Our recent research examines how disability policies interact with cultural values of Chinese families of children with cognitive disabilities. We compared qualitative interview data from Chinese families in Taipei (15) and Sydney (10) to analyse how the expression of values differs by policy context relative to ethics of care concepts of recognition, rights and redistribution.
We found that the disability support in families reflected traditional Chinese values. Similar to most cultures, these values emphasise family responsibility for care. Family paternalism and collectivism accentuated the obligations to mobilise care resources. The families in both cities experienced tension between responsibilities and obligations, which accumulated over time. The comparative analysis demonstrates that disability policies can alleviate tensions from cultural values if the policies enhance families’ capacity of family care and extend care choices. Families had more capacity to manage the tensions if they could expect that formal care and family support were available.
Qian Fang is a post-doctoral researcher at the UNSW Social Policy Research Centre. She studies social policy through the lens of social service non-government organisations (NGOs). Her research combines Chinese and Australian comparative analysis with a particular focus on cultural responsiveness of social services and international Chinese community comparative research.
Heng-hao Chang is a Professor in the Department of Sociology, National Taipei University, Taiwan. He received his PhD in Sociology from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. He is currently the president of the Taiwan Society for Disability Studies. His research interests include disability rights movements, representation of disabilities, and inclusive education for people with disability in Taiwan. He currently serves on the editorial board of the Bulletin of Special Education and International Journal of Disability and Social Justice. His current research projects include vernacularization of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) in Taiwan and comparative studies on indigenous people with disability in Australia and Taiwan.
Karen Fisher is a Professor at the UNSW Social Policy Research Centre. Her research interests are the organisation of social services in Australia and China; disability and mental health policy; inclusive research and evaluation; and social policy process. Karen applies mixed methodology and adopts inclusive research methods with people with disability, families, policy officials and services providers.
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