Conference Program

The transformative process towards inclusion and democracy that has reshaped school systems supports the pedagogical vision of the learning community, which is called upon to foster student development through the principle of shared educational responsibility (Conzemius & O’Neill, 2001). Within this perspective, schools are invited to adopt a democratic approach that extends their focus beyond the individual to include the family ecosystem enhancing collaboration among schools and families and strengthening the connection between these two social systems (Faure, 1972; Sanders & Epstein, 2005; Pavone, 2014; Di Michele, 2023). Scientific literature has extensively explored the positive effects of this partnership (Christenson, 2004; Pirchio et al., 2016) while also highlighting the persistence of marginalization processes affecting families whose characteristics do not correspond to standardized models (Lohmann, Hathcote & Hogan, 2018). Within this context, academic research has begun to investigate the challenges faced by parents with disabilities in participating in their children’s education (Robinson, Hickson & Strike, 2001; Stalker et al., 2011).
From the perspective of the Intersectionality Approach (Crenshaw, 1989) and Feminist Disabilities Studies (Wendell, 1989; Garland-Thomson, 2005) this contribution seeks to give voice to the experiences of school-based discrimination faced by families with these atypical structures, framing them as issues of social justice in education (Ayers, Quinn & Stovall, 2009). Specifically, it reflects on the interaction between mothers with disabilities and educational institutions, as well as the impact that such interactions may have on their children. The contribution presents the qualitative findings of a doctoral research project based on a mixed-methods design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018) which included 30 semi-structured interviews with mothers with disabilities. Themes emerged from the Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021) revealed barriers to mothers’ participation in school life that are not attributable to their impairments, but rather to institutional and cultural configurations that fail to recognize this form of parenting. Obstacles to accessing school spaces and communicating with teachers and other parents emerged, along with prejudices that undermine the recognition of mothers’ parental roles and capabilities.
These dynamics contribute to indirect discrimination against their children, who are often victims of bullying or exclusion, subjected to higher levels of teachers control, and involved in processes of adultification that position them as mediators in communication between school and family. At the same time the narratives reveal significant self-advocacy practices enacted by mothers with disabilities that redefine their role in school–family partnerships and strengthening more equitable forms of participation.
For an increasingly democratic school system, supporting the participation of mothers with disabilities is not a marginal concern but a critical test in preventing the translation of social inequalities into educational inequalities, and in pursuing new inclusive horizons grounded in an ecological perspective (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Future research could explore children’s perspectives in greater depth and develop institutional guidelines for inclusive partnerships between schools and families that value the educational role of mothers with disabilities. With their collaboration virtuous alliances could be promoted that address invisible vulnerabilities and challenge discriminatory norms and exclusionary practices affecting both students and their parents.