Cultural beliefs, values, language differences, and unfamiliar educational infrastructures and practices can impact immigrant parents’ capacity to support their children with disabilities in their new country. This study presents perspectives of disability and experiences with special education services based on interviews with eight immigrant parents of children with disabilities from four countries. Results indicate that the process for accepting, or not accepting, that their child has a disability differed across cultural contexts. Additionally, immigrant parents encounter diverse labelling practices and have varying levels of participation in special education services. Moreover, immigrant families who are refugees have differential access to services and a more limited cultural perspective of their heritage country than families who came to the USA directly from their heritage country. These results can assist professionals in rethinking policies and practices to more effectively establish partnerships with culturally and linguistically diverse families. © 2016 Taylor & Francis.

Special education disabilities Cultural awareness

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