Barriers to Successful Partnerships with Chinese-Speaking Parents of Children with Disabilities in Urban Schools

This ethnographic study examined Chinese-speaking parents of children with disabilities: awareness of their legal rights, their perceived barriers to being joint decision makers, and the type of supports and services they would like to receive from schools. Results suggested that Chinese-speaking parents were knowledgeable about their legal rights. High parental participation at individualized education program meetings and parent-steacher conferences were reported with low participation in other school meetings, such as school site council meetings. Participants indicated numerous barriers preventing them from being more active school participants and joint decision makers. The author discusses implications of the findings and suggestions for practice.