The Voices of Parents

Interlude 2 briefly illustrates the perspectives of Japanese and South Korean parents who have children with disabilities. It also describes strategies used for approaching parents on this highly sensitive topic. Japanese parents discussed their children’s challenges, the benefits they perceived of disability services, and their preferences for how their children should be supported at school. South Korean parents described their children’s challenges including stigmatization, the impact on typically developing siblings, and the importance of the support they received from other parents raising children with disabilities. Understanding parents’ perspectives on their children’s disabilities and associated stigmatization can facilitate collaborative parent–educator relationships necessary to supporting the school functioning of children with disabilities.