A call to duty: supporting military families raising children with disabilities

Abstract

Military families raising children with disabilities face many challenges locating and accessing support and services from a local school district following a redeployment. Proper and adequate support from education agencies can help facilitate smooth school transitions for military children and their families. Therefore, it is critical to explore various supports and services offered by school systems and learn about military families’ experiences when attempting to access those resources. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the extant research related to supports and services offered to military families, explore parental experiences with accessibility, and guide future research on the topic. This scoping review was conducted using Arksey & O’Malley five-step structured process. The identified studies described a range of public school-based services and supports provided to military families and their experiences with accessing needed services and supports. Implications are associated with possible solutions, research gaps, and future directions.

Keywords:

• Disability
• military families
• public school
• service
• support

Disclosure statement

We have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mariya T. Davis

Mariya Davis is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Texas A&M University - San Antonio. Her research focuses on the transition of students with disabilities into post-school environments and equipping them with skills necessary for successful post-secondary education, employment, and community involvement.

Christina M. Gushanas

Christina M. Gushanas is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Sam Houston State University. Her research focuses on improving inclusive opportunities and postsecondary outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

Kimberly S. Grotewold

Kimberly Grotewold is the Education Librarian at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. As part of the Research Services unit within the University Library, she provides a range of information research support services to students, faculty, and staff across education, counseling, kinesiology, and psychology programs.