Diversity, Severe Disability, and Family: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Understanding family challenges and perspectives are critical to effective programming and services for individuals with severe disabilities. Equally central, yet often overlooked, is the relationship between family challenges and diversity. This systematic review examined a set of peer reviewed literature published between 2002-2015 at the intersection of diversity, severe disability, and family for the purpose of identifying the foci, subjects, and research methods of such studies. Results indicated a bias toward studies on the impact of disability on the family, as well as disability beliefs and behaviors. In addition, a majority of articles reported mothers as the primary source of data and surveys as the primary method of data collection. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are explored.