The Empowered Disabled Parenting Intervention (EDPI) is an innovative intervention that focuses on empowering the individual, particularly in healthcare and social-services settings.
Many people with disabilities, particularly people considering parenthood, have likely felt disempowered in their past interactions with healthcare and other social-service providers when talking about parenting. The EDPI intervention is unique because it provides the disabled parent the opportunity to work with a disabled peer facilitator who is also a parent and to talk about challenges in day-to-day life along with experiences of stigma and discrimination common to many parents with disabilities and hopes for the future. Dr. Kara Ayers of the University of Cincinnati, in collaboration with the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities, developed this peer-led intervention to enhance the experience of parenting for parents with disabilities.
The researchers have issued a Facilitator's Guide—with a Facilitation Slide Set to come—which is designed to provide a holistic understanding of the intervention and to offer guidance about how to assist disabled parents in developing and implementing empowered disabled parenting.
Access the EDPI Facilitator's Guide
Are you a parent looking for empowered disabled parenting tools?
We have several resources available for you to print or download:
- What? Where? When? worksheet
- What Matters Most notepad
- Mapping Family Supports
- Community Resources Map
- Microaggressions Experienced by Disabled Parents
- What Matters Most worksheet
Want to learn more about the EDPI?
We are working on a short video introduction to be available in several formats! Please check back soon.
Funding
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number 90DPCP0012 awarded to the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, Brandeis University. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIDILRR or HHS.
Disclaimer
This resource is for information purposes only and should not be used as medical or legal advice. Please contact your medical or other provider if you have specific questions related to parenting services and supports.