QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS

Qualitative Research Methods in Psychosocial Studies

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Disability is a major problem in the U.S., affecting 17.1% of the population in 1998. Over 54 million people have a disabling condition (Center for Disease Control [CDC], 2000). Newacheck and Halfon estimated that 6.5% of U.S. children experience some form of disability, affecting 4.4 million children (as cited in Trinkl, 1998). Children with varying disabilities are a major societal concern and of special importance to special education faculty.

The U.S. governmental involvement in the special needs of the disabled evolved through a series of legislative efforts that aim to protect the rights of all minority groups (Civil Rights Act CRA) and provide equal protection through the 14th amendment (Brown versus the Board of Education). The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 addressed protection against discrimination solely due to disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which passed in 1990, extended civil rights similar to those of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to people with disabilities. It is extremely significant as "it opens the world to participation by persons with disabilities" (Kauppi, 2002, p. 7). The most significant educational legislation is the Individual's with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), originally passed in 1975 as Public Law (PL) 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975(EAHCA). This law requires an Individual Educational Plan (IEP). It was reauthorized in 1991 as IDEA, and amended in 1997 to include (FAPE) Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to students with disabilities. Section 504 contributes even more to the rights of the disabled as it is the only legal mandate requiring special education agencies to provide related services to a disabled child. An important role of special education faculty is to continuously explore ways to address the special needs of children with disabilities, including those with mental retardation, autism, and physical disability problems, to enhance their adjustment in society, and maximize their capabilities. Children with disabilities often learn to adjust their comfort level by internalizing or externalizing their behavior (Skinner, Bailey, Correa, & Rodriguez, 1999). The synergistic relationship between humans and animals should be given serious consideration by special education faculty. Therapeutic horseback riding is an environmental intervention that aims to promote mind and body integration through movement (psychomotricity) and the human-animal bond (Delta Society, 2001a; Spink, 1993; All, Loving & Crane, 1999).

1.2 Significance of the Study

Many studies have documented the effects of caring for a child with a chronic illness or disability on both individual outcomes such as depression or life satisfaction, and dyadic outcomes such as marital satisfaction or marital stability. Some early studies, such as a comprehensive critique of the literature around marital adjustment to childhood chronic illness, concluded that parents of children with chronic illnesses experienced more marital distress than parents of children without chronic illnesses (Sabbeth & Leventhal, 1984). In another early review examining the effects of having children with special needs on marital relationships, Benson and Gross (1989) found evidence of both positive and negative effects on ...