Meeting Families Where They Are

“Harry and Ocasio-Stoutenburg combine academic expertise with personal experience as parents of children with disabilities in this informative and emotionally driven work.” —CHOICE

“A remarkable account of the legacy of advocacy among parents of children with disabilities in the U.S.” —Teachers College Record

This book presents an in-depth discussion of how human disability and parental advocacy have been constructed in American society, including recommendations for a more authentically inclusive vision of parental advocacy.

The authors provide a cultural–historical view of the conflation of racism, classism, and ableism that has left a deeply entrenched stigma—one that positions children with disabilities and children of color as less valuable than others. To redress these inequities, the authors offer a working model of co-constructed advocacy designed to benefit all families. Because advocacy is not a “one size fits all” endeavor, the authors propose meeting families where they are and learning their strengths and needs, while preparing and repositioning families to empower themselves.

Book Features:

• Takes a cultural–historical view that explores the reasons why individuals with disabilities are so stigmatized.
• Shows how the intersection of different stigmatized identity markers, such as poverty, race, and language, have been woven into negative interpretations of “difference.”
• Celebrates the history of parent advocacy in the United States since World War II.
• Examines how social and racial privilege have dictated which parent voices are heard.
• Proposes collaborative approaches that can produce more authentic and more representative advocacy.
• Explores the motivations and purposes that drive parent advocacy.
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