Students With Disabilities From Migrant Farmworker Families: Parent Perspectives

Abstract

Children of migrant farmworkers change schools frequently and must navigate through a maze of confusing and often inconsistent academic policies. Migrant students are often identified as English learners and some have disabilities, which results in additional academic and federal policies that families must contend with as they seek to support their children’s educational endeavors. Further affecting the school experience is the difficulty parents often have in working with school personnel who are unable to support the cultural and linguistic needs of migrant families. This study sought to explore the parents’ understanding of their children’s disability and the special education process and to learn about how migrancy affects those experiences specifically when they attempt to obtain special education services. Through an interpretive perspective, four migrant parents of children with disabilities were interviewed using a semistructured interview to collect data related to their perception of the special education process. The findings of the study are discussed, and recommendations for policy and practice are provided.