Parent Advocacy Training Program Development for Chinese Immigrant Parents of Young Children with Disabilities

• In Event: Parents, Equity, and Implementation of Special Education

Abstract

This study aims to develop a culturally responsive parent advocacy training program for Chinese immigrant families of young children with disabilities in New York City. Drawing on Yosso (2005)’s community cultural wealth and the deep versus surface structure adaptation model (Knight et al., 2009), the program builds on the strengths of immigrant families. Preliminary results highlight the importance of engaging parents early in their advocacy journeys, offering flexible, hybrid delivery formats, and drawing from familial, social and navigational capital of the community. By centering the expertise of Chinese immigrant parents, this study challenges deficit-based narratives within special education and offers a model for intervention program development in diverse communities.

Authors

• Eleanor Xiaoxiao Mehta, St. John's University

• Lei Huang, University of Georgia