Saudi and Bahraini Mothers’ Experiences of Including Their Autistic Adolescent Sons in Education: A Capabilities Approach

Wid Daghustani,Alison Mackenzie

doi:10.17645/si.v9i4.4556

Wid Daghustani, Alison Mackenzie

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v9i4.4556

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Abstract

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have both signed the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and have a number of acts and policies which support inclusive education for children with disabilities. However, achieving the goals of equitable education at all levels remains a challenge, especially for autistic children. This article reports on the experiences of mothers from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in trying to find schools or autism centres for their autistic adolescent sons. The research is based on in‐depth interviews with 17 mothers, the majority of whom reported that educating their sons is challenging, and that the schools and centres are inadequate or expensive, with the result that a number of participants’ children had to stay at home to the detriment of the boys and their mothers’ wellbeing. The findings are interpreted using the capabilities approach, a normative, evaluative framework on questions of social justice and individual flourishing. A capability evaluation reveals that many mothers experience capability corrosion as a result of gender, cultural, and legal restrictions, as well as difficulties in accessing appropriate education, with respect to three central capabilities: bodily integrity, affiliation, and control over one’s environment.

Highlights

In this article we explore the challenges that mothers of adolescent autistic sons confront trying to find educa‐ tional settings in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain that recognise their sons’ fundamental entitlement to receive “inclu‐ sive, quality and equitable education” (United Nations Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities [UNCRPD], 2016, Article 2)
The majority of mothers in both countries enrolled their sons in specialised autism centres, while others pre‐ ferred mainstream settings in order to include their sons in the educational system
Because the mothers in Saudi Arabia had to contend with imposed immobility and the male guardianship laws, they could not access schools

Summary

Introduction

In this article we explore the challenges that mothers of adolescent autistic sons confront trying to find educa‐ tional settings in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain that recognise their sons’ fundamental entitlement to receive “inclu‐ sive, quality and equitable education” (United Nations Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities [UNCRPD], 2016, Article 2). By contrast, is a more pro‐ gressive society than Saudi Arabia, where women can fully participate in society and have almost the same rights as men, in law at least. The experiences of moth‐ ers in both countries will be contrasted to explore the extent to which their capacity to support and care for their autistic sons is enabled by the social and political structures, and disability laws and rights of their respec‐ tive countries.

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