Reluctant Voices: Filipino Young Adults with Mobility Limiting Disabilities and their Decision-Making Experiences with their Families
Reluctant Voices: Filipino Young Adults with Mobility Limiting Disabilities and their Decision-Making Experiences with their Families
Santos, A.M. (2015). Reluctant Voices: Filipino Young Adults with Mobility Limiting Disabilities and their Decision-Making Experiences with their Families, Unpublished Thesis, University of the Philippines, Diliman.
Persons with disabilities (PWDs) belong to a sector that is continuously being encouraged by the government to actively participate in public discussions. But for PWDs their involvement at decision-making in the context of their own homes serves as the very first step to public participation. Using the Explicit Family Negotiation Model and key concepts derived from Resource Theory and Relative Investment Theory, this study seeks to understand the decision-making process occurring inside the home from the perspective of Filipino young adults with mobility limiting disabilities.
Eighteen informants from Metro Manila and Rizal were interviewed regarding their decision-making experiences with their families. Informants regularly make decisions on their physical needs but stressed issues of most concern centering on their financial and social needs. Findings further revealed that the needs and concerns of Filipino young adults tend to be accommodated by family members contingent on available resources. However, more alarming was the finding that they are predisposed to keep to themselves their personal concerns because of fear of adding to the burden of the family. In addition, informants generally felt unsatisfied towards their overall participation in the decision made, suggesting that they still consider themselves marginalized. This urges the government to develop and adopt more policies to encourage PWDs to participate in decision-making in the private sphere.
Key Words: Disability Communication, Decision-Making Experience, Family Communication, PWDs, Mobility Limiting Disabilities