In my master’s thesis I researched the role of the family in the social integration of children with disabilities. In my research, I am interested in the role of the family in the way children with disabilities are socially integrated. In the overview of the problem, I first described who children with disabilities are, what types of disabilities we know and what limitations these children face in terms of social integration. Then I discussed the concept of social integration. I described the process of social integration, listed the models of social integration, described how people with disabilities integrate into different areas of social life and described the factors that influence the successful integration of people with disabilities and factors that inhibit the social integration of these people. Finally, I focused on the concept of family, describing the theory of attachment, enumerating and describing parenting styles and writing something about family support, communication within the family and the role of the family in the process of integration. The aim of the research was to determine the role of the family in the social integration of children and, with the help of the results, to make proposals for improving the social integration of children with disabilities. I asked the following research questions: How much and in what ways are children with disabilities involved in the local community? How does the family contribute to the inclusion of children with disabilities in the local community and social activities? How does communication with children affect the social inclusion of children with disabilities? How do social factors affect the social inclusion of children with disabilities? How does the family help a child with a disability to defend their rights, access services and make adjustments that enable better social inclusion? What role do professionals play in the social integration of children with disabilities? I used qualitative research, and to obtain data, I conducted partially structured interviews with six parents of children with disabilities and four interviews with professionals working with children with disabilities and their families. The measuring instrument I used was the guide for the interview, in which I focused on the topics of my research and assigned questions and sub-questions to each. I analyzed the data qualitatively and recorded the results. I have found that the family plays a key role in the social integration of a child with a disability, providing support, understanding and encouragement. Parents observe, support and encourage their children, which helps them to integrate more easily and better into society. Finally, I made suggestions for improving the social integration of children with disabilities and suggestions for upgrading my research.
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