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Parenting a Child with Disabilities: the Intersection of Education and Cultural Perceptions in Southern India

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Abstract

Cultural and religious stigmas continue to negatively affect the basic human rights of people with disabilities in India in areas such as education and access to specialized services. There has been an increase in efforts to address misperceptions that affect daily life for people with disabilities and their families, particularly through special schools that serve these families. This qualitative study utilized the method of photo elicitation in an exploratory examination of the perceptions of parents in South India concerning what it is like to have a child with a disability. Six mothers and two fathers were recruited from one large special school operating multiple centers to serve children with disabilities in both an urban area and the surrounding rural villages. Findings did not reflect experiences of shame and rejection in having a child with a disability. Instead, parents endorsed themes of pride, the need to not underestimate their children’s abilities, patience and persistence, and hope. The findings provide preliminary support of anecdotal local reports that efforts by the school to educate the community regarding the biological influences on disabilities may be reducing cultural and religious misperceptions and negative treatment of families in which a child has a disability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Iowa, 308 North Hall, Iowa City, IO, 52242, USA

    Rebecca Dickinson

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  1. Rebecca Dickinson
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Correspondence to Rebecca Dickinson.

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This study was conducted with the approval of the researcher’s university institutional review board.

My informed consent did include parental permission to use the photographs of in publications and presentations.

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The author declares that she has no conflict of interest.

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Dickinson, R. Parenting a Child with Disabilities: the Intersection of Education and Cultural Perceptions in Southern India. J. Hum. Rights Soc. Work 3, 72–80 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41134-018-0053-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41134-018-0053-8

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