Parents with Physical Disabilities and Their Parenting Experiences: A Scoping Review of Qualitative Studies

Like other disabled parents, parents with physical disabilities face numerous barriers and challenges in their parenting role due to factors such as discrimination, lack of physical access, and societal bias and stigma. Parents with physical disabilities face discrimination, stigma, and limited access to equipment and support for everyday parenting tasks, like breastfeeding, bathing, and carrying their child.

Because these barriers persist, better support systems and rehabilitation services are needed. Although discrimination and barriers for disabled parents are well-documented, few studies examine these experiences from parents’ own perspectives or highlight the positive aspects of parenting as a disabled adult.

To address this gap, this paper reviews existing research to examine:

1) the parenting experiences of adults with physical disabilities, and

2) the challenges, needs, and supports they report.

This study is unique in providing an in-depth, international perspective on barriers and sources of support for disabled parents across multiple countries.

Access the full brief, Parents with Physical Disabilities and Their Parenting Experiences