Cultural Influences on Parental Advocacy for Inclusion: Experiences of South Asian Families With Children with Extensive Support Needs

Abstract

This qualitative study examined the cultural factors in parental advocacy in South Asian parents of children with extensive support needs (ESN), concerning the educational placement decisions for their children. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic coding. The findings revealed that the predominant preference for segregated educational settings among participants was shaped by various cultural influences: persistent social stigma surrounding disability, a culturally-rooted belief in the curability of the disability, the prioritization of safety over academic integration, perceived inadequacies within general education settings, institutional pressures from school or IEP recommendations, advocacy for intensive home-based instruction, and a sense of immigrant gratitude and appreciation for the school system in the host country.

Keywords

inclusion South Asian families educational placement

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