Educational Experiences of Families of Children With Disabilities During COVID-19

• In Event: Reimagining Education: Centering Family Perspectives and Experiences

Abstract

This paper examines the educational experiences of families of students with disabilities during the Covid-19 pandemic using disability studies in education and Bourdieu’s theory on economic, cultural, and social capital. Families and their children with disabilities have been vulnerable to be disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, yet the actual magnitude of the pandemic’s educational impact on families and their children with disabilities is mostly unknown. We interviewed 16 diverse mothers of children with disabilities whose children were attending Pre-K 6th public schools in the US. Utilizing constant comparative data analysis, we identified two preliminary themes that revealed that parents morphed into advocates for children with disabilities’ access to meaningful education and became teachers at home, creating struggles and opportunities.

Authors

• Sultan Kilinc, Syracuse University

• Sara Jo Soldovieri, Syracuse University

• Mary Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Syracuse University