Maternal accounts of educational & support services in rural communities for disabilities

Aim: Much attention has been given in recent years to developing a multi-professional/multi-agency network of support for families of children with disabilities. However, there is good reason to expect problematic experiences for carers when they choose to live in small rural communities. Method: This paper provides information from a qualitative study on parental experiences in accessing educational and support services for children with disabilities who live in a rural location in Australia. Results: The study confirmed that interaction with educational providers were problematic and sometimes adversarial. Participants felt that their competency as a parent was continually scrutinized. They discussed the personal impact of their choice to live with a child with a disability in a region that has limited support/respite services. Most participants were supporting their family solely on a government carer's pension, finding it virtually impossible to obtain paid employment. The lack of services, the challenges of raising a child with disability, and limited financial support contributed to poor quality of life. Conclusions: The findings of this study show that with some changes - both attitudinal and through support services - there is considerable potential for improvement in the lives of carers and children with disabilities in rural communities.