Quality of Partnerships in Service Provision for Korean American Parents of Children with Disabilities: A Qualitative Inquiry

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the perspectives of 10 Korean American parents of children with disabilities about their partnerships with professionals with whom they work to meet the needs of their children and families. In-depth interviews were used for data collection and the constant comparative method was used to analyze the transcripts. Findings are discussed in terms of four themes that emerged from the analysis: Cultural and linguistic factors; a lack of prerequisites including connection, information, and advocacy; interpersonal factors such as strengths based perspective, professional expertise, commitment, caring, respect, and trustworthiness; and structural factors such as financial benefits, flexibility, turnover rate, and caseload. Finally, implications for practices to facilitate partnerships with Korean American parents and suggestions for future research are provided.