Disability and the Self-Reliant Family: Revisiting the Literature on Parents with Disabilities

An estimated 8.4 million adults with disabilities have children under age 18 living with them. Despite the large number of adults with disabilities engaged in parenting, studies of parents with disabilities have been relatively scarce, though the number is growing. This article reviews the literature on parents with disabilities as a whole and elaborates three themes relevant to parental support and care: parental capacity, "young carers,'' and social networks. Also discussed are key concepts from the feminist and disability studies literature that can form the basis for a theoretical framework to guide research on parents with disabilities.