Exploring Transition Planning Among Racially Minoritized Parents of Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Using DisCrit and QuantCrit

Alongside ongoing efforts to increase postschool outcomes of racially minoritized young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), little is known about their parents’ experiences in preparing for and navigating the transition planning process. We conducted a transition survey with 362 racially minorized parents of children with IDD. Using the frameworks of DisCrit and QuantCrit, we explored parents’ needs, their expectations for their child to live a high quality of life, and how often they encountered challenges when accessing services. Our findings suggest that most parents (a) desired community-based resources, (b) prioritized collectivist expectations for their child, and (c) encountered challenges with advocacy. Parents’ perspectives also differed significantly based on their racial identity. We discuss implications for research, practice, and policy.