The Controversies Of Preventing Parents With Disabilities

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40 percent to 80 percent of parents with intellectual disabilities have their children taken away (NCD 2012). This has to do with many beliefs that parents with disabilities cannot accurately raise children solely based on their disabilities. Between 60 and 90 percent of women with learning disabilities stated they would want to marry and also have children (Baum 2016). These numbers are increasing each year. As these numbers increase, removal rates also increase. Parents with disabilities can raise their children if they are given the support that matches their needs and they also have the right under the constitution to be able to raise children. We must stop removing their childern because of their disabilities. Growing up my mother …show more content…

False beliefs conclude that these children would have fixed lives because of the parents disabilities and in order to prevent this we must separate families. Studies show that children’s destinies are not fixed by having parents with a disability (Powell 2016). Their experience in their adult life were similar to other peers of the same social class and neighborhoods (Field,Sanchez 1999). Their ability to strive in school or leave was also not based on their parents disabilities (Booth 1997). In fact children with parents with disabilities have been shown to foster protective resilience factors, such as personality characteristics, responsiveness to others and an outgoing nature (Booth 1997). They also have been shown to foster family characteristics such as warmth and supportive relationships outside the home and involvement in the wider community (Booth 1997). Parents with disabilities are just as capable of raising children, removing their children based on false beliefs is also a violation of their civil rights. Its the fundamental right to parent without interference and protected by the U.S Constitution (NCD). Though there is circumstances where parents with disabilities are not fully capable of raising children alone, these cases are assessed based on the parents intelligence and their physical capabilities and not taking account other …show more content…

These assessments may be unadapted to specific disabilities and also may be biased (Messer 2017). A study by Field and Sanchez suggest that intelligence alone cannot predict parenting skills (1999). But these assessments are often used in family services to justify removing children (ARC 2011). IQ to measure parental skills is not a good predictor of parental capability (Anderson & Lakin, 1998). With adequate support for these parents in areas such as educational programs that are specific in structure these parents can succeed. We must stop labeling parental skill with intelligence but instead a broad spectrum of skills in which parents with disabilities with proper support can

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