We thank Catherine Ragozzino, Multilingual Instructional Coach for Secondary Schools at Meriden Public Schools, for sharing José’s inspiring story with us.
José Nieves Roman was born in Isabella, Puerto Rico.
He has been legally blind since birth.
Finding Language: José’s Path to Bilingualism
José came to the mainland United States when he was five years old, in February of 2012. After a few months at another school, he entered Meriden Public Schools and was identified as a native Spanish-speaking English Learner. He solely spoke Spanish. The school hired a bilingual Spanish-speaking tutor to help him begin learning Braille. This tutor accompanied José to all his classes throughout the day. During these primary years, José’s residential circumstances fluctuated, and he moved back and forth between schools and couldn’t receive consistent Braille instruction. When he returned to Meriden in 4th grade and stayed, he had consistency with Braille instruction and language support, and his skills grew deftly once there was consistency.
José quickly acquired English while working in our schools. He participated in the language support program, and in 2021, he demonstrated English skills sufficient to exit the program.
José speaks both English and Spanish at home with his family and friends, while some family members speak predominantly Spanish.
Embracing Adventure: José’s Fearless Pursuits
José is artistic, friendly, outgoing, and fearless. Being a visually impaired young man has never presented itself as a limitation for José. With the support of some incredible educators with a lot of creativity and imagination, José seeks adventure. He enjoys swimming, soccer, music, and he likes to read. José has been in an outdoor adventure class, and he participated in activities with slight adaptations for his visual impairment needs, like archery, wall climbing, swimming, surfing, and kayaking. He even completed a 7.3-mile hike, and learned to independently pilot a canoe. José also participated in Meriden’s Unified Soccer Team, in which they use a ball that makes a noise due to a sound system located inside that helps players orient themselves, and Unified Track where athletes run with a visually able runner.
In Middle School, José played the drums in the Marching Band. He marched in Meriden’s Daffodil Festival parade. Recently, José participated in a fishing tournament hosted by the Lions Club in Berlin, Connecticut for visually impaired students.
Artistry Beyond Sight: José’s Creative Achievements
José has been an artist for years. He has been on the local news twice for two separate pieces of art; one was a lion made out of yarn, and the other was a sailboat painting for the Connecticut Scholastic Arts Awards for which he earned the Silver Key award (see the article and video here).
A Vision of Possibility: José’s Inspiring Outlook
When asked what he would like to share about being a student, artist and athlete who also has a visual impairment, José said, “I consider myself a student who is willing to go as far as possible to go out and do what I want to do.”
José’s goals are to increase access for all visually impaired kids to show their skills on assessments like the AAPPL. He said, “I know I’m probably not the only one who wants to do something like this, but it’s not accessible to them, you know what I mean? I feel like the main lesson for other visually impaired students is if I can do this, they can too! I’ve never been afraid to try stuff.”
José was approached by the district’s Specialist for Supporting the Visually Impaired to help another visually impaired student master a portable electronic Braille device called the BrailleNote Touch. José reported, “I did way better than I thought I would at teaching her. It just goes to show that despite thinking that you can’t do something, you can. Like with the AAPPL test at first, when I signed up to take the test, I wasn’t really sure I would make it, but then I just started to go into my Spanish class with a different perspective, thinking if I can focus fully on Spanish now, then I can do well on the test.”
Beyond High School: José’s Ambitious Goals
About his post-high school plans, José shared, “After high school I want to go to college. I am thinking of becoming a criminal lawyer. My dad and I did research that I would be one of the few visually impaired lawyers out there. There are some, but there aren’t many. I could also be an interpreter in courtrooms.”
“I aspire to get as far as I can in life. Honestly, for me, I know that in certain things I have limits. That I accept, but as far as learning, I can do anything. I take AP classes; and at this point I feel like I’ve gone beyond what I previously thought was a limit for me. So, I know I can do more.”
The Power of Bilingualism: José’s Connection to Heritage
Being bilingual is important to José. He grew up speaking Spanish with his family and friends, but has continued his study of the language by taking Spanish World Language classes at the middle and high schools so he can further his academic language skills and expand his knowledge of more sophisticated vocabulary in Spanish. His Spanish textbook is completely in Braille, and his Braille tutor accompanies him to class in which he types all required written work on his Braille writer, which the tutor translates to submit work to the teacher.
On the topic of why bilingualism is important to José, he stated, “I feel a connection with my heritage because speaking Spanish helped me figure out who I was and what my limits were in life, in school, in sports, and in art. It helps me have a connection with students here [at school] and also a bigger deeper connection with my family. There are some [newcomer] students here who only speak Spanish and I am able to help them. If you only know one language, there’s only so much you can do to help people. But if you are bilingual, you can help twice as many people. And Connecticut is a good spot to know Spanish, because everywhere you go you run into people who speak Spanish.”
Sealing Success: José’s Triumph in the AAPPL
In the Spring of 2024, José sat for the AAPPL to qualify for the Connecticut Seal of Biliteracy. His school administration worked with the LTI’s accommodations team to ensure José was able to complete the test. He completed the speaking and listening sections with a test administrator’s aid who helped him transition from prompt to prompt. José used his Brailler for writing, with a tutor transcribing exactly what he typed, including any errors, and sending the typed versions to LTI. The reading section was waived upon approval from the state.
José qualified for the Connecticut State Seal of Biliteracy.
Accessibility for All: LTI’s Commitment to Inclusive Testing
José was the first visually impaired student who sat for the AAPPL and was able to complete it, thanks to the dedication of his educators and the accommodations team at LTI. We congratulate José for his incredible achievement. His dedication, hard work, and commitment to his bilingualism despite the obstacles he’s faced have inspired us all!
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LTI is committed to making ACTFL tests accessible to all learners. The AAPPL offers a full suite of WCAG 2.0 AA and ADA compliant features and has a formal process for requesting additional testing accommodations in line with IEP or 504 plans. Learn more here.
Contact us to bring the AAPPL to your school or district.
