Discusses the challenges facing immigrant parents of young children with disabilities, with particular emphasis on planning for transition to kindergarten and securing appropriate placement. Among the steps in the transition process are the initial meeting between staff and family to identify needed services for the child, opportunity for the family and child to visit potential programs that can meet the child’s needs, review by family and staff of the child’s individualized education program (IEP), and evaluation of both the child’s adjustment to, and the family’s satisfaction with, the selected program. Service providers and program administrators seeking to offer more culturally sensitive transition services must tailor this process so as to avoid conflict with parents’ cultural beliefs and practices. Acknowledging cultural preferences also involves broadening the notion of parental roles to encompass the entire family; that is, extended family members, friends, and community members appropriately may be involved in education-related decisions. Moreover, an awareness of cultural and linguistic differences between the home and the child’s new program can ease transition-related concerns and ensure the child’s successful transition to the school environment.
