Parents with disabilities are people with certain disorders (mental, physical, or other types) who are raising young children or being cared for by their young children.
Disability brings various problems to the parents themselves, their children and the whole family. Researchers have studied the effects and issues raised by disabled parents. Aiming to help parents with disabilities, organizations and governments have delivered relevant strategies to provide support.
The term ‘disability’ refers to the existence of one or more long-term restrictions in any core activities including self-care, mobility, communication, or employment.
Classification of disabilities and issues
Disability includes a range of distinctive disorders varying in type of condition and severity. The difficulties associated with them vary depending on families' life stage and types of impairment.
Physical disability is the relatively more commonly occurring one. Among children living with a disabled parent in Australia, 91% of them have a physically disabled parent while 11% have a parent with mental or behavioral disabilities.
Physically disabled parents
“Physical condition[s] include cancers, endocrine diseases, diseases of the nervous system, eye, ear, circulatory system, respiratory system, digestive system and musculoskeletal system, congenital disorders, injuries and other physical conditions. ” Much research of physically disabled parents has historically been based on negative hypotheses and recommended conclusions. Parents with physical or sensory disabilities experience misunderstanding of their parenting abilities.
Deaf parents
Deaf parents face communication barriers which may limit their participation in some social networks.
Visually impaired parents
Visually impaired parents face difficulties in ensuring a safe environment for both their children and themselves, as well as the restriction in accessible activities for them to take part in with their children.
Mobility difficulties
Mobility difficulties make parents rely on others or certain equipment like a wheelchair to support them. More energy and time is often required for them to move from one place to another.
Chronic pain
Chronic pain causes stress and could make parents become less patient with their children in daily life. More rest is needed, which limits the time allocated for parenting. The side effects caused by pain relief and other necessary medicines including possible addiction is another challenge faced by parents with chronic pain.
Mentally disabled parents
Intellectual disabilities
Parents with intellectual disabilities face discrimination in their parenting role. They have difficulties managing housing and financial issues because of their socio-economic disadvantage, which may lead to debt. As their children grow up and their intellectual ability surpasses their parents', new challenges arise like providing children with assistance in education. A 2018 systematic review found low quality evidence that some parents, mainly mothers with intellectual disabilities, provided effective parenting when provided training and support for the required skills.
Learning difficulties
Parents with learning difficulties need help to process information and manage tasks. The way in which they gain and understand information is different from parents without these disabilities. Because of this, many face social criticism and stigma.
Young carer
The term ‘young carer’ means children who participate in taking care of their parents in life.
Types of caring activities provided by children
Direct care for parents, including assist in parents' mobility and other personal cares like toileting, eating, communicating, showering and dressing. Among these assist in mobility is the most common direct assistance provided by young carers. General household tasks, for example laundry, cooking, gardening and simple repairing works. Children participating in this form of assist occupy a greater portion than those helping with direct personal care. Financial management like helping with money and bills, even work to earn for living expense.
Age and identification
Comparing to children in young age, more children in high school age are taking the responsibility of caring for their disabled parents, which reflects that whether higher-aged children are more possible to have disabled parents or children of higher age are more often asked to provide their parents with assistance thanks to their higher-levelled capacity.