A PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE CHALLENGES FACED BY PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN SWAZILAND

S K THWALA; C I OKEKE; I N DLUDLU

A PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE CHALLENGES FACED BY PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN SWAZILAND

S K THWALA, C I OKEKE, I N DLUDLU

Abstract

Parenting a child is a challenging experience let alone parenting a child with a disability. The nature of the disability in a child goes with its complexity and it often puts parenting skills to the test. This study explores the experiences of parents of children living with disabilities. A phenomenological framework and research design, which employed the focus group discussion and individual interviews, was chosen to collect data. Non-probability criterion purposive sampling procedure was used to select parents of children with disabilities from the three special schools. The sample size comprised 48 parents of which 36 took part in the focus group discussions (FGD), while 12 were individually interviewed. Content analysis was employed to make sense of the data. Peer review and member check were followed to improve trustworthiness. The themes that emerged revealed that parents had unique experiences in raising their children with disabilities; and, the necessity for parents to have appropriate information about the disabilities of their children. It was evident that such parents require counselling support to enable them to deal with the complexities that emanate from living with a child with disability. The authors recommend that Government should consider enforcing policy to check the rise of disabilities in Swaziland.

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