The National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities conducts research and provides training and technical assistance to improve the lives of parents with disabilities and their families. We share our findings here on this website. We also offer information sheets, research briefs, and other resources.
Our resources are for parents with disabilities, legal professionals, social workers, and researchers, and cover a variety of topics, including child-welfare law and its effects on parents with disabilities, firsthand narratives from disabled parents about how they raise their children, and advice for professionals working with specific populations of parents with disabilities.
The Center for Parents recognizes that parents with disabilities know what they need. We are guided by the principle "nothing about us without us."
What's Happening at the Center for Parents
Advocacy & Action at the Intersection of Disability & Reproductive Justice
Join the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 5:30pm EST for Advocacy & Action at the Intersection of Disability & Reproductive Justice, a conversation between Laurie Bertram Roberts and Rebecca Cokley of the Ford Foundation. Reception to follow at 6:30pm.
This event will be held in-person (mask required) and on Zoom.
More about the conversation and how to register
Disabled Parenting within Multigenerational Families
Due to service gaps in home and community-based services and other factors, many adults with disabilities, including those who are parents, may continue to live with their families of origin. Our panelists discussed their experiences and explored the policy implications.
Black, Disabled, Deaf, & Proud
Webinar panelists discussed the intersectionality of their disability identity with their racial identities and what this means for their parenting. Recording and summary now available.
ParentingWell Learning Collaborative
Massachusetts Behavioral Health Providers are participating in the ParentingWell Learning Collaborative
ParentingWell® is an approach to routine practice that makes talking about parenting, children, and family experiences a natural part of the conversation and of an adult’s recovery process.
New Brief: Prevalence of Parents with Disabilities in the US
Webinar: Disabled Parenting within Multigenerational Families
Many adults with disabilities, including those who are parents, may continue to live with their families of origin due to factors such as gaps in home and community-based services. Access the webinar recording.
Perinatal Health of Women with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
At the National Center for Disability and Pregnancy Research, parent panelist Lindsay Brillhart shared her pregnancy and parenting experiences.
Webinar: Disabled Parents in the NICU
On June 7, 2022 at noon, we presented a webinar featuring two disabled parent panelists whose babies were born prematurely and admitted to the NICU. Access the webinar recording.
Our Map Resources
Current U.S. State Legislation Supporting Parents with Disabilities
Despite notable achievements in other areas of disability rights, parents with disabilities continue to encounter significant discrimination. Parents with disabilities are more likely to have their children removed by the child welfare system as well as have their parental rights terminated. Moreover, within the family law system, disabled parents are less likely to gain access to custody or visitation of their children. Finally, prospective parents with disabilities encounter barriers to adopting children or becoming foster parents. While there are many reasons for the pervasive discrimination, it is notable that the child welfare, family law, and adoption systems are largely driven by state statutes.
Go to Interactive Map | Go to Legal Background | Go to Summary of State Legislation
Current U.S. State Laws Terminating Parental Rights on a Basis Including a Parent's Disability
Current laws in many U.S. states include parental disability as grounds for the termination of parental rights. While some states have no laws allowing for parental disabilities as such to be grounds for terminating parental rights, most states have laws permitting this. Our map represents the nine combinations of disabilities that states now allow as grounds for terminating parental rights based on a parent's disability.
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