Families raising a child with disability – Social and cultural and political considerations: Israeli Jewish and Arab Families

Abstract

Social, political, and cultural realities have an effect on all members of society. For families with a child with disability there are additional challenges. Being a minority family with a child with a disability adds to the challenges. This study compares the family quality of life (FQOL) of families with a child with disability in Jewish and Arab communities in Israel. Main caregivers of children with disabilities of 158 Jewish and 105 Arab Israeli responded to the Family Quality of Life Survey, which operationalizes FQOL as a construct of six measurement dimensions in nine core family life domains. Overall, Jewish families in Israel reported higher FQOL than Arab families. Although eight of the nine domains were rated highly for Importance, the main outcome measures Attainment and Satisfaction were rated lower for almost all domains. Some domains contributed to overall differences more than others. The patterns also differed for the Jewish and Arab families. Social/cultural/political status of families are important for policy and practice professionals to consider as having possible impact on the family of a child with a disability. Further research is needed to develop application models for addressing the needs of minority populations in designing programs into the general service delivery system.