Family focus – the social context of disability

In this week, we will look at the roles of family. Loving acceptance and helping children to build resilience are the starting point for inclusive education. Inclusion in the family may take time to develop as the needs of the child with a disability are incorporated into the family’s existing structure – with siblings, extended family and even physical circumstances.

I posed a few questions in my introduction which I want you to respond to with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’:

• People with disabilities have medical needs
• People with disabilities have problems with learning
• People with disabilities are dependent on others
• People with disabilities need specialised services
• It is important to understand the cause of disability

In thinking about these statements, you are expressing your own views about disability. When families are raising children with disabilities they also bring their own perspectives, so we need to look more closely at understandings of disability and how this affects families.

What do your responses tell you about the way you see disability?