Disabled children, parents and professionals: partnership on whose terms?

Taking a parental perspective, this paper explores the experience of partne rship between parents of disabled children with learning difficulties and e ducational professionals. It is argued that until policy, legislation and p ractice moves of om its present perspective of viewing disability as the fa ilure of the individual to that of a perspective embracing equality of valu e for all, relationships between parents and professionals will be fraught with difficulties. Furthermore, it is argued that until disabled children a re centrally and positively placed within the relationship between parents and professionals, the existing prejudice and oppression experienced by dis abled children will dominate the relationship.