Working with Students from Culturally Diverse
Backgrounds with a Disability
A Guide for Schools
Introduction:
This discussion paper explores the importance of diverse cultural beliefs, values and
attitudes in shaping understandings about disability. It is widely recognised that most
students with disabilities and their families or caregivers are likely to face significant
challenges throughout their educational journeys. This paper examines the additional
challenges some families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) cultural groups
may face when dealing with disability.
When teaching and support staff are open to learning about cultural perspectives, the
learning experience for the students and community as a whole is not only richer, but more
inclusive. Whilst each family caring for a child with a disability attributes a unique
meaning to disability, it is valuable to acknowledge how cultural beliefs and attitudes
regarding disability influence understandings, experiences, educational opportunities and
outcomes.
Possible issues facing students with disabilities and their families:







Denial of the disability within the student’s family and community
Blame within the family and community, causing acute stress on parents and siblings
Shame, embarrassment and loss of community status
Isolation of both the disabled child and family carers
Stigma and reduced opportunities for family members within the community
Low expectations of children with disabilities
Long term family stress leading to breakdown of family structures.
Page 1 of 5
How different cultural beliefs, values and attitudes influence experiences
of disability
All families face challenges when raising and educating a child with a significant disability,
but some cultural groups face particularly difficult issues in dealing with disability.
Physical and intellectual disabilities can be extremely confronting for families in these
communities. The effects on family members are often shaped by social attitudes in their
community, leading to increased social isolation.
The birth of a child with disability can result in a crisis within the family. This is made even
more difficult by the absence of supportive attitudes and structures within the community.
There is sometimes a focus on appearance rather than on acceptance and the worth of the
individual. The impact of disability on the family can be on many levels: social, cultural
and economic. These impacts in turn shape the decisions made by families of children with
disabilities.
The following reactions can be experienced by families from all societies and cultures, but
may be more strongly embedded and reinforced in some cultural groups:

Commonly there is an initial period of denial by the family that the disability exists,
sometimes resulting in negative implications for the immediate care needs of the
child. This result is reinforced by community expectations that the family will
function in the same way as before the child with disability was born and also by
the absence of community care structures to assist the family.

The second theme of blame or 'cause attribution' is based on the belief that someone
or something has 'caused' the disability. This view can commonly focus on the
actions of the mother during pregnancy who is blamed for giving birth to a child
who has a 'defect'. Thus, it can be seen as an attempt to explain the presence of the
disability due to some form of fault attributed to the mother, or a physical event
during pregnancy or early childhood. This feature is also commonly used to provide
explanations for somewhat common 'imperfections' in children, such as birthmarks
etc. In some cases, the birth of a disabled child may be considered as a ‘punishment
from God’ that the family 'deserved'.

Some families are ashamed of their children with disabilities who they hide away
in their homes. In some countries, it is not unusual to hear of cases of disabled
children who have been abandoned. Social services in these places are often nonexistent and education and health systems do not cater for children with disabilities.
In other cases, children with intellectual disabilities and hearing or visual
impairments do not attend school because they would be mocked and humiliated by
other students.

In the longer term, both children with disabilities and their family carers can
experience isolation and marginalisation from other families within their community.
Eventually, these factors may result in marital breakdown, with the mother commonly
staying with the disabled child in reduced economic circumstances. The result for the
mothers and children is further social alienation and loneliness.
Page 2 of 5

Stigma attached to disability can sometimes mean that the social status and
marriage prospects of other children in the family are also reduced. In some
societies, this stigma can also jeopardise the marriage prospects of the sisters of a
woman with a disabled child.

In other situations, family members may overprotect disabled children, and have
low expectations for their development, with the result that disabled children
remain overly dependent on others. Even for children from loving homes, a lack of
knowledge and belief in the capacities of disabled people, combined with guilt
and lack of external support structures can result in restricted outcomes for children
with disabilities.
Working towards a shared understanding about disability
Schools can assist students with disabilities and their families by working together to
change attitudes and reduce the stigma associated with disability. Time, care, respect,
patience and persistence are required to change long held attitudes and beliefs.
For most families, accepting and coming to terms with disability is a long and difficult
process. Frequently, the first difficulty staff in schools encounter is overcoming parental
denial of their child’s disability. It is not unusual for parents to be reluctant to give their
permission for their child to have a psychological assessment. Likewise, there is often a
reluctance to accept the findings of psychology reports.
Ways that schools can help include:

First and foremost, listen to the parents, understand their concerns and build a
partnership based on trust. It may take time and continued contact to build a trusting
relationship.

When gaining consent from parents of CALD students for a referral to DECD
Support Services, book an interpreter if required and enlist the assistance of
DECD’s Community Liaison Officers (CLOs) to explain the reasons for the request
in a way that is culturally sensitive.

DECDs Psychologists and other Support Services are available to conduct
assessments and can, if necessary, work with relevant CLOs and interpreters to
explain the results in a way that is sensitive to the specific cultural community’s
beliefs and values.

Conduct staff professional development sessions on attitudes and perceptions of
disability for relevant cultural communities at your school. CLOs can be booked
through DECD’s ESL program to present training and development sessions
tailored to the needs of your school.
Page 3 of 5
Parental attitudes and perceptions of blame and shame can be modified by support and
education. Parents need to be provided with accurate information in a way that is
appropriate for their needs. This may include:

Meeting with the parents of the individual child in a multi-disciplinary team (eg
Disability Coordinator, Psychologist, CLO, Teacher, Support Worker, Interpreter
etc) to listen to the parents’ concerns and to provide information about the child’s
disability, the Negotiated Education Plan (NEP), support options and the future.

Provision of written materials translated into a language in which they are literate.
Please note that some parents of newly arrived families have not had the
opportunity to learn to read, so providing them with written materials in their first
language may be of no help.

Invitations for parents to attend school and / or regional workshops or support
groups. Appropriate support structures will need to be in place for some parents to
be able to attend such sessions and for the information to be interpreted or explained
if necessary.

Invitations to include a relative or community member to attend meetings with the
parent to support them.
Teachers can also make a difference by encouraging inclusivity in the classroom by:
 Building close and supportive relationships with children and their families.

Teaching all students about disability and sensitively providing students with
accurate information and celebrating diversity and ability.

Providing a safe and supportive learning environment that is free from harassment
and responsive to the needs of students with disabilities.

Modelling respect and valuing diversity through positive attitudes and inclusive
language.

Seeking advice and support from colleagues, DECD services and experts in the
field.

Challenging discrimination and negative attitudes.

Including the lives and achievements of exceptional people with disabilities in the
curriculum eg Stephen Hawking, Sudha Chandran, Stevie Wonder, Ludwig Van
Beethoven, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Paralympic athletes, local heroes etc.

Providing experiences that promote understanding, for example, hosting a wheelchair
sporting event, organising a Royal Society for the Blind Guide Dog visit, or inviting a
Paralympic athlete as a guest speaker.
Page 4 of 5
Each and every student with a disability has the right to access a broad and balanced
curriculum so that they can reach their full potential and achieve at the highest level
possible. Learning programs that are inclusive and supportive will enable students with
disabilities to maximise their achievements. In order for students to achieve their full
potential, it is important for teachers to work in partnership with parents and families to
build on the strengths of students with disabilities.
References:
Students With Disabilities Policy, DECS, August 2006
http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/StudentswithDisabilitie-1.pdf
Information about the NEP for Parents and Caregivers 2002
http://web.seru.sa.edu.au/Nep/contents/hom/NEP%20Brochure.pdf
Information For Support Services: The 5–step Process
http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/svpst/files/links/Disability_Support_Progr_1.pdf
A Study on Children and Adolescents with Disabilities in Zimbabwe, 2001
http://www.unicef.org/evaldatabase/index_14427.html
Unicef UK Blogs The right to be Treated Fairly: Veasna’s Story, 2010
http://blogs.unicef.org.uk/authentic_voices/archive/2010/06/18/the-right-to-be-treatedfairly-veasna-s-story.aspx
Aboriginal Students with Disabilities, Ministerial Advisory Committee, September 2003
http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/MinisterSReportAboriginal.pdf
Blame and Banishment - The underground HIV epidemic affecting children, Unicef 2010 p12
http://www.slideshare.net/unicefceecis/blame-banishment
Paralympics can stop Disabled Child Abandonment – Champion
http://en.rian.ru/sports/20120913/175934262.html
UNICEF says one-third of children not in school have a disability and are often denied
dignity and rights
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_60051.html
Page 5 of 5