Making Sense of Disability: Low-Income, Puerto Rican Parents' Theories of the Problem
- 1 September 1992
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Exceptional Children
- Vol. 59 (1) , 27-40
- https://doi.org/10.1177/001440299205900104
Abstract
This article reports findings from an ethnographic study of the views of 12 low-income Puerto Rican parents whose children were classified as learning disabled or mildly mentally retarded. Different cultural meanings of disability and normalcy led parents to reject the notion of disability and focus on the impact of family identity, language confusion, and detrimental educational practices on children's school performance. Parents' views were in line with current arguments against labeling and English-only instruction.Keywords
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