Stigma and discrimination: Perspectives from Mexican and Puerto Rican mothers of children with special needs

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of stigma-related discrimination in 50 Puerto Rican and Mexican single mothers of young children with disabilities. Mothers were interviewed on issues related to raising a child with disabilities. This was a preliminary exploration of the stories mothers told specifically related to discrimination. A qualitative analysis of the transcripts revealed clear evidence of discrimination as a result of culture, disability, and a combination of culture and disability. Professionals and strangers were responsible for the majority of the discrimination. Experiences were related to the higher number of interactions with service providers, lack of English language proficiency, being the solitary caregiver for their child with a disability, their status of "other," and the internalization of that status.