Chinese Immigrant Parents' Perspectives about Using the Internet to Access Health and Education Related Information for Their Children with Special Needs

Abstract

As parents rely more on the Internet for information, it provides a potentially more efficient and affordable format for directly reaching a large number of families with evidence-based health and education related information for their children with disabilities. Little is known, however, about Internet information seeking patterns for parents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This pilot study explored Chinese-American immigrant parents' perspectives about using the Internet to access health and education related information for their children with disabilities. A survey was developed and conducted through a large community service center in the Western United States. Fifty two parents completed the survey and results suggested that challenges and barriers within the context (i.e., channels, culture) of the Internet limited parents from accessing meaningful and high quality information. Implications for research and practice are provided.