7th Teaching & Education Conference, London

INVISIBLE FATHERS’ VOICES ABOUT THE INTEGRATED PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTED IN MAINSTREAM CHILD CARE CENTRES IN HONG KONG: IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL CHANGE

YUK CHING LAI

Abstract:

Studies on parental views and experiences of the integrated programme operated in mainstream early childhood settings for children with disabilities are dominated by the perspectives of mothers and teaching personnel. Additionally, most of these studies are largely from Western countries. This hermeneutic phenomenological study attempts to document the personal views and experiences of Hong Kong Chinese fathers who are raising children with disabilities. A total of 24 fathers of children with disabilities currently studying in 12 mainstream child care centres (CCCs) with an integrated programme were interviewed twice. Results indicate that the fathers appreciated the rationales of the integrated education of their children’s integrated CCCs, which is the ideal programme for allowing the involvement of their children in the real world. Nevertheless, the fathers also experienced difficulties, frustrations and dissatisfaction after their children were admitted into the integrated CCCs. Policy and practice implications are also discussed.

Keywords: integrated programme, children with disabilities, mainstream child care centres, fathers

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