Dealing with Double Diversity: Migrant parents’ experiences in accessing preschool services for their children with disabilities
Summary
Little is known about the inclusion of migrants with
disabilities in society and it has been acknowledged that
this group is currently at risk of not obtaining the
necessary assistance in the receiving country.
Considering the relevance of the education system in
enhancing inclusion in society, this research addressed
this gap by focusing on migrant parents’ access to
preschool services for their children with disabilities in
Arnhem, the Netherlands. Data are collected by
conducting qualitative interviews in 2021 with four
parents residing in Arnhem as well as twelve
professionals employed in Arnhem in enabling and
supporting parents’ access to the concerned services.
Based on theoretical exploration, the interviews focused
on the factors that expectantly influenced parents’ access
to preschool services. Parents appeared to experience
several hurdles in accessing the concerned services, on
the micro-, meso- and macro-level of influence. This
referred to hurdles related to finances as well as
language proficiency, limited social networks, cultural
disparities and difficulties of navigating new systems. In
the interrelatedness of these barriers, limited skills in the
receiving country’s language appeared to be the
foundation of the difficulties, which seemed to negatively
influence parents’ information position and the extent of
their social networks. This, in turn, determined in
conjunction with the nature of parents’ social networks –
the potential possession of negative social capital as well
as the educational level of their ties – and norms about
addressing disabilities parents’ access to preschool
services for their children with disabilities.