Parents of disabled children talk about their experiences of partnership in New Zealand schools after Special Education 2000.

Abstract

The rhetoric of parent-professional partnership emerged from notions of parent involvement in the education of children identified with learning difficulties set out in American Public Law 94.142. This paper reviews parent perceptions recorded in a selection of recent unpublished Masters level theses written in New Zealand where parents were interviewed about the education of their children with disabilities. In particular researchers explored issues of school choice, relationship with schools and services, provision of support, and preparation for transition from school to adulthood. These perceptions are contrasted with the conclusions of a review of the state parent-professional partnerships in New Zealand schools in 1981. The paper claims the perceptions of present-day parents illustrate how changes in special education policy have effected some changes in communication although notions of the superior nature of teachers’ professional knowledge and decision-making remain powerful.