. Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) is ubiquitous in mainstream education circles, yet it doesn’t receive much attention in the world of blindness/visual impairment (b/vi) education.