Accessibility meets the Science of Reading in Spanish English Dual language classrooms

Abstract

This article advances a conceptual framework defining inclusive biliteracy—the coordinated development of literacy across Spanish and English within instructional systems designed to be equitable by default—and argues that effective biliteracy instruction requires coordinated design across four dimensions: structured literacy, cross-linguistic development, UDL-based accessibility, and technology-supported instruction. Drawing on an integrative review across cognitive reading science, bilingual education, accessibility research, and educational technology, the article establishes that foundational literacy components remain essential in bilingual contexts when coordinated across languages and supported by oral language development and cross-linguistic transfer; that multilingual learners with disabilities achieve strong outcomes under systematic, scaffolded, accessible instruction; and that assistive and AI-mediated technology extends access when aligned with instructional goals. The framework positions inclusive biliteracy as both an educational construct and an infrastructural condition for equity and human capital development, and generates five testable propositions operationalizable through multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, or cluster-randomized designs. The contribution is conceptual: a theoretically grounded, multi-domain model specifying the conditions under which biliteracy instruction becomes inclusive for all learners.