[Timpy]

> And many native speakers think the less of people who struggle with English, even unconsciously.

This can affect you even when you're aware of it. I've spent a lot of time with non-native speakers and I've been the non-native speaker in other scenarios. I've gotten close with a non-native English speaker who recently moved to the states for engineering. I forgot how the language barrier can unconsciously affect me. I knew he was at least smart enough to be an engineer but just this past weekend he told me more about his life and career. He was modest but blunt and straightforward about his accomplishments, in my own words I'll say it's prolific. It was a good reminder for me. Unfortunately most of the exposure I have these days with people in the category of "struggling to communicate" are children. What a terrible mistake it is to subconsciously associate non-native speakers with the intelligence of a child.