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Parents are often concerned about managing risks for their children, particularly in the context of disability. This paper reports qualitative findings from an intervention study and examines how parents of children with developmental disabilities (mainly autism) manage risks during play. Interviews (n = 17) highlighted parents' fears about their child's safety, which were often exacerbated by concerns about the child's (lack of) cognitive and intellectual capabilities to 'appropriately' negotiate harms. Outdoor play and play that involved other children were reported as particularly challenging. In these contexts, parents described how they would intervene and redirect play activities to avoid any emergent physical, emotional and social harms. The social aspects of risk and disability gave way to adult-mediated and controlled forms of play. We conclude by considering opportunities to support the full inclusion of children with disabilities and their rights to play. Play is an important aspect of all children's health and development Children with disabilities often experience fewer opportunities to engage in play Parents responses to 'risk-taking' in their children's play help understand the barriers to play for children with a disability Social aspects of play are particularly challenging for parents of a child with disability Developing socially inclusive contexts is important to enhance all children's opportunities to play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Republic of Kazakhstan ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People in January 2015 as part of a programme of 'Future without Barriers' and has sought to make the majority of its schools inclusive. This paper reports on progress towards inclusion and the challenges faced by a nation that is aspiring to develop as an independent nation whilst still utilising knowledge and capital from the former Soviet Union. An analysis of the country's 'readiness' for inclusive education is offered, using Hacking's 2010 concept of (2006; 1998a & b; 2010) 'making up people' and Mitchell's 'ablenationalism'. Ablenationalism is also used to explore how Kazakhstan's efforts to assert its own distinctive identity and culture affected the positioning of disabled children and adults within education and within society. We conclude with some considerations of the possibilities for the future rights of disabled children and for inclusion. This article focuses on the republic of Kazakhstan, which separated from the Soviet Union in 1991. The country has made significant efforts to introduce inclusive education over a short period of time and there has been some success. A major barrier to progress comes from the country's system of assessing and classifying disabled children. Teachers have found inclusive education challenging and many have expressed a preference for segregation. Parents faced enormous challenges in having their disabled children accepted in mainstream schools. However, by establishing parents' groups, they have been able to influence policy and practice and increase progress towards inclusive education. Recommendations made to the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, who commissioned this research, included adopting an international perspective to enable it to learn from other countries; incentives to schools to encourage greater inclusiveness and extended media campaigns to change attitudes towards disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parenting of children with autism has traditionally been explored through its negative aspects, but researchers have started to look for different parental experiences focusing on the positive experiences, family resilience and strengths of children with autism. A cross-cultural analysis considers that cultural understanding of autism reflects the way different societies and parents understand it, the variation in meanings of health, illness and disability and not simply the amount of information about autism. In a small-scale exploratory study in Spain, 8 parents from different families were interviewed to explore how they experienced their children's autism and their perception of society's response to it. Findings suggested a general lack of information about autism, parents' trouble finding strengths of autism and a division of roles and responsibilities that seems to place a disproportionate load on the mothers. The way that a society understands autism affects how parents experience their sons' and daughters' autism. This paper examines the experiences of parents of children and young people with autism in Spain through semi-structured interviews. The participants of our study did not feel included in Spanish society since many people have misconceptions about autism, do not know how to help and stare at them and their children. The parents of our study seemed to share a medical view of their sons and daughters and only one of them could think of a positive trait of his son, besides being loving. Both fathers and mothers who took part in the study agreed that mothers bear all the responsibility for caring and deciding the therapeutic and educational measures adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being the parent of a child with a disability and complex medical condition has been described as one of the most life-affirming, meaningful and challenging things a person can do. Co-ordinated supports are important to ensure the inclusion, participation and wellbeing of all family members. Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is designed to support Australians aged under 65 years who have a disability. Concerns have emerged regarding inequities in access to services provided within this scheme. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of families living outside urban areas and engaging within the scheme. Utilising interpretative phenomenological analysis, this research provides important insights into the contextual factors that influence the subjective wellbeing of all family members and the manner in which the market-based NDIS may produce inequities in wellbeing outcomes for families. This article looks in detail at the lived experiences of families navigating supports provided under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and other primary service systems in rural regions across Eastern Australia. Each family included within this study experienced multiple episodes of delays, feelings of isolation and fears that their family member was missing out on essential supports and services, despite having approved funding packages under the NDIS. All participants in this study highly regarded, valued and respected their children and worked to ensure their safety and wellbeing. Their frustration was not for their children but for the failure of the NDIS to demonstrate these values. This paper is an important contribution to research in disability studies, and also has the potential to influence further development in this field and in shaping the future of the NDIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]