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Using Family Style as a Tool in Transition of Hispanic Youth with Disabilities. Christine B. Anderson, MRC, CRC, PhD Candidate Julie F. Smart, PhD, CRC Utah State University. Transition. Transition involves: Developmental stage Employment Independence. Transition.
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Using Family Style as a Tool in Transition of Hispanic Youth with Disabilities Christine B. Anderson, MRC, CRC, PhD Candidate Julie F. Smart, PhD, CRC Utah State University
Transition Transition involves: • Developmental stage • Employment • Independence
Transition • Culture and family influences transition process • Goals for independence • Goals for normalization • Family and community involvement • School system and professional involvement
Transition • Legal definition • Definitions and mandates from two different systems • Special Education • Vocational Rehabilitation • Entitlement vs. Eligibility • Complex bureaucracy
Transition • Self determination • Requires cultural capital • Western definition and expectations • Transition difficult for families and may be enhanced for Hispanic youth • Culturally defined • Professional assumptions of normalization
Legal disadvantages are simply institutionalized expressions of cultural norms • Complex bureaucracies require a great deal of cultural capital • Solution: • Use family style particularly in Hispanic families as a resource • Proceed with caution • Stereotypes - overgeneralization
Family Systems • Family participation influences the transition process Review of Family Styles: • Egocentric/Individualistic • Enmeshed • Group and Community • Collective Family System/Social Orientation
Family Style • Egocentric/Individualistic • Emphasis on individualism • Equality • Families often characterized as nuclear families • Identity development • Choice • Self determination
Family Style • Enmeshed • Fluid boundaries • Family cohesion based on open/closed boundaries • Family role in conflict resolution • Professional views may be misinterpreted • Incorrect assumptions of professionals that family style is dysfunctional
Family Style • Group and Community • Community identity • Individual de-emphasized • Accomplishments and Limitations reflect on community • When individual considered – birth order, gender • Social equality • Status achieved through educational attainment or occupational choice
Family Style • Professionals who misinterpret this family style may alienate families rather than enhance collaboration • Collective Family System/Social Orientation • Close knit social orientation • Hierarchical interdependence • Cooperation • Relationship of family members • Responsibility and obligations to one another • Interconnectedness of community • Family priorities over individual priorities
Counselors who must work within legislative parameters for service delivery may be viewed as culturally insensitive.
Legislation is the cultural expression of society and governing values thus it is safe to state that Rehabilitation and Special Education law is based on the egocentric view of the family. Families that do not endorse the egocentric view of the family may experience conflict in negotiating a system that does not validate other family systems. These issues can be compounded when considering CLD families.
Implications for Practice • Caution in assuming families ascribe to Western culture values • Through counseling process – identify goals • Cultural reciprocity – individual family perspectives versus universal beliefs • Identify values embedded in recommendations • Determine whether individual/family shares assumptions • Acknowledge different perspectives • Discussion for recommendations
Implications for Practice • Provide culturally relevant services • Ensure transition services culturally sensitive • Ethical responsibility • Recognize family style as strength • Family involvement • Role of extended family • Service utilization and procurement • Build on cultural strengths for transition process • Recognize support needed in order to understand system
Implications for Practice • Collaboration of families and professionals • Build trust • Develop community based interventions • Network with other service providers to support and involve families in process • Outreach efforts – accessible format
Counselor consideration of family systems may increase understanding of Hispanic youth transition goals