New report lays bare the struggle for families of children with disabilities
Phoenix, Arizona: A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report has revealed the challenges facing families of children with disabilities in finding appropriate childcare.
The report, which examined child care facilities across multiple states, including Arizona, revealed physical and operational barriers that prevent many children with disabilities from accessing proper care.
The GAO report estimates that there are 2.2 million children with disabilities under the age of five in the US, and about 27% of their parents report major difficulties in finding appropriate childcare. In contrast, only 18% of parents with non-disabled children face similar challenges.
The report stated that families of children with disabilities and parents with disabilities — including physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities — reported various barriers to finding and using child care programs, which affected their family's well-being. For example, when searching for child care, parents could not easily find information about programs that could serve children with disabilities.
Parents with disabilities reported difficulties communicating with their child care provider and instances in which they faced exclusion or disparaging comments from staff or other parents. Parents' difficulties finding and maintaining appropriate child care resulted in some reducing their work hours, leaving their jobs, or moving their families to new locations.
Selected federally funded child care providers made efforts to support children and parents with disabilities but faced challenges in meeting some families' needs. Some providers GAO visited made modifications to their facilities and their services, including installing playgrounds that can accommodate the use of wheelchairs and other mobility devices and using picture cue cards and assistive tablets to help nonverbal children communicate. Providers said staff shortages and funding constraints were among the challenges they faced serving children or parents with disabilities.
Amanda Glass, with Disability Rights Arizona, told Arizona's Family that while funding is crucial, there is also a need for better federal protections for families of children with disabilities seeking care before kindergarten.
"We need protections for those critical pre-K years," Glass told the network. She pointed out that many facilities refuse to accept children who aren’t potty trained by age three, a common milestone that some children with intellectual disabilities or autism may not meet.