Enhancing Disability Inclusivity in Parenting Interventions

Enhancing Disability Inclusivity in Parenting Interventions

Every child deserves to grow up in a loving and supportive family environment, including children with disabilities. However, caring for a child with a disability presents unique challenges, such as the complexities of meeting their diverse needs and
navigating intricate parent-child interactions influenced by the disability's characteristics. Moreover, parents often face heightened levels of stress and social marginalisation, especially in low-resource settings where access to disability-related
support services is scarce. These challenges can hinder positive parenting and reduce the already limited opportunities for children with disabilities to thrive.

Parenting interventions, whether adapted from general programmes or developed specifically for families of children with disabilities, have shown promise in promoting positive parenting practices and creating a nurturing home environment to enhance child
well-being. In this webinar, we will introduce our approach to supporting local teams within the Global Parenting Initiative in mainstreaming disability through a twin-track method. We will begin with an overview of disability and its impact on families,
followed by an exploration of the theoretical backgrounds and evidence behind parenting interventions for children with disabilities.

Lastly, we will present a case study highlighting how we have designed a digital parenting programme to be more disability-inclusive, and share our plans to further adapt this intervention, by collaborating closely with local stakeholders and integrating
additional evidence-based practices, to address the unique strengths and challenges faced by families of young children with developmental disabilities.

This event has passed. Please watch the recording online.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/xuFdk6c--XQ?si=wTYB6zyzRT2gUJQi

Prof Marguerite Schneider

Marguerite Schneider is an emeritus associate professor at the Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health, University of Cape Town, and supports the GPI FACILITATE group at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She trained as a speech-language pathologist and audiologist before moving on to applied research in disability studies and public mental health. She has published on disability measurement, the intersection of disability, poverty and social protection, and in public mental health.

Dr Zuyi Fang

Zuyi is a distinguished researcher and scholar in the field of social development and disability studies. She holds a DPhil and MPhil with distinction in Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation from the University of Oxford, where she was a Swire Scholar. Her research focuses on evidence-based parenting interventions to address violence against children, with a particular emphasis on those with disabilities.

Zuyi is currently a Disability Research Fellow at the School of Social Development and Public Policy, Beijing Normal University, and a key figure in the Global Parenting Initiative, where she leads projects on developing inclusive parenting resources. She is also the Principal Investigator for the Parenting for Lifelong Health ParentText Adaptation in China project. Zuyi's extensive experience includes working as a full-time social worker at the YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities in New York, providing clinical services to families of children with complex behavioral and mental health needs. She has also contributed to various research projects, including the COVID-19 Playful Parenting Emergency Response and the Parenting for Lifelong Health Scale-Up of Parenting Evaluation Research studies.

Enhancing Disability Inclusivity in Parenting Interventions