Search Results » Family Advocacy

"What is disability? It depends whose shoes you are wearing": Parent understandings of the concept of disability

This study investigates parent perspectives on the meaning of 'disability'. One hundred and twenty-one parents in Australia, each of whom have one or more children labelled with impairments, participated in this study.

A Parents Determination and a Pre K Dream Realized

Rachel was born with a degenerative disease called Canavan Disease. Her mother Sherri Epstein wanted Rachel to have the best that life had to offer but this was not going to happen without a fight.

Do We Really Mean Families for All Children? Permanency Planning for Children with Developmental Disabilities

This article examines the history of permanency in relation to children with developmental disabilities in the US. Family support policies which focus on maintaining children in their own home and also include a community based continuum of care, imply that non family based care is acceptable for some families.

Peer Supports and Access to the General Education Curriculum

This article gives a good idea of the role that peers can play in an inclusive classroom.

What does work mean in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities

This article presents and discusses some emergent findings from an ongoing ethnographic study in settings where people with intellectual disabilities are employed in integrated work-places in Norway, using a "supported employment" model of supports.

Preparing For Life Transitions: Home to School; Class to Class; Primary to High School; High School to University, TAFE or Work

Almost always, things go better if you plan. If you start thinking of an ideal life for your son or daughter when they leave school, your dream is more likely to become a reality if you start planning when he/she is age 2 than age 17.

The Future of Children with Significant Impairments: What Parents Fear and Want, and What They and Others May Be Able to Do About It.

For over 40 years, Wolf Wolfensberger has been involved with parents of disabled people. Drawing on this long experience, he spells out in this three-part book, the concerns that many parents have for the future of a child with a disability.

What is "Permanency"?

Permanency is about family membership: all children belong with families and families need support to thrive. This short article examines the need for permanency for all children, while suggesting ways to support families to thrive and carry out their function of child rearing.

Daring to Dream: Stories of parent advocacy in Queensland

Daring to Dream' is a collection of biographical stories around the theme of advocacy for people with disabilities. It tells a history of several families involvement with the organisation 'Queensland Parents for People with Disabilities' and how advocacy became the key to achieving their dreams for their family member.

The Genetics Genie

It is clear that we need better regulation of genetic testing and counselling; better information, support and guidance for parents; and better public policy around what genetic decisions mean for prospective parents.