Charlotte
Charlotte is ten years old and attends merry primary school. The first factor is that Charlotte’s first language is Latvian, and her English vocabulary is restricted to basic words and phrases. Charlotte struggles communicating with other children and her teacher which reflects badly on her progress in all subjects. Charlotte withdraws herself from group discussions and one-to-one conversations due to low esteem. Charlotte also suffers from anxiety which is a second factor.
Charlotte has also been blind since birth and this is the final factor affecting Charlotte’s ability to communicate. Due to the age of her class peers, they don’t understand why charlotte is the way she is, so often charlotte gets mocked for being different.
During communication Charlotte rarely responds and never asks questions when she is confused or struggling to complete work.
To overcome these two communication barriers which are her language choice and disability, it would be useful if Charlotte had the support off a translator who would be able to inform Charlotte of information passed onto her by the teachers and other children, however in Latvian. This would help Charlotte understand what she is expected to do by her teacher but also form relationships with others.
Considering charlottes language barrier long-term a mentor may be great for Charlotte. This could be because a mentor could not only support her but also gradually teach Charlotte English words and phrases. This would result in her no longer depending on a translator and would make communication not only easier but also more enjoyable for her.
Overcoming Charlotte’s language barriers using technological aids could be the use of a braille board which would require Charlotte to use the sense of her touch to understand messages sent to her by others. This would mean that Charlotte could be more
