Abstract:
The inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) has been gaining prominence due to the advent of the Brazilian Inclusion Law (13.146/2015) and social methodologies such as supported employment. This study aimed to understand the view parents have regarding the professional career of their children with ID. Overall, 10 couples, mothers, and fathers of people with ID from different age groups participated in this study. A qualitative phenomenological method using comprehensive narratives was chosen. This study found four structuring axes: (a) structural conditions that affect inclusion; (b) perceptions and feelings about ID; (c) inclusion: a permanent obstacle course; and (d) families’ leading role. The paradigm of stigmas and system justification theory were the references to discuss those topics. This study describes the factors that hinder inclusion, such as individualistic and competitive work contexts, restriction of professional opportunities, overprotection, false awareness, implicit disbelief in changing or overcoming difficulties, and ambiguities regarding the sons’ and daughters’ real possibilities. It is highlighted both the importance of support (even if it tied to stigmatizing structures) and the centrality of the condition of parents of people with ID as a notion of identity, elements that make it difficult for them to act as supporting actors in their sons’ and daughters’ lives. The work context constituted an environment of greater inclusion, despite difficulties. In conclusion, this study found an emphatic need for family members to have a new look at the conditions and potential of their children, as well as for the improvement of public policies in favor of a more inclusive society.
Keywords:
Psychology; Persons with Intellectual Disability; Family; Work; Inclusion