Advocacy and Resistance: Latina Mothers Reframing the Experience of Disability

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Narrative and Perspectives on Experiences in Special and Inclusive Education

Abstract

In this study we investigated how Latina mothers constructed and perceived their knowledge to advocate to schools and families on behalf of their children with disabilities. Using a phenomenological paradigm, we conducted 21 individual narrative interviews with seven participants to glean the essence of mothers’ thoughts and actions related to their school-aged children with disabilities. We learned how they skillfully negotiated at times competing messages from school personnel, family and friends, and their own notions of best avenues to seek support for their children. At times, the mothers built great strength to resist typical ideas born from assumptions and bias. They developed co-participation structures that collectively can be seen as resilience and a reframing of disability perceptions and lived experiences.

Authors

• Joseph R Passi, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Michelle Parker-Katz, University of Illinois at Chicago