Self‐Determination: A Family Affair

Abstract

Due to the advocacy of families during the 20th century, children and youth with disabilities gained access to a free, appropriate education. Although people with disabilities have made significant strides in the past quarter century, in the United States and across the world, people with significant disabilities continue to experience disproportionate levels of unemployment, have few options other than to live with their families, and experience a diminished quality of life. To address this, the educational system has focused on supports and services to ensure that young people with disabilities transition from school to adulthood more successfully. Within these efforts, the promotion of self‐determination for secondary students with disabilities has become best practice, and there exist evidence‐based methods, materials, and strategies to achieve this outcome. This article discusses the importance of self‐determination for youth with disabilities to achieve successful lives and the important role that families play in that process.

A family systems perspective on supporting self‐determination in young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities

“…Much of the research on self‐determination in people with IDD focuses on individual‐level factors, with interventions in special education and community settings targeting component self‐determination skills, such as goal setting, problem solving and choice making (Algozzine et al, ). The role of families in supporting self‐determination in people with IDD has received insufficient focus in research (Curryer et al, ; Wehmeyer, ). This study informs our understanding of the way family systems influence self‐determination in young adults with IDD during transitions, and the way young adults with IDD perceive and exercise this self‐determination.…”

“…(Algozzine et al, 2001). The role of families in supporting selfdetermination in people with IDD has received insufficient focus in research (Curryer et al, 2015;Wehmeyer, 2014). This study informs our understanding of the way family systems influence self-determination in young adults with IDD during transitions, and the way young adults with IDD perceive and exercise this self-determination.…”

“…The IDD literature has called for a stronger emphasis on the way self‐determination emerges in the family system (Curryer, Stancliffe, & Dew, ; Wehmeyer, ), with the perspective that every family member influences and is influenced by every other member (Bowen, ). Children with IDD rely on their caregivers as their earliest teachers for developing component self‐determination skills (Palmer et al, ), and adults with IDD often continue to live in their parental home and receive support from their family members (Braddock, Emerson, Felce, & Stancliffe, ).…”

Autodeterminación personal y discapacidad intelectual: un análisis desde la perspectiva de las familias

“…Es éste un problema complejo que lleva a pensar en la carga negativa que todavía tiene la etiqueta de "discapacidad". Estos enunciados parecen indicar que las personas con discapacidad y sus familias todavía enfrentan estigmas frecuentes que impactan en su bienestar y que deberían ser tenidos en cuenta en los programas y estrategias de intervención psicoeducativos y sociales (Ali, Hassiotis, Stydom y King, 2012;Wehmeyer, 2014;Bacon y O'Hara, 2011;Wehmeyer et al, 2011;Chambers et al, 2007). En la medida en que desaparezca dicho estigma, las familias se encontrarán más cómodas a la hora de tratar con naturalidad todo lo relacionado con las limitaciones de sus hijos y promover un autoconcepto saludable.…”

“…Precisamente, tomando como referencia el modelo socioecológico de la discapacidad, buena parte de la investigación se ha centrado en examinar aquellos factores ambientales que impulsan, u obstaculizan, la autodeterminación. Si bien, a este respecto, los datos sobre los contextos formales son abundantes Wehmeyer y Field, 2007;Agran, Wehmeyer, Cavin y Palmer, 2008;Algozzine et al, 2001;Verdugo et al, 2013), carecemos de un conocimiento más profundo sobre los contextos familiares como facilitadores de autodeterminación (Burke, 2013;Curryer, Stancliffe y Dew, 2015;Shogren, 2013;Wehmeyer, 2014). A pesar de ello, la literatura coincide en resaltar la importancia del apoyo familiar para la adquisición de estas habilidades desde edades tempranas (Brotherson, Cook, Erwin y Weigel-Garrey, 2008;Wehmeyer, 2014;Burke, 2013;Palmer, 2010), siendo prácticamente imposible comprender la autodeterminación sin tomar en consideración su contexto familiar (Turnbull y Turnbull, 2000Wehmeyer y Field, 2007).…”