School-Parent Collaborations in Indigenous Communities: Providing Services for Children with Disabilities

219 Pages·2014·3.103 MB·English

by  Iris Manor-Binyamini (auth.)

Iris Manor-Binyamini
School-Parent
Collaborations
in Indigenous
Communities
Providing Services for Children with
Disabilities
School-Parent Collaborations
in Indigenous Communities

Iris Manor-Binyamini

School-Parent Collaborations
in Indigenous Communities
Providing Services for Children
with Disabilities
Iris Manor-Binyamini
Department of Special Education
University of Haifa
Haifa , Israel
ISBN 978-1-4614-8983-2 ISBN 978-1-4614-8984-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-8984-9
Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013951814
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To my parents, Michael (of blessed memory)
and Noga Manor
To my husband and children
Without your support this book would not
have been written

“ Inspiration , whatever its nature , is born of a perpetual ‘ I don ’ t know ’. Any
knowledge that doesn ’ t give rise to new questions quickly expires : it lacks the vital
warmth that sustains life ” (Wisława Szymborska, In Praise of Dreams . Tel Aviv:
Attention to Poetry 2004, page 163).
I sincerely hope that this book raises many questions for readers, thus ensuring
that this important issue does not expire quickly or lose its vital sustenance.

Pref ace
Indigenous peoples across the world have other stories to tell (Smith L.T., 1999)
Indigenous people are just as much a part of the complex modern world as any
of us; they may be different, they may be unique, but they must be nurtured,
respected, and allowed to emerge. This is particularly pertinent in regard to children
with disabilities, in light of the fact that worldwide, minorities are overrepresented
in populations of people with disabilities. In some areas of the world, the disability
rate among indigenous peoples is more than double the rate in the non-indigenous
population (see Chap. 2 for specifi c data). Indigenous populations collaborating
with the parents of children with disabilities are a prerequisite for treatment to prove
effective; hence, the subject of this book is of paramount importance.
There are seven chapters in the book, some informative and some practicable.
Chapters 1 – 4 provide the background, bringing the reader up to date on the relevant
professional literature and terminology, and review the current state of several
indigenous communities worldwide. Chapters 5 – 7 take an in-depth look, through
the case studies presented, at the Bedouin community in the Negev desert in Israel,
and examine the collaboration between professionals and parents of children with
disabilities in this community. The following is a detailed description of the chap-
ters in the book.
Chapter 1
The fi rst chapter, which opens the book, is the backdrop for the entire book; in this
chapter, I present the common characteristics unique to indigenous communities
and to children with disabilities in these communities. It opens with a defi nition of
indigenous peoples, and presents the world’s indigenous population numbering
about 257–350 million people. Later in the chapter, I survey the attempt to explain
the source of the diffi culties and challenges common to all indigenous communities
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