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== THE EXPERIENCES OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN LIVING WITH DISABILITIES THE EXPERIENCES OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN LIVING WITH DISABILITIES

Introduction

Disability is the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, and developmental or some combination of these, and it may be present from birth or may occur during a person’s lifetime (World Health Organization 2011). As a result, disability can affect not only those who are disabled but also those who are the primary caregivers. Raising a child with a disability is a challenge to most parents. In other words, primary caregivers, more especially those in rural settings, require assistance from all stakeholders, be it government or the private sector. The experiences faced by the parents, either negative or positive, have made an impact on the well-being of children living with disabilities. Primary caregivers include biological parents of the children or legal parents who include adoptive or foster parents. For most parents, the birth of their first child is a major transition in life that involves the new challenge of caring for an infant, and major changes in lifestyle and sense of identity (Gupta 2011:74). The birth of a child with a disability, or the discovery that a child has a disability, can have profound effects on the parents or the family (Brown, Goodman & Kupper 2014). With the arrival of each new child in the family, further changes will take place. When a child is diagnosed with a disability, the experience of parenthood is affected, and expectations with regard to the child and the future may have to be revised. Like all other children, a disabled child is born into a family and remains a lifelong family member. Among all the social institutions, for example the church, the school and the community, family is the most significant and is universally regarded as exerting the most influence on the child’s development as it provides care, love, support, protection, guidance and direction to children (Monk & Wee 2008:104). The way parents treat a disabled child is a reflection of attitudes they have towards disability.

References

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