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Establishing partnerships with families of children with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Cantor, Laurelyn Hope Morry |
| Copyright Year | 2003 |
| Abstract | Schools are serving a growing number of students in inclusive special education programs from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Using qualitative inquiry data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with six families from a variety of ethno-cultural backgrounds, family structures, and children with various types of disabilities. The findings which emerged from the data indicated five major themes: a) the value of family, b) attitudes towards disability c) factors influencing parental participation, d) parental participation and advocacy, and e) sources of support. Major factors that interfered in parental participation had to do with language barriers, which included both English language proficiency, as well as difficulty in understanding special education terminology and practices. This study offers strategies for educators to establish partnerships with families and implications for teacher education programs and future research. Establishing Partnerships 3 The traditional patterns of communication between schools and families are not keeping pace with the increasingly diverse cultural and linguistic orientations of students receiving special education services. Communication between parents and educators has frequently been complex. It becomes even more so when different cultures are represented (Kalyanpur & Harry, 1999). In creating partnerships with the families of children with disabilities receiving special education services in inclusive classrooms, it is essential for educators to consider the family’s cultural interpretation of disability (Lamorez, 2002; Kalyanpur & Harry, 1999). Dunst and Paget (1991) define a partnership as “an association of two or more people in pursuit of a common goal or joint interest” (Dinnebeil & Rule, 1994). Families of children with disabilities from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds may have perspectives towards the etiology and treatment of disabilities that differ from the North American biomedical model. For instance, the same problem may or may not be perceived as a disability in different societies (Kalyanpur & Harry, 1999). Family members’ beliefs about the cause of their child’s disability influence their expectations about their child’s behaviour, their goals for their child, and their involvement in special education services. Culture, as defined by Misra (1994), is the “collective beliefs and knowledge that govern social behaviour. Culture includes the language of the people, their standards and perceptions, the ways in which they display anger or joy and the gestures they use during a conversation” (p. 145). These aspects of life are influenced by factors such as race, ethnicity, nationality, social status, and geographical location (Kalyanpur & Harry, 1999). Banks (2001) sees the essence of a culture not in its artifacts, food or clothing, Establishing Partnerships 4 but how the members of the group interpret, use, and perceive them. According to Banks, it is the attitudes, values, and beliefs that distinguish one group from another. Diversity refers to the ways in which we differ from each other. It is a concept that refers both to our uniqueness as individuals and to our sense of belonging or identification within a socio-cultural group. In considering ways of getting to know families from a range of backgrounds, educators need to extend their conventional understanding of what a family is. There is no prototype that represents “the family” (O’Shea, O’Shea, Algozzine, & Hammite, 2001). The size of the family structure is an important variable. For example, single parent, two parent, communal, adoptive, foster, extended, and blended families all represent different patterns of family structure. Many cultural groups rely on large extended families that share responsibilities and provide support to each other. Turnbull and Turnbull (1990) describe the importance of understanding how families differ and how such differences impact on the meaning of a child’s disability within the family. The study took place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, a large, urban centre in Western Canada with a total population of 661,730 (Winnipeg Free Press, January 22, 2003). The purpose of this study was to: a) describe the expectations of the families of children with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in regards to their children’s education, including the respective roles of both home and school, b) identify factors which affected parental participation in their children’s inclusive education, and c) develop strategies to increase involvement in the home-school partnership, based on interpretation of the data. It was hoped that this study would Establishing Partnerships 5 raise questions and concerns for professional discussion and further research regarding the involvement of families of children with disabilities from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds in collaborative partnerships with schools. Literature Review Four major areas which underlie the home-school partnership for families with children with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds were explored. In the first segment, multiculturalism from a Canadian perspective, including education policy and practice, as well as Manitoba’s policies on multicultural education and inclusion were discussed. Theoretical interpretations of the perspectives of families of different cultures on disability and special education, parent-professional collaboration in education and possible reasons for non-participation by culturally and linguistically diverse families also were explored. In its 135 year, Canada celebrates a long history of multiculturalism. When European settlers brought their own cultures to North America, they encountered Aboriginal peoples with rich, diverse cultures who spoke many languages. Although Canada has been multicultural from its beginning, both the nature of multiculturalism as well as our perceptions of it has changed. The adaptation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) was a turning point in our identity and equality as Canadians. The Charter protects these basic rights and freedoms of all Canadians that are considered necessary to preserving Canada as a free and democratic society. Basically, Manitoba educators have adopted a philosophy of inclusion as the foundation for the delivery of special education. The most accepted delivery model is grounded in inclusive philosophy combined with a continuum of programming and Establishing Partnerships 6 supports (Freeze, Bravi & Rampaul, 1990). First choice for students with disabilities is in regular education classes in neighborhood public schools with their same age peers (Manitoba Education, Training and Youth, 2001) There is the general sense that Manitoba is moving towards inclusive practice. However, the interpretations and implementation of the policies of inclusion are inconsistent from division to division and school to school.. Up until very recently, there was no mandate in Manitoba law for inclusion of students with disabilities. On April 30, 2003, proposed legislation was introduced by the Manitoba Education and Youth Minister that will ensure access to appropriate educational programming for students with special needs. Bill 17, the Public Schools Amendment Act, addresses recommendations of the 1999 Manitoba Special Education Review, and Manitoba Education, Training and Youth’s philosophy of inclusion (Government of Manitoba, 2003). Historically, special education has been approached as student-centered and teacher-directed. The role of families within the education process has been awarded varying degrees of emphasis. The family systems theory promotes the importance of understanding various aspects of the family in order to effectively meet the needs of both the child and the family. Another theory by Bronfenbrenner (Fine, 1995), the ecological theory, places the family within its own microsystem, interacting with many other systems. In order to work effectively with the family, it is important to understand the influence of other systems on the child and family. The systems-ecological perspective of Fine (1995) combined these two theories, an approach which facilitates the process of collaborative decision-making between the family and school. An Establishing Partnerships 7 ecosystemic view of the child-family context encourages exploration of the family’s connectedness to community resources, the involvement of extended family, the nature of the family’s social support network, and the meaning of ethnic, cultural, and religious factors (Fine & Gardner, 1994). Turnbull and Turnbull (1990) merged family systems perspectives with special education practices and applied them to the families of students with disabilities. By shifting to a family focus, the student is no longer viewed in isolation, but within the context of his or her own family. Turnbull and Turnbull (1990) proposed a family systems framework to organize four major perspectives which include: 1) family characteristics which focus on the descriptive elements of the family that shape each family’s individuality, 2) family interactions which focuses on the relationships that occur among family members, 3) family function, which refers to the tasks family members perform to meet individual and collective needs such as economic or educational needs, and 4) the family life cycle which represents the sequences of changes that affect families over time. Parent-professional collaboration is very important as a means of improving education for all students. Friend and Cook (1996) define interpersonal collaboration as “a style for direct interaction between at least two coequal parties voluntarily engaged in shared decision making as they work toward a common goal” (p. 6). Turnbull and Turnbull (2001) refer to collaboration as “the dynamic process of families and professionals equ |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/education/media/cantor-2004.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
