"We Need Systems!" Parents' Perspectives on Disability Issues Over Three Decades in Trinidad and Tobago

• In Event: We Can Do It: Valuing Families' and Communities' Voices Shaping Educational Systems

Abstract

This paper compares perspectives of parents of children with disabilities over 3 decades in Trinidad and Tobago. The sample was drawn from a private school that has been in existence since 1978. Ethnographic interviews were conducted with 23 families, 11 of whom had a child who had enrolled in the school between 1978 and 1985, and 12 had a child who had enrolled between 2007 and 2015. Grounded theory data analysis revealed 12 themes addressing personal, ideological, educational, and structural issues. The latter theme provided the greatest difference between groups, indicating dissatisfaction with implementation of improved policies. The study contributes new information on the Caribbean regarding parental views of disabilities, in light of structural and social changes over 3 decades.

Authors

• Beth Harry, University of Miami

• Patrice Elizabeth Fenton, University of Miami