Assignment Description
Parents and families are the main allies in your work with students with disabilities. They are your partners and can provide rich, detailed information about their children that you do not know. When children have a disability, their parents are often their primary advocates. Parents and families have a very different experience with their child than you do, so it is helpful to seek out their perspectives as often as you can.
You can approach this assignment in one of the following two ways:
You may interview an individual parent or parents of a child with disabilities.
In this assignment, you will learn about how parents view disability and about the ways they advocate for their children. You will need to take notes during the interview or parent meeting.
Assignment Instructions
Complete the following:
Identify a parent or a parent group to serve as the participants you will interview or observe.
Develop a list of questions to ask the parents if you decide to conduct an interview. Note: If you observe a parent group, you will want to make note of these same items. Your goals for the interview are to:
1.-Analyze how the parents view their child’s disability.
2.-Describe positive and negatives experiences they have had during the child’s schooling.
3.-Describe the relationships they have developed with stakeholders at the school. Consider teachers, therapists, administrators, et cetera.
4.-Analyze the ways in which the parents advocate for their children’s best interests.
Address the four points listed above in your video. Also, reflect on what you learned from the parents and how that impacts your work with students with disabilities.
