How do special education-related professionals parenting children with disabilities experience the special education system? This qualitative exploratory study delves into the experiences of 25 mother-educators who are special education-related professionals navigating the special education system for their children with disabilities. Through thematic analysis, our findings elucidate how the special education system perpetuates inequitable practices. The study describes four central themes: (1) the nuanced role of mother-educators’ expertise, (2) the capacity and willingness of school staff to serve children with disabilities, (3) the inherent inequalities within the special education system, and (4) the role of advocacy. Most of these mother-educators could occasionally leverage social, cultural, and economic capital to advocate and secure services for their children. However, despite their ability to leverage such resources and extensive knowledge about their children and the special education system, these mother-educators encountered numerous challenges in advocating for and securing services for their children. We discuss the implications of our findings for federal mandates on family engagement and caution against the deficit-based nature of special education. Furthermore, we propose recommendations for fostering more equitable approaches within the system. This study underscores the need for systemic changes to ensure that all children with disabilities receive the support and services they deserve.

中文翻译：

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当成为专家可能还不够时：了解特殊教育专业人士养育残疾儿童的经验


养育残疾儿童的特殊教育相关专业人员如何体验特殊教育系统？这项定性探索性研究深入探讨了 25 名母亲教育工作者的经历，她们是特殊教育相关专业人士，为残疾儿童探索特殊教育系统。通过主题分析，我们的研究结果阐明了特殊教育系统如何使不公平的做法长期存在。该研究描述了四个中心主题：（1） 母亲教育者专业知识的微妙作用，（2） 学校工作人员为残疾儿童服务的能力和意愿，（3） 特殊教育系统内固有的不平等，以及 （4） 倡导的作用。这些母亲教育者中的大多数偶尔可以利用社会、文化和经济资本来倡导和确保为他们的孩子提供服务。然而，尽管他们有能力利用这些资源以及关于孩子和特殊教育系统的广泛知识，但这些母亲教育者在为孩子倡导和获得服务方面遇到了许多挑战。我们讨论了我们的研究结果对联邦授权对家庭参与的影响，并对特殊教育基于赤字的性质提出警告。此外，我们还提出了在系统内促进更公平方法的建议。这项研究强调了系统性变革的必要性，以确保所有残疾儿童都能获得他们应得的支持和服务。