Families and disability: Being resilient together. An exploratory research on the reciprocal representations of families and educators
| Title | Families and disability: Being resilient together. An exploratory research on the reciprocal representations of families and educators |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2011 |
| Authors | Everri M, Franchomme L, Gandini R |
| Journal | Interdisciplinary Journal of Family Studies |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pagination | 73-89 |
| Date Published | 12/2011 |
| Publisher | Padova University Press |
| Place Published | Padova, IT |
| ISSN Number | 2282-2011 |
| Keywords | disability, family relations, implicit theories, qualitative research, resilience |
| Abstract | This article presents a qualitative research intended to explore the characteristics of the relationship between educators of educational/rehabilitation services, children with disability and their family members. Specifically, we considered: (a) the educators’ implicit theories, or representations, of families with a child with disability and their effect on the educators’ professional practices, (b) the family representations of the educational/rehabilitation services and (c) the processes of resilience activated to cope with the disability. Twenty-two educators participated in three focus groups, and three families with a child with disability (age range: 9-15) were interviewed and video-recorded in their homes. Results show a partial overlap between educators’ and families’ representations. Implications for the development of a participatory and co-evolutionary approach that strengthen the resilience of families and their children with disability are discussed. |
