DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 252 013 EC 171 169
AUTHOR Utley Cheryl A Marion Robert 0TITLE Working with Black Families Having Mentally Retarded
Members PUB DATE May 84 NOTE lip Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the
American Association on Mental Deficiency (108th Minneapolis MN May 27-31 1984)
PUB TYPE SpeechesConference Papers (150) mdash Information Analyses (070)
EDRS PRICE MF01PC01 Plus Postage DESCRIPTORS Black Family Cultural Influences Faiuly
Relationship Mental Retardation Social Influences Social Support Groups Values
ABSTRACT The paper examines culture as an influential variable
in the shaping of the value system within the sturcture of black families specifically those with mentally retarded members Typical negative views of the black culture included such characteristics as matriarchal unstable and pathological More recent views have focused on strengths including strong kinship bonds strong work orientation and adaptability of family roles Two strengths the extended family or kinship network and the religious orientation are examined in an analysis of how Black families cope with-retardation Ethnographic studies focusing on child-rearing practices associated with black families of mentally retarded persons are reviewed and results point to identifiable structural characteristics including the role of the mother and support of the grandparents as essential elements of the social support network and the importance of the church as a source of respite care and mainstreamed experiences (CD
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES CENTER (EWC1
3 TIM Oucmmni lot been ow ftw (MI ion ot
originating it Minor changei haw bmn marja to impra reproduction quality
bull Points of vinv or optmomstatmjnthia doc men do not rwcwsanrv repmantotfiolaquoIME poiinon or pokey
| bull
3
C5 CMirgt rgCD LU
WORKING Wllil BITK fAViLlLb HA MfM-MLY KiJARDED McMBERS
Cheryl A Utloy -M
Cecrgt jhudy Uile-jc of VarvJi-r-tii 1 L John r Kennedy Cenl-r
University
Robei t Marion Jhl
University of TOXJS at Austin oi Ldijcatii
per presented at the Annual Met-tiny of tho A^ierican Association on Mental Deficiency Minneapolis Minnesota May 27-31 1984
P o o t o u o t e v i t h ou t igt e rm 1 s si on f com t he au tho r s
Introduction
The quality of the lives of Ulack Mentally retarded children
is a new area of research Dupiricdl knowledge concerning how the
Black family provides child care handle financial matters and
conducts the ordinary daily responsibilities of a home with u mentally
retarded child is virtually non-existent There is evidence however
ttiat the structure of the Black family in general does riot differ
from the Black family havin-j mentally retarded members (Mitchel-Kernan amp
Tucker 1984)
The purpose cf tins paner is to examine culture as jn influential
variable in the shaping of tho value system within tho iilack family
structure Emphasis will be placed upon the cultural foundations of
the Black family that have determined the cohesive interactional patterns
and adaptation skills necessary for survival in the mainstream society
Lastly the family structure of the Black family having mentally retarded
members will be discussed
Cultural Foundations of tho Black Family
Culture is defined as the rules used by members of a particular
group to govern the interaction wHh each other aid the environment
Berry (1976) sees culture as a way of life or a learned pattern of
behavior which 1s unique to a group of people On an Individual level
some scholars have argued that cuire intertwined with language
the mind so that bull bull bullbullbullbull
each person iji - bullbullbull as
bull a
bull learner
bullbullbull bull bullbullbullbull is
bullgtraquo both ^V 1 - bullbullbullbullbull-
bounded and^ifiii^Ss^jR^JlWs
r bullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbull bullbullbullbull--bull-bullbull bull- bullbullbull-bull bull bullbull ~ [~~ ~^ -mdash -bullgt-ltbull bullbullbullbullbull^bullbullbull- y^Jamp^^^t^^SiiiifaiiS^sSsiaSSiSS
bull bullbull- bull bull -as
according to the wor 1 J-^id-1 ife view and the irentoi process styles
Of his culture (UjrJ 1 J3)
The genera view bull gt the GLu-k cuUijre v depicted Ly early
investigatory in th-gt 1 deg-10 s ha^ CLMsisi-d of nf-itive stereotypes
(Myrdal 1941) Soin uf these rvjttiV (I iracti ri t ic-i JScribed to
the Black familv were (1) matrix ttia ( ) unstable (3j lacking in
productivity (4) uu)ti-djoncy iwiilies (SJ ( ow value of nducation
and (6) pathological Since tlust tine Minority researchers such as
Billingsley (1968) jnd riiil (1972) uve presented a different view
of Black families which focu-s en their strengths According to Hill
these strengths are (1) strono kinship bonds ( strong work orientashy
tion (3) adaptability of family roles ^) high achievement orientation
and (b) strong religious orientation The basis for thii -hift 1n
Geology may be attributed to a changing social order and the need of
professionals and educators alike to develop j constructive understanding
of how to increase iiinority parent involvement in the schools
Two of these strengths (1) the extended dvvily or Hnship network
und (2) the religious orientation of -he Black family provides the subshy
stantive knowledge needed to understand how they cope with the handicap
of mental retardation The former strength the expended family is a
primary source of familial support (McAdoo 1978) The latter strength
of religious orientation is an important contributor in the socialization
process The church represents an educational institutionthat adheres
to social norms and provides- the opportunity to develop non-kinship
relationships This is an important^source for nurturing friendships
between Black mentally retarded persons and their non-handicapped
The Role of t he _E x tendk d_ F jinLijjy
The kinship niraquotwov in the Biaei fiiiy i-gt a mult ijeneratTonal
social network of relatives friends ard m-iahbirs (Martin amp MaKfin 1978)
Although there are no definite bcund^rii - tr-it characterize each family
member the extended fjriily system is a gtupnort iiit-chanisro that functions
in similar ways to the nuviejr family Through the network of cooperative
kinship Black fairil^ merbers arf ltitne o receive emotional psychological r
physical and financial support [ht raquobullbullbull i-idoc faniil lttlso server to
reinforce career aspirations of ts wsn -rs and to offer encouragement
during on -conomic crisis uneiiuloyiicnt illness and other undesirable
circumstances
Another important feature of the extended Black family is the role
of the mother Inis type of family is referred to as tiutriarchal or
[internal Past studies hivo associated a female headed household as a
source of family disorganisation (Fra^icr )39) However the current
literature provides evidence that trie presence of a strong maternal
figure constitutes a significant soura- fcr establishing personal and
professional goals encouraging scholastic achievement and transmitting
educational aiibitions to their l^ack children (Hale 1982)
The Religious On en tat 1 on of the BJack raiiily
The degree of participation of tho o
Black family in the church culture
is extensive As a social institution the church provides the opportunity
for Black children to develop social competencies and friendships with
their peers and Black adults to develop leadership skills and expertise ||
voluntary organizations Thus the church is a formal community bull bull bullbull bull
ittsraquoJj^i^u^^
Tne chur) i r ilso d viluahlc bullbullbullnj for Jelninq talents
in drama s ( -eltikincj musk djnetr eilaquo bullbullbullbull oxtri-curricular activities
offered by the church in aj-v casts supi)leiienl the schools academic
curriculum Trie -social structure of the church tan I 1 1 viewed a^ an
educatioiivil institution through whuli Click children i jfi achieve re-
gt0jnition and ^utiosi outside of tho school (ftjrkiti 1 195)
deg V
To determine the structural variables eg hi Id-rearing practices
associated with the Black family ethnographic studies employing naturalshy
istic observations and interviews have been conducted with Black mentally
retarded adults As children these mentally retarded adults were
labelled educable mentally retarded (FMR) and diagnosed as having learning c
and behavioral problems similar to the six-hour retarded child This
label implies that the condition of mental retardation occurs during the
school hours of 9 am to 3 pm and results solely from poor academic achieveshy
ment in the classroom In the community the six-hour retarded child has
adequate adaptive behavior skills and loses any distinctive characteristics
assigned by teachers and administrators in the public school system
(Mercer 1973)
Tucker and Kitchell-Kernan (1983) studied the social support and
social network of 24 Black mentally retarded adults 12 females whose
mean age was 265 and 12 males whose mean age was 268 The IQ scores of
the study sample ranged from b5 tc 70 living arrangements of the sample
consisted of (a) the family of origin (b) a care facility and (c) an
independent living situation
fill
As previously noted the procedure 1 used in ddt3 cjl lection
bull ia 1 i t a t i v o methods raquo i^ 1 bullbull lt e J in ( u i t u bull 1 i n t h rono 1 oi v ud social
bull)s vcho 1 Co v I n addition the bullgt ubri t s were ltbull 1 n i tr f ed structured
Huestionaires and s tend jrlaquoi i zed instruments From the oues ti ona i re
ronses the f o 1 1 ow i i ] catenaries emer-jed (1) the structural
characteristics ot the uir lc s -ociai networks (e-i dominant
curce Mid intimate -iu critical t i gtv ) (2) coning mechanisms
ir oroblen solving situations (3) t k c- underiving reasons for the
transactions a mono fjjiib and kinshin tics and (4) the qualitative
a s n e c t s o f s p e c i f i c bull o c i 11 relationships
Overall the results t-evegtilei thltgt the Hlick mentally retarded a |
adults conducted their lives in the same way as their non-handicapped ||1
-leers andor role models These jiiults were involved in romantic |
-elationships had children developed close relationships and |bullS3
identified the farcilv as 1 dominant source in their social network
The role of the family ercerqed as an important source of
emotional psychological and financial support The composition
of the extended family network was a t r i archal with a cluster of
adult females plus lineal relatives such as aunts uncles in-laws t
and cousins This outcome confirmed the hypothesis that the
structural variables in the Black family fire not distinguishable
in nature from the Black family^haviin mentally retardedmembers
The data revealed that familial involvement consisted of a
range of services under the foilwing categories (1) life manageraquo||i
ment (2) housekeeping (3) child care and (4) guidance and
$poundygtamp$t$ Under the first category of life ^
bdquo- bull--bullbull bullbullbull 5il| -bdquo laquo bull i--^
tion of igtb ^ nn 1 i c a t i T s tne r -M bull- t i o n of food in a restaurant
the writinq of letters iscl thlaquo- bull bull bull - i ngt or bull bulllt-raquobull- e lt
drivers licence and c i v serur- t-gt raquo- In these circumstances
relatives ana kirshii bullH-mbers rather tnon friends wer-laquo instrushy
mental in fulfilling thi-ir dailv IM-I-- In pr i or i t i i i ru the
needs of P1acl cental lv re t t bull -ltKd ivlul fin a racial a y si stance
was a najor concern In soverraquol trraquo c LS ^1 out of 4 sample subshy
jects a awily member w^s n-lt nons i b 1 raquobull for maintaining the fiscal
nt of iconic- 1- r^L- ved from the r0( ial service agencies
P-ir example
bulleiffi lived in d Lcuiril jrid rire facility in which she had no cortro over her fininciai iffiirs Her I^ot her is the navee for Helens Sn 1 omenta 1 Security Income (SSI) and make c oavnents directly to the board and care operator The remaining amount is used bv Helens mother to purchase articles that she Relieves thit Helun needs Although Helen is quite discontent with this arrangement her history of psychiatric prubl cms and epileptic seirurer causes her mother to doubt Helens itnlit to iMan-VK- her ovn affairs independent lv (Kernan and Tucker D 17S)
The second cateqory nf housekeop i n-] wa-j an important function
o f family members Altliough Black mentil lv retarded females
were more skilled in performing household chores such as cleaning
cooking and washing the family of oriqin provided regular assis--
tance to oversee the completion of these activities
The third category child care was another significant
area of family responsibility Grandparents provided a range of t
chi Id-rearino services from parenting to babysitting to feeding
to educating young children The degree of participation or raquo
family suooort involved the total removal of the cliild from the
B _ _ Jl$^^^^^^^^H^i^^^^i^sa^^iM^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
V raquo f -raquoraquo
In us inn se 1 f - rer or t a c 1 bull s bullbullbull ifii data collection procedure
t n e following bull 0 r v 1 1 r n - o r bull bull r 1 1 ( o
farolvn WM-gt bull lt -I 1 voraquoi lt-i t-c ieves COT i dr rah I f sun port fron her r other bull i1 he care a vejrinq of nor three children throjih trgtc- r o i rgt i on of home money discipline and a nu-iber of ot^r-r daily child care needs Indeed her mothers I i jh level of i nvo 1 v-gtin t ippear-^ to Le a central factor in her trothraquo-rs decision to move back to their home state when it necoiies fir-araquouii feasible It is therlt- that Carolvns -iOthtr expects to find uf~iciett support fron her -gtwn kin i]rji to ma 1 1gt Cnvolvn 1 uenenderice less
of a bu rdcri ( Kerna n ^ Tucker n I MO)
v i t r i a rch i a 1 su port i f i -x tended family lu-work is also
illustrated through the
Althrjoh bull i tcraquo-o 1 1 a -i-vplusmnr o 1 J male had relatively little involvenK-nt witn li i bull fraquoiil this situation changed radically after n i s -iarrialt)e ari iubseoueigtt uirth of h i child- Beshycause Mitchells nothnr d i sa jure ves of his wife who is also retarded this increased reo Jeri( v of kin interaction tends to take okice between Mitchell n ci his in-laws rather than his own relative His niothtrs d i sengaqemen t however is more than compensated for by he nother- i n- 1 aw s involvement in his lif bull She invited the new couple to live with her iin cd orovids a wid- variety of unnort for them jrd their 1-abv (laquo(bullgt- nan laquolt Tuclfr n 130)
These findings surjest that the role of the grandmother is exshy
tremely imoortants iin i f i car t This extended family arrangement
has been identified as an informal adoption procedure whereby the
qranduarents assumed the child care resoonsi bi 1 i ties due to the
iiit-ntallv retarlt-d s narenta incaiMcity marital uroblems imshy
maturity and the Qrandnaren t s own su f - f u 1 f i 1 1 i nq need of
companion shin In addition these conclusions concur with the
previous writings of Hill and Shacklefcrd (1975) and Nobles (1974)
to suggest that laquo
this type of extended family structure is a
iss distinctive feature of Black f ami 1 ies
In the Vastcateltiorv of guidance and direction the i^^^^1^1 ^^^^^^ H bull(bullbullbullbullbull bull bullbull raquo ii
8
feelings Ion lines- anrt soc i a 1 -af t n i vr needs was an obvious
characteristic TK- sanK sub jet bull t bull gtrgtbullbullbull] to their parents
ii-laws and stliii as friends - e in mod noint was
nade by this c-L]ect
According f o S tevo a g bull ^ 2 h-- vu u 1 lt1 run to his mother in traquo linute lie tgtited that hlt vuuld drop like that T o run to her WP talk We dont have that kind of communication i 5- far js haiqirn around toqether But we talk shunever 1 need sninei^cy to talk to (Kernan laquo T u c k L- r t) 1 81 )
In -um-narv th--re vcre several idenufiaMe structural
characteristic^ of the I lack fan i 1 v havirvj mentally retarded
bull(nbers The vlt t erdi-d fai ilv in uirt iculjr the rple of the
bullOther and support of the q ran Joaron is jro essential elements
in the social sunport network The extent of thf involvement
line Jenree of interaction is determined bv two factors the
iiscal PKinaqenient of income and tho socialization of young
children Althounh housekc-ep i tu) ltmd j-ndtinct from the extended
family are not as IM port ant 81 act gt-^n t a 1 1 y retarded adults are
highly dependent upon their extended family to assist in these
areas
Earlier i ii this mi per the religious orientation of the
Black familv was discussed as an important formal support
service in developing friendships The research findings of
this study indicate that the church is the most central agency
among voluntary organizations where friendships can be nurtured
The church has been instrumental in their attempts to (1) assi
late the Black mentally retarded individual into the mainstrea
of society 2 teach occupational skills and (3) provide
laquo^^^ - sss^iiiiampfsA i
mishy
m
services ma- bgt attained There -rit--is to he more substantive
empirical -violence o document tMf tv-raquo ct services provided bull
who is entitled to toese services the frequency of participation
bv mentally retarded individuals anj the effectiveness (cost
and treatment) of these ceraquo-vices
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES CENTER (EWC1
3 TIM Oucmmni lot been ow ftw (MI ion ot
originating it Minor changei haw bmn marja to impra reproduction quality
bull Points of vinv or optmomstatmjnthia doc men do not rwcwsanrv repmantotfiolaquoIME poiinon or pokey
| bull
3
C5 CMirgt rgCD LU
WORKING Wllil BITK fAViLlLb HA MfM-MLY KiJARDED McMBERS
Cheryl A Utloy -M
Cecrgt jhudy Uile-jc of VarvJi-r-tii 1 L John r Kennedy Cenl-r
University
Robei t Marion Jhl
University of TOXJS at Austin oi Ldijcatii
per presented at the Annual Met-tiny of tho A^ierican Association on Mental Deficiency Minneapolis Minnesota May 27-31 1984
P o o t o u o t e v i t h ou t igt e rm 1 s si on f com t he au tho r s
Introduction
The quality of the lives of Ulack Mentally retarded children
is a new area of research Dupiricdl knowledge concerning how the
Black family provides child care handle financial matters and
conducts the ordinary daily responsibilities of a home with u mentally
retarded child is virtually non-existent There is evidence however
ttiat the structure of the Black family in general does riot differ
from the Black family havin-j mentally retarded members (Mitchel-Kernan amp
Tucker 1984)
The purpose cf tins paner is to examine culture as jn influential
variable in the shaping of tho value system within tho iilack family
structure Emphasis will be placed upon the cultural foundations of
the Black family that have determined the cohesive interactional patterns
and adaptation skills necessary for survival in the mainstream society
Lastly the family structure of the Black family having mentally retarded
members will be discussed
Cultural Foundations of tho Black Family
Culture is defined as the rules used by members of a particular
group to govern the interaction wHh each other aid the environment
Berry (1976) sees culture as a way of life or a learned pattern of
behavior which 1s unique to a group of people On an Individual level
some scholars have argued that cuire intertwined with language
the mind so that bull bull bullbullbullbull
each person iji - bullbullbull as
bull a
bull learner
bullbullbull bull bullbullbullbull is
bullgtraquo both ^V 1 - bullbullbullbullbull-
bounded and^ifiii^Ss^jR^JlWs
r bullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbull bullbullbullbull--bull-bullbull bull- bullbullbull-bull bull bullbull ~ [~~ ~^ -mdash -bullgt-ltbull bullbullbullbullbull^bullbullbull- y^Jamp^^^t^^SiiiifaiiS^sSsiaSSiSS
bull bullbull- bull bull -as
according to the wor 1 J-^id-1 ife view and the irentoi process styles
Of his culture (UjrJ 1 J3)
The genera view bull gt the GLu-k cuUijre v depicted Ly early
investigatory in th-gt 1 deg-10 s ha^ CLMsisi-d of nf-itive stereotypes
(Myrdal 1941) Soin uf these rvjttiV (I iracti ri t ic-i JScribed to
the Black familv were (1) matrix ttia ( ) unstable (3j lacking in
productivity (4) uu)ti-djoncy iwiilies (SJ ( ow value of nducation
and (6) pathological Since tlust tine Minority researchers such as
Billingsley (1968) jnd riiil (1972) uve presented a different view
of Black families which focu-s en their strengths According to Hill
these strengths are (1) strono kinship bonds ( strong work orientashy
tion (3) adaptability of family roles ^) high achievement orientation
and (b) strong religious orientation The basis for thii -hift 1n
Geology may be attributed to a changing social order and the need of
professionals and educators alike to develop j constructive understanding
of how to increase iiinority parent involvement in the schools
Two of these strengths (1) the extended dvvily or Hnship network
und (2) the religious orientation of -he Black family provides the subshy
stantive knowledge needed to understand how they cope with the handicap
of mental retardation The former strength the expended family is a
primary source of familial support (McAdoo 1978) The latter strength
of religious orientation is an important contributor in the socialization
process The church represents an educational institutionthat adheres
to social norms and provides- the opportunity to develop non-kinship
relationships This is an important^source for nurturing friendships
between Black mentally retarded persons and their non-handicapped
The Role of t he _E x tendk d_ F jinLijjy
The kinship niraquotwov in the Biaei fiiiy i-gt a mult ijeneratTonal
social network of relatives friends ard m-iahbirs (Martin amp MaKfin 1978)
Although there are no definite bcund^rii - tr-it characterize each family
member the extended fjriily system is a gtupnort iiit-chanisro that functions
in similar ways to the nuviejr family Through the network of cooperative
kinship Black fairil^ merbers arf ltitne o receive emotional psychological r
physical and financial support [ht raquobullbullbull i-idoc faniil lttlso server to
reinforce career aspirations of ts wsn -rs and to offer encouragement
during on -conomic crisis uneiiuloyiicnt illness and other undesirable
circumstances
Another important feature of the extended Black family is the role
of the mother Inis type of family is referred to as tiutriarchal or
[internal Past studies hivo associated a female headed household as a
source of family disorganisation (Fra^icr )39) However the current
literature provides evidence that trie presence of a strong maternal
figure constitutes a significant soura- fcr establishing personal and
professional goals encouraging scholastic achievement and transmitting
educational aiibitions to their l^ack children (Hale 1982)
The Religious On en tat 1 on of the BJack raiiily
The degree of participation of tho o
Black family in the church culture
is extensive As a social institution the church provides the opportunity
for Black children to develop social competencies and friendships with
their peers and Black adults to develop leadership skills and expertise ||
voluntary organizations Thus the church is a formal community bull bull bullbull bull
ittsraquoJj^i^u^^
Tne chur) i r ilso d viluahlc bullbullbullnj for Jelninq talents
in drama s ( -eltikincj musk djnetr eilaquo bullbullbullbull oxtri-curricular activities
offered by the church in aj-v casts supi)leiienl the schools academic
curriculum Trie -social structure of the church tan I 1 1 viewed a^ an
educatioiivil institution through whuli Click children i jfi achieve re-
gt0jnition and ^utiosi outside of tho school (ftjrkiti 1 195)
deg V
To determine the structural variables eg hi Id-rearing practices
associated with the Black family ethnographic studies employing naturalshy
istic observations and interviews have been conducted with Black mentally
retarded adults As children these mentally retarded adults were
labelled educable mentally retarded (FMR) and diagnosed as having learning c
and behavioral problems similar to the six-hour retarded child This
label implies that the condition of mental retardation occurs during the
school hours of 9 am to 3 pm and results solely from poor academic achieveshy
ment in the classroom In the community the six-hour retarded child has
adequate adaptive behavior skills and loses any distinctive characteristics
assigned by teachers and administrators in the public school system
(Mercer 1973)
Tucker and Kitchell-Kernan (1983) studied the social support and
social network of 24 Black mentally retarded adults 12 females whose
mean age was 265 and 12 males whose mean age was 268 The IQ scores of
the study sample ranged from b5 tc 70 living arrangements of the sample
consisted of (a) the family of origin (b) a care facility and (c) an
independent living situation
fill
As previously noted the procedure 1 used in ddt3 cjl lection
bull ia 1 i t a t i v o methods raquo i^ 1 bullbull lt e J in ( u i t u bull 1 i n t h rono 1 oi v ud social
bull)s vcho 1 Co v I n addition the bullgt ubri t s were ltbull 1 n i tr f ed structured
Huestionaires and s tend jrlaquoi i zed instruments From the oues ti ona i re
ronses the f o 1 1 ow i i ] catenaries emer-jed (1) the structural
characteristics ot the uir lc s -ociai networks (e-i dominant
curce Mid intimate -iu critical t i gtv ) (2) coning mechanisms
ir oroblen solving situations (3) t k c- underiving reasons for the
transactions a mono fjjiib and kinshin tics and (4) the qualitative
a s n e c t s o f s p e c i f i c bull o c i 11 relationships
Overall the results t-evegtilei thltgt the Hlick mentally retarded a |
adults conducted their lives in the same way as their non-handicapped ||1
-leers andor role models These jiiults were involved in romantic |
-elationships had children developed close relationships and |bullS3
identified the farcilv as 1 dominant source in their social network
The role of the family ercerqed as an important source of
emotional psychological and financial support The composition
of the extended family network was a t r i archal with a cluster of
adult females plus lineal relatives such as aunts uncles in-laws t
and cousins This outcome confirmed the hypothesis that the
structural variables in the Black family fire not distinguishable
in nature from the Black family^haviin mentally retardedmembers
The data revealed that familial involvement consisted of a
range of services under the foilwing categories (1) life manageraquo||i
ment (2) housekeeping (3) child care and (4) guidance and
$poundygtamp$t$ Under the first category of life ^
bdquo- bull--bullbull bullbullbull 5il| -bdquo laquo bull i--^
tion of igtb ^ nn 1 i c a t i T s tne r -M bull- t i o n of food in a restaurant
the writinq of letters iscl thlaquo- bull bull bull - i ngt or bull bulllt-raquobull- e lt
drivers licence and c i v serur- t-gt raquo- In these circumstances
relatives ana kirshii bullH-mbers rather tnon friends wer-laquo instrushy
mental in fulfilling thi-ir dailv IM-I-- In pr i or i t i i i ru the
needs of P1acl cental lv re t t bull -ltKd ivlul fin a racial a y si stance
was a najor concern In soverraquol trraquo c LS ^1 out of 4 sample subshy
jects a awily member w^s n-lt nons i b 1 raquobull for maintaining the fiscal
nt of iconic- 1- r^L- ved from the r0( ial service agencies
P-ir example
bulleiffi lived in d Lcuiril jrid rire facility in which she had no cortro over her fininciai iffiirs Her I^ot her is the navee for Helens Sn 1 omenta 1 Security Income (SSI) and make c oavnents directly to the board and care operator The remaining amount is used bv Helens mother to purchase articles that she Relieves thit Helun needs Although Helen is quite discontent with this arrangement her history of psychiatric prubl cms and epileptic seirurer causes her mother to doubt Helens itnlit to iMan-VK- her ovn affairs independent lv (Kernan and Tucker D 17S)
The second cateqory nf housekeop i n-] wa-j an important function
o f family members Altliough Black mentil lv retarded females
were more skilled in performing household chores such as cleaning
cooking and washing the family of oriqin provided regular assis--
tance to oversee the completion of these activities
The third category child care was another significant
area of family responsibility Grandparents provided a range of t
chi Id-rearino services from parenting to babysitting to feeding
to educating young children The degree of participation or raquo
family suooort involved the total removal of the cliild from the
B _ _ Jl$^^^^^^^^H^i^^^^i^sa^^iM^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
V raquo f -raquoraquo
In us inn se 1 f - rer or t a c 1 bull s bullbullbull ifii data collection procedure
t n e following bull 0 r v 1 1 r n - o r bull bull r 1 1 ( o
farolvn WM-gt bull lt -I 1 voraquoi lt-i t-c ieves COT i dr rah I f sun port fron her r other bull i1 he care a vejrinq of nor three children throjih trgtc- r o i rgt i on of home money discipline and a nu-iber of ot^r-r daily child care needs Indeed her mothers I i jh level of i nvo 1 v-gtin t ippear-^ to Le a central factor in her trothraquo-rs decision to move back to their home state when it necoiies fir-araquouii feasible It is therlt- that Carolvns -iOthtr expects to find uf~iciett support fron her -gtwn kin i]rji to ma 1 1gt Cnvolvn 1 uenenderice less
of a bu rdcri ( Kerna n ^ Tucker n I MO)
v i t r i a rch i a 1 su port i f i -x tended family lu-work is also
illustrated through the
Althrjoh bull i tcraquo-o 1 1 a -i-vplusmnr o 1 J male had relatively little involvenK-nt witn li i bull fraquoiil this situation changed radically after n i s -iarrialt)e ari iubseoueigtt uirth of h i child- Beshycause Mitchells nothnr d i sa jure ves of his wife who is also retarded this increased reo Jeri( v of kin interaction tends to take okice between Mitchell n ci his in-laws rather than his own relative His niothtrs d i sengaqemen t however is more than compensated for by he nother- i n- 1 aw s involvement in his lif bull She invited the new couple to live with her iin cd orovids a wid- variety of unnort for them jrd their 1-abv (laquo(bullgt- nan laquolt Tuclfr n 130)
These findings surjest that the role of the grandmother is exshy
tremely imoortants iin i f i car t This extended family arrangement
has been identified as an informal adoption procedure whereby the
qranduarents assumed the child care resoonsi bi 1 i ties due to the
iiit-ntallv retarlt-d s narenta incaiMcity marital uroblems imshy
maturity and the Qrandnaren t s own su f - f u 1 f i 1 1 i nq need of
companion shin In addition these conclusions concur with the
previous writings of Hill and Shacklefcrd (1975) and Nobles (1974)
to suggest that laquo
this type of extended family structure is a
iss distinctive feature of Black f ami 1 ies
In the Vastcateltiorv of guidance and direction the i^^^^1^1 ^^^^^^ H bull(bullbullbullbullbull bull bullbull raquo ii
8
feelings Ion lines- anrt soc i a 1 -af t n i vr needs was an obvious
characteristic TK- sanK sub jet bull t bull gtrgtbullbullbull] to their parents
ii-laws and stliii as friends - e in mod noint was
nade by this c-L]ect
According f o S tevo a g bull ^ 2 h-- vu u 1 lt1 run to his mother in traquo linute lie tgtited that hlt vuuld drop like that T o run to her WP talk We dont have that kind of communication i 5- far js haiqirn around toqether But we talk shunever 1 need sninei^cy to talk to (Kernan laquo T u c k L- r t) 1 81 )
In -um-narv th--re vcre several idenufiaMe structural
characteristic^ of the I lack fan i 1 v havirvj mentally retarded
bull(nbers The vlt t erdi-d fai ilv in uirt iculjr the rple of the
bullOther and support of the q ran Joaron is jro essential elements
in the social sunport network The extent of thf involvement
line Jenree of interaction is determined bv two factors the
iiscal PKinaqenient of income and tho socialization of young
children Althounh housekc-ep i tu) ltmd j-ndtinct from the extended
family are not as IM port ant 81 act gt-^n t a 1 1 y retarded adults are
highly dependent upon their extended family to assist in these
areas
Earlier i ii this mi per the religious orientation of the
Black familv was discussed as an important formal support
service in developing friendships The research findings of
this study indicate that the church is the most central agency
among voluntary organizations where friendships can be nurtured
The church has been instrumental in their attempts to (1) assi
late the Black mentally retarded individual into the mainstrea
of society 2 teach occupational skills and (3) provide
laquo^^^ - sss^iiiiampfsA i
mishy
m
services ma- bgt attained There -rit--is to he more substantive
empirical -violence o document tMf tv-raquo ct services provided bull
who is entitled to toese services the frequency of participation
bv mentally retarded individuals anj the effectiveness (cost
and treatment) of these ceraquo-vices
Introduction
The quality of the lives of Ulack Mentally retarded children
is a new area of research Dupiricdl knowledge concerning how the
Black family provides child care handle financial matters and
conducts the ordinary daily responsibilities of a home with u mentally
retarded child is virtually non-existent There is evidence however
ttiat the structure of the Black family in general does riot differ
from the Black family havin-j mentally retarded members (Mitchel-Kernan amp
Tucker 1984)
The purpose cf tins paner is to examine culture as jn influential
variable in the shaping of tho value system within tho iilack family
structure Emphasis will be placed upon the cultural foundations of
the Black family that have determined the cohesive interactional patterns
and adaptation skills necessary for survival in the mainstream society
Lastly the family structure of the Black family having mentally retarded
members will be discussed
Cultural Foundations of tho Black Family
Culture is defined as the rules used by members of a particular
group to govern the interaction wHh each other aid the environment
Berry (1976) sees culture as a way of life or a learned pattern of
behavior which 1s unique to a group of people On an Individual level
some scholars have argued that cuire intertwined with language
the mind so that bull bull bullbullbullbull
each person iji - bullbullbull as
bull a
bull learner
bullbullbull bull bullbullbullbull is
bullgtraquo both ^V 1 - bullbullbullbullbull-
bounded and^ifiii^Ss^jR^JlWs
r bullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbull bullbullbullbull--bull-bullbull bull- bullbullbull-bull bull bullbull ~ [~~ ~^ -mdash -bullgt-ltbull bullbullbullbullbull^bullbullbull- y^Jamp^^^t^^SiiiifaiiS^sSsiaSSiSS
bull bullbull- bull bull -as
according to the wor 1 J-^id-1 ife view and the irentoi process styles
Of his culture (UjrJ 1 J3)
The genera view bull gt the GLu-k cuUijre v depicted Ly early
investigatory in th-gt 1 deg-10 s ha^ CLMsisi-d of nf-itive stereotypes
(Myrdal 1941) Soin uf these rvjttiV (I iracti ri t ic-i JScribed to
the Black familv were (1) matrix ttia ( ) unstable (3j lacking in
productivity (4) uu)ti-djoncy iwiilies (SJ ( ow value of nducation
and (6) pathological Since tlust tine Minority researchers such as
Billingsley (1968) jnd riiil (1972) uve presented a different view
of Black families which focu-s en their strengths According to Hill
these strengths are (1) strono kinship bonds ( strong work orientashy
tion (3) adaptability of family roles ^) high achievement orientation
and (b) strong religious orientation The basis for thii -hift 1n
Geology may be attributed to a changing social order and the need of
professionals and educators alike to develop j constructive understanding
of how to increase iiinority parent involvement in the schools
Two of these strengths (1) the extended dvvily or Hnship network
und (2) the religious orientation of -he Black family provides the subshy
stantive knowledge needed to understand how they cope with the handicap
of mental retardation The former strength the expended family is a
primary source of familial support (McAdoo 1978) The latter strength
of religious orientation is an important contributor in the socialization
process The church represents an educational institutionthat adheres
to social norms and provides- the opportunity to develop non-kinship
relationships This is an important^source for nurturing friendships
between Black mentally retarded persons and their non-handicapped
The Role of t he _E x tendk d_ F jinLijjy
The kinship niraquotwov in the Biaei fiiiy i-gt a mult ijeneratTonal
social network of relatives friends ard m-iahbirs (Martin amp MaKfin 1978)
Although there are no definite bcund^rii - tr-it characterize each family
member the extended fjriily system is a gtupnort iiit-chanisro that functions
in similar ways to the nuviejr family Through the network of cooperative
kinship Black fairil^ merbers arf ltitne o receive emotional psychological r
physical and financial support [ht raquobullbullbull i-idoc faniil lttlso server to
reinforce career aspirations of ts wsn -rs and to offer encouragement
during on -conomic crisis uneiiuloyiicnt illness and other undesirable
circumstances
Another important feature of the extended Black family is the role
of the mother Inis type of family is referred to as tiutriarchal or
[internal Past studies hivo associated a female headed household as a
source of family disorganisation (Fra^icr )39) However the current
literature provides evidence that trie presence of a strong maternal
figure constitutes a significant soura- fcr establishing personal and
professional goals encouraging scholastic achievement and transmitting
educational aiibitions to their l^ack children (Hale 1982)
The Religious On en tat 1 on of the BJack raiiily
The degree of participation of tho o
Black family in the church culture
is extensive As a social institution the church provides the opportunity
for Black children to develop social competencies and friendships with
their peers and Black adults to develop leadership skills and expertise ||
voluntary organizations Thus the church is a formal community bull bull bullbull bull
ittsraquoJj^i^u^^
Tne chur) i r ilso d viluahlc bullbullbullnj for Jelninq talents
in drama s ( -eltikincj musk djnetr eilaquo bullbullbullbull oxtri-curricular activities
offered by the church in aj-v casts supi)leiienl the schools academic
curriculum Trie -social structure of the church tan I 1 1 viewed a^ an
educatioiivil institution through whuli Click children i jfi achieve re-
gt0jnition and ^utiosi outside of tho school (ftjrkiti 1 195)
deg V
To determine the structural variables eg hi Id-rearing practices
associated with the Black family ethnographic studies employing naturalshy
istic observations and interviews have been conducted with Black mentally
retarded adults As children these mentally retarded adults were
labelled educable mentally retarded (FMR) and diagnosed as having learning c
and behavioral problems similar to the six-hour retarded child This
label implies that the condition of mental retardation occurs during the
school hours of 9 am to 3 pm and results solely from poor academic achieveshy
ment in the classroom In the community the six-hour retarded child has
adequate adaptive behavior skills and loses any distinctive characteristics
assigned by teachers and administrators in the public school system
(Mercer 1973)
Tucker and Kitchell-Kernan (1983) studied the social support and
social network of 24 Black mentally retarded adults 12 females whose
mean age was 265 and 12 males whose mean age was 268 The IQ scores of
the study sample ranged from b5 tc 70 living arrangements of the sample
consisted of (a) the family of origin (b) a care facility and (c) an
independent living situation
fill
As previously noted the procedure 1 used in ddt3 cjl lection
bull ia 1 i t a t i v o methods raquo i^ 1 bullbull lt e J in ( u i t u bull 1 i n t h rono 1 oi v ud social
bull)s vcho 1 Co v I n addition the bullgt ubri t s were ltbull 1 n i tr f ed structured
Huestionaires and s tend jrlaquoi i zed instruments From the oues ti ona i re
ronses the f o 1 1 ow i i ] catenaries emer-jed (1) the structural
characteristics ot the uir lc s -ociai networks (e-i dominant
curce Mid intimate -iu critical t i gtv ) (2) coning mechanisms
ir oroblen solving situations (3) t k c- underiving reasons for the
transactions a mono fjjiib and kinshin tics and (4) the qualitative
a s n e c t s o f s p e c i f i c bull o c i 11 relationships
Overall the results t-evegtilei thltgt the Hlick mentally retarded a |
adults conducted their lives in the same way as their non-handicapped ||1
-leers andor role models These jiiults were involved in romantic |
-elationships had children developed close relationships and |bullS3
identified the farcilv as 1 dominant source in their social network
The role of the family ercerqed as an important source of
emotional psychological and financial support The composition
of the extended family network was a t r i archal with a cluster of
adult females plus lineal relatives such as aunts uncles in-laws t
and cousins This outcome confirmed the hypothesis that the
structural variables in the Black family fire not distinguishable
in nature from the Black family^haviin mentally retardedmembers
The data revealed that familial involvement consisted of a
range of services under the foilwing categories (1) life manageraquo||i
ment (2) housekeeping (3) child care and (4) guidance and
$poundygtamp$t$ Under the first category of life ^
bdquo- bull--bullbull bullbullbull 5il| -bdquo laquo bull i--^
tion of igtb ^ nn 1 i c a t i T s tne r -M bull- t i o n of food in a restaurant
the writinq of letters iscl thlaquo- bull bull bull - i ngt or bull bulllt-raquobull- e lt
drivers licence and c i v serur- t-gt raquo- In these circumstances
relatives ana kirshii bullH-mbers rather tnon friends wer-laquo instrushy
mental in fulfilling thi-ir dailv IM-I-- In pr i or i t i i i ru the
needs of P1acl cental lv re t t bull -ltKd ivlul fin a racial a y si stance
was a najor concern In soverraquol trraquo c LS ^1 out of 4 sample subshy
jects a awily member w^s n-lt nons i b 1 raquobull for maintaining the fiscal
nt of iconic- 1- r^L- ved from the r0( ial service agencies
P-ir example
bulleiffi lived in d Lcuiril jrid rire facility in which she had no cortro over her fininciai iffiirs Her I^ot her is the navee for Helens Sn 1 omenta 1 Security Income (SSI) and make c oavnents directly to the board and care operator The remaining amount is used bv Helens mother to purchase articles that she Relieves thit Helun needs Although Helen is quite discontent with this arrangement her history of psychiatric prubl cms and epileptic seirurer causes her mother to doubt Helens itnlit to iMan-VK- her ovn affairs independent lv (Kernan and Tucker D 17S)
The second cateqory nf housekeop i n-] wa-j an important function
o f family members Altliough Black mentil lv retarded females
were more skilled in performing household chores such as cleaning
cooking and washing the family of oriqin provided regular assis--
tance to oversee the completion of these activities
The third category child care was another significant
area of family responsibility Grandparents provided a range of t
chi Id-rearino services from parenting to babysitting to feeding
to educating young children The degree of participation or raquo
family suooort involved the total removal of the cliild from the
B _ _ Jl$^^^^^^^^H^i^^^^i^sa^^iM^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
V raquo f -raquoraquo
In us inn se 1 f - rer or t a c 1 bull s bullbullbull ifii data collection procedure
t n e following bull 0 r v 1 1 r n - o r bull bull r 1 1 ( o
farolvn WM-gt bull lt -I 1 voraquoi lt-i t-c ieves COT i dr rah I f sun port fron her r other bull i1 he care a vejrinq of nor three children throjih trgtc- r o i rgt i on of home money discipline and a nu-iber of ot^r-r daily child care needs Indeed her mothers I i jh level of i nvo 1 v-gtin t ippear-^ to Le a central factor in her trothraquo-rs decision to move back to their home state when it necoiies fir-araquouii feasible It is therlt- that Carolvns -iOthtr expects to find uf~iciett support fron her -gtwn kin i]rji to ma 1 1gt Cnvolvn 1 uenenderice less
of a bu rdcri ( Kerna n ^ Tucker n I MO)
v i t r i a rch i a 1 su port i f i -x tended family lu-work is also
illustrated through the
Althrjoh bull i tcraquo-o 1 1 a -i-vplusmnr o 1 J male had relatively little involvenK-nt witn li i bull fraquoiil this situation changed radically after n i s -iarrialt)e ari iubseoueigtt uirth of h i child- Beshycause Mitchells nothnr d i sa jure ves of his wife who is also retarded this increased reo Jeri( v of kin interaction tends to take okice between Mitchell n ci his in-laws rather than his own relative His niothtrs d i sengaqemen t however is more than compensated for by he nother- i n- 1 aw s involvement in his lif bull She invited the new couple to live with her iin cd orovids a wid- variety of unnort for them jrd their 1-abv (laquo(bullgt- nan laquolt Tuclfr n 130)
These findings surjest that the role of the grandmother is exshy
tremely imoortants iin i f i car t This extended family arrangement
has been identified as an informal adoption procedure whereby the
qranduarents assumed the child care resoonsi bi 1 i ties due to the
iiit-ntallv retarlt-d s narenta incaiMcity marital uroblems imshy
maturity and the Qrandnaren t s own su f - f u 1 f i 1 1 i nq need of
companion shin In addition these conclusions concur with the
previous writings of Hill and Shacklefcrd (1975) and Nobles (1974)
to suggest that laquo
this type of extended family structure is a
iss distinctive feature of Black f ami 1 ies
In the Vastcateltiorv of guidance and direction the i^^^^1^1 ^^^^^^ H bull(bullbullbullbullbull bull bullbull raquo ii
8
feelings Ion lines- anrt soc i a 1 -af t n i vr needs was an obvious
characteristic TK- sanK sub jet bull t bull gtrgtbullbullbull] to their parents
ii-laws and stliii as friends - e in mod noint was
nade by this c-L]ect
According f o S tevo a g bull ^ 2 h-- vu u 1 lt1 run to his mother in traquo linute lie tgtited that hlt vuuld drop like that T o run to her WP talk We dont have that kind of communication i 5- far js haiqirn around toqether But we talk shunever 1 need sninei^cy to talk to (Kernan laquo T u c k L- r t) 1 81 )
In -um-narv th--re vcre several idenufiaMe structural
characteristic^ of the I lack fan i 1 v havirvj mentally retarded
bull(nbers The vlt t erdi-d fai ilv in uirt iculjr the rple of the
bullOther and support of the q ran Joaron is jro essential elements
in the social sunport network The extent of thf involvement
line Jenree of interaction is determined bv two factors the
iiscal PKinaqenient of income and tho socialization of young
children Althounh housekc-ep i tu) ltmd j-ndtinct from the extended
family are not as IM port ant 81 act gt-^n t a 1 1 y retarded adults are
highly dependent upon their extended family to assist in these
areas
Earlier i ii this mi per the religious orientation of the
Black familv was discussed as an important formal support
service in developing friendships The research findings of
this study indicate that the church is the most central agency
among voluntary organizations where friendships can be nurtured
The church has been instrumental in their attempts to (1) assi
late the Black mentally retarded individual into the mainstrea
of society 2 teach occupational skills and (3) provide
laquo^^^ - sss^iiiiampfsA i
mishy
m
services ma- bgt attained There -rit--is to he more substantive
empirical -violence o document tMf tv-raquo ct services provided bull
who is entitled to toese services the frequency of participation
bv mentally retarded individuals anj the effectiveness (cost
and treatment) of these ceraquo-vices
bull bullbull- bull bull -as
according to the wor 1 J-^id-1 ife view and the irentoi process styles
Of his culture (UjrJ 1 J3)
The genera view bull gt the GLu-k cuUijre v depicted Ly early
investigatory in th-gt 1 deg-10 s ha^ CLMsisi-d of nf-itive stereotypes
(Myrdal 1941) Soin uf these rvjttiV (I iracti ri t ic-i JScribed to
the Black familv were (1) matrix ttia ( ) unstable (3j lacking in
productivity (4) uu)ti-djoncy iwiilies (SJ ( ow value of nducation
and (6) pathological Since tlust tine Minority researchers such as
Billingsley (1968) jnd riiil (1972) uve presented a different view
of Black families which focu-s en their strengths According to Hill
these strengths are (1) strono kinship bonds ( strong work orientashy
tion (3) adaptability of family roles ^) high achievement orientation
and (b) strong religious orientation The basis for thii -hift 1n
Geology may be attributed to a changing social order and the need of
professionals and educators alike to develop j constructive understanding
of how to increase iiinority parent involvement in the schools
Two of these strengths (1) the extended dvvily or Hnship network
und (2) the religious orientation of -he Black family provides the subshy
stantive knowledge needed to understand how they cope with the handicap
of mental retardation The former strength the expended family is a
primary source of familial support (McAdoo 1978) The latter strength
of religious orientation is an important contributor in the socialization
process The church represents an educational institutionthat adheres
to social norms and provides- the opportunity to develop non-kinship
relationships This is an important^source for nurturing friendships
between Black mentally retarded persons and their non-handicapped
The Role of t he _E x tendk d_ F jinLijjy
The kinship niraquotwov in the Biaei fiiiy i-gt a mult ijeneratTonal
social network of relatives friends ard m-iahbirs (Martin amp MaKfin 1978)
Although there are no definite bcund^rii - tr-it characterize each family
member the extended fjriily system is a gtupnort iiit-chanisro that functions
in similar ways to the nuviejr family Through the network of cooperative
kinship Black fairil^ merbers arf ltitne o receive emotional psychological r
physical and financial support [ht raquobullbullbull i-idoc faniil lttlso server to
reinforce career aspirations of ts wsn -rs and to offer encouragement
during on -conomic crisis uneiiuloyiicnt illness and other undesirable
circumstances
Another important feature of the extended Black family is the role
of the mother Inis type of family is referred to as tiutriarchal or
[internal Past studies hivo associated a female headed household as a
source of family disorganisation (Fra^icr )39) However the current
literature provides evidence that trie presence of a strong maternal
figure constitutes a significant soura- fcr establishing personal and
professional goals encouraging scholastic achievement and transmitting
educational aiibitions to their l^ack children (Hale 1982)
The Religious On en tat 1 on of the BJack raiiily
The degree of participation of tho o
Black family in the church culture
is extensive As a social institution the church provides the opportunity
for Black children to develop social competencies and friendships with
their peers and Black adults to develop leadership skills and expertise ||
voluntary organizations Thus the church is a formal community bull bull bullbull bull
ittsraquoJj^i^u^^
Tne chur) i r ilso d viluahlc bullbullbullnj for Jelninq talents
in drama s ( -eltikincj musk djnetr eilaquo bullbullbullbull oxtri-curricular activities
offered by the church in aj-v casts supi)leiienl the schools academic
curriculum Trie -social structure of the church tan I 1 1 viewed a^ an
educatioiivil institution through whuli Click children i jfi achieve re-
gt0jnition and ^utiosi outside of tho school (ftjrkiti 1 195)
deg V
To determine the structural variables eg hi Id-rearing practices
associated with the Black family ethnographic studies employing naturalshy
istic observations and interviews have been conducted with Black mentally
retarded adults As children these mentally retarded adults were
labelled educable mentally retarded (FMR) and diagnosed as having learning c
and behavioral problems similar to the six-hour retarded child This
label implies that the condition of mental retardation occurs during the
school hours of 9 am to 3 pm and results solely from poor academic achieveshy
ment in the classroom In the community the six-hour retarded child has
adequate adaptive behavior skills and loses any distinctive characteristics
assigned by teachers and administrators in the public school system
(Mercer 1973)
Tucker and Kitchell-Kernan (1983) studied the social support and
social network of 24 Black mentally retarded adults 12 females whose
mean age was 265 and 12 males whose mean age was 268 The IQ scores of
the study sample ranged from b5 tc 70 living arrangements of the sample
consisted of (a) the family of origin (b) a care facility and (c) an
independent living situation
fill
As previously noted the procedure 1 used in ddt3 cjl lection
bull ia 1 i t a t i v o methods raquo i^ 1 bullbull lt e J in ( u i t u bull 1 i n t h rono 1 oi v ud social
bull)s vcho 1 Co v I n addition the bullgt ubri t s were ltbull 1 n i tr f ed structured
Huestionaires and s tend jrlaquoi i zed instruments From the oues ti ona i re
ronses the f o 1 1 ow i i ] catenaries emer-jed (1) the structural
characteristics ot the uir lc s -ociai networks (e-i dominant
curce Mid intimate -iu critical t i gtv ) (2) coning mechanisms
ir oroblen solving situations (3) t k c- underiving reasons for the
transactions a mono fjjiib and kinshin tics and (4) the qualitative
a s n e c t s o f s p e c i f i c bull o c i 11 relationships
Overall the results t-evegtilei thltgt the Hlick mentally retarded a |
adults conducted their lives in the same way as their non-handicapped ||1
-leers andor role models These jiiults were involved in romantic |
-elationships had children developed close relationships and |bullS3
identified the farcilv as 1 dominant source in their social network
The role of the family ercerqed as an important source of
emotional psychological and financial support The composition
of the extended family network was a t r i archal with a cluster of
adult females plus lineal relatives such as aunts uncles in-laws t
and cousins This outcome confirmed the hypothesis that the
structural variables in the Black family fire not distinguishable
in nature from the Black family^haviin mentally retardedmembers
The data revealed that familial involvement consisted of a
range of services under the foilwing categories (1) life manageraquo||i
ment (2) housekeeping (3) child care and (4) guidance and
$poundygtamp$t$ Under the first category of life ^
bdquo- bull--bullbull bullbullbull 5il| -bdquo laquo bull i--^
tion of igtb ^ nn 1 i c a t i T s tne r -M bull- t i o n of food in a restaurant
the writinq of letters iscl thlaquo- bull bull bull - i ngt or bull bulllt-raquobull- e lt
drivers licence and c i v serur- t-gt raquo- In these circumstances
relatives ana kirshii bullH-mbers rather tnon friends wer-laquo instrushy
mental in fulfilling thi-ir dailv IM-I-- In pr i or i t i i i ru the
needs of P1acl cental lv re t t bull -ltKd ivlul fin a racial a y si stance
was a najor concern In soverraquol trraquo c LS ^1 out of 4 sample subshy
jects a awily member w^s n-lt nons i b 1 raquobull for maintaining the fiscal
nt of iconic- 1- r^L- ved from the r0( ial service agencies
P-ir example
bulleiffi lived in d Lcuiril jrid rire facility in which she had no cortro over her fininciai iffiirs Her I^ot her is the navee for Helens Sn 1 omenta 1 Security Income (SSI) and make c oavnents directly to the board and care operator The remaining amount is used bv Helens mother to purchase articles that she Relieves thit Helun needs Although Helen is quite discontent with this arrangement her history of psychiatric prubl cms and epileptic seirurer causes her mother to doubt Helens itnlit to iMan-VK- her ovn affairs independent lv (Kernan and Tucker D 17S)
The second cateqory nf housekeop i n-] wa-j an important function
o f family members Altliough Black mentil lv retarded females
were more skilled in performing household chores such as cleaning
cooking and washing the family of oriqin provided regular assis--
tance to oversee the completion of these activities
The third category child care was another significant
area of family responsibility Grandparents provided a range of t
chi Id-rearino services from parenting to babysitting to feeding
to educating young children The degree of participation or raquo
family suooort involved the total removal of the cliild from the
B _ _ Jl$^^^^^^^^H^i^^^^i^sa^^iM^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
V raquo f -raquoraquo
In us inn se 1 f - rer or t a c 1 bull s bullbullbull ifii data collection procedure
t n e following bull 0 r v 1 1 r n - o r bull bull r 1 1 ( o
farolvn WM-gt bull lt -I 1 voraquoi lt-i t-c ieves COT i dr rah I f sun port fron her r other bull i1 he care a vejrinq of nor three children throjih trgtc- r o i rgt i on of home money discipline and a nu-iber of ot^r-r daily child care needs Indeed her mothers I i jh level of i nvo 1 v-gtin t ippear-^ to Le a central factor in her trothraquo-rs decision to move back to their home state when it necoiies fir-araquouii feasible It is therlt- that Carolvns -iOthtr expects to find uf~iciett support fron her -gtwn kin i]rji to ma 1 1gt Cnvolvn 1 uenenderice less
of a bu rdcri ( Kerna n ^ Tucker n I MO)
v i t r i a rch i a 1 su port i f i -x tended family lu-work is also
illustrated through the
Althrjoh bull i tcraquo-o 1 1 a -i-vplusmnr o 1 J male had relatively little involvenK-nt witn li i bull fraquoiil this situation changed radically after n i s -iarrialt)e ari iubseoueigtt uirth of h i child- Beshycause Mitchells nothnr d i sa jure ves of his wife who is also retarded this increased reo Jeri( v of kin interaction tends to take okice between Mitchell n ci his in-laws rather than his own relative His niothtrs d i sengaqemen t however is more than compensated for by he nother- i n- 1 aw s involvement in his lif bull She invited the new couple to live with her iin cd orovids a wid- variety of unnort for them jrd their 1-abv (laquo(bullgt- nan laquolt Tuclfr n 130)
These findings surjest that the role of the grandmother is exshy
tremely imoortants iin i f i car t This extended family arrangement
has been identified as an informal adoption procedure whereby the
qranduarents assumed the child care resoonsi bi 1 i ties due to the
iiit-ntallv retarlt-d s narenta incaiMcity marital uroblems imshy
maturity and the Qrandnaren t s own su f - f u 1 f i 1 1 i nq need of
companion shin In addition these conclusions concur with the
previous writings of Hill and Shacklefcrd (1975) and Nobles (1974)
to suggest that laquo
this type of extended family structure is a
iss distinctive feature of Black f ami 1 ies
In the Vastcateltiorv of guidance and direction the i^^^^1^1 ^^^^^^ H bull(bullbullbullbullbull bull bullbull raquo ii
8
feelings Ion lines- anrt soc i a 1 -af t n i vr needs was an obvious
characteristic TK- sanK sub jet bull t bull gtrgtbullbullbull] to their parents
ii-laws and stliii as friends - e in mod noint was
nade by this c-L]ect
According f o S tevo a g bull ^ 2 h-- vu u 1 lt1 run to his mother in traquo linute lie tgtited that hlt vuuld drop like that T o run to her WP talk We dont have that kind of communication i 5- far js haiqirn around toqether But we talk shunever 1 need sninei^cy to talk to (Kernan laquo T u c k L- r t) 1 81 )
In -um-narv th--re vcre several idenufiaMe structural
characteristic^ of the I lack fan i 1 v havirvj mentally retarded
bull(nbers The vlt t erdi-d fai ilv in uirt iculjr the rple of the
bullOther and support of the q ran Joaron is jro essential elements
in the social sunport network The extent of thf involvement
line Jenree of interaction is determined bv two factors the
iiscal PKinaqenient of income and tho socialization of young
children Althounh housekc-ep i tu) ltmd j-ndtinct from the extended
family are not as IM port ant 81 act gt-^n t a 1 1 y retarded adults are
highly dependent upon their extended family to assist in these
areas
Earlier i ii this mi per the religious orientation of the
Black familv was discussed as an important formal support
service in developing friendships The research findings of
this study indicate that the church is the most central agency
among voluntary organizations where friendships can be nurtured
The church has been instrumental in their attempts to (1) assi
late the Black mentally retarded individual into the mainstrea
of society 2 teach occupational skills and (3) provide
laquo^^^ - sss^iiiiampfsA i
mishy
m
services ma- bgt attained There -rit--is to he more substantive
empirical -violence o document tMf tv-raquo ct services provided bull
who is entitled to toese services the frequency of participation
bv mentally retarded individuals anj the effectiveness (cost
and treatment) of these ceraquo-vices
The Role of t he _E x tendk d_ F jinLijjy
The kinship niraquotwov in the Biaei fiiiy i-gt a mult ijeneratTonal
social network of relatives friends ard m-iahbirs (Martin amp MaKfin 1978)
Although there are no definite bcund^rii - tr-it characterize each family
member the extended fjriily system is a gtupnort iiit-chanisro that functions
in similar ways to the nuviejr family Through the network of cooperative
kinship Black fairil^ merbers arf ltitne o receive emotional psychological r
physical and financial support [ht raquobullbullbull i-idoc faniil lttlso server to
reinforce career aspirations of ts wsn -rs and to offer encouragement
during on -conomic crisis uneiiuloyiicnt illness and other undesirable
circumstances
Another important feature of the extended Black family is the role
of the mother Inis type of family is referred to as tiutriarchal or
[internal Past studies hivo associated a female headed household as a
source of family disorganisation (Fra^icr )39) However the current
literature provides evidence that trie presence of a strong maternal
figure constitutes a significant soura- fcr establishing personal and
professional goals encouraging scholastic achievement and transmitting
educational aiibitions to their l^ack children (Hale 1982)
The Religious On en tat 1 on of the BJack raiiily
The degree of participation of tho o
Black family in the church culture
is extensive As a social institution the church provides the opportunity
for Black children to develop social competencies and friendships with
their peers and Black adults to develop leadership skills and expertise ||
voluntary organizations Thus the church is a formal community bull bull bullbull bull
ittsraquoJj^i^u^^
Tne chur) i r ilso d viluahlc bullbullbullnj for Jelninq talents
in drama s ( -eltikincj musk djnetr eilaquo bullbullbullbull oxtri-curricular activities
offered by the church in aj-v casts supi)leiienl the schools academic
curriculum Trie -social structure of the church tan I 1 1 viewed a^ an
educatioiivil institution through whuli Click children i jfi achieve re-
gt0jnition and ^utiosi outside of tho school (ftjrkiti 1 195)
deg V
To determine the structural variables eg hi Id-rearing practices
associated with the Black family ethnographic studies employing naturalshy
istic observations and interviews have been conducted with Black mentally
retarded adults As children these mentally retarded adults were
labelled educable mentally retarded (FMR) and diagnosed as having learning c
and behavioral problems similar to the six-hour retarded child This
label implies that the condition of mental retardation occurs during the
school hours of 9 am to 3 pm and results solely from poor academic achieveshy
ment in the classroom In the community the six-hour retarded child has
adequate adaptive behavior skills and loses any distinctive characteristics
assigned by teachers and administrators in the public school system
(Mercer 1973)
Tucker and Kitchell-Kernan (1983) studied the social support and
social network of 24 Black mentally retarded adults 12 females whose
mean age was 265 and 12 males whose mean age was 268 The IQ scores of
the study sample ranged from b5 tc 70 living arrangements of the sample
consisted of (a) the family of origin (b) a care facility and (c) an
independent living situation
fill
As previously noted the procedure 1 used in ddt3 cjl lection
bull ia 1 i t a t i v o methods raquo i^ 1 bullbull lt e J in ( u i t u bull 1 i n t h rono 1 oi v ud social
bull)s vcho 1 Co v I n addition the bullgt ubri t s were ltbull 1 n i tr f ed structured
Huestionaires and s tend jrlaquoi i zed instruments From the oues ti ona i re
ronses the f o 1 1 ow i i ] catenaries emer-jed (1) the structural
characteristics ot the uir lc s -ociai networks (e-i dominant
curce Mid intimate -iu critical t i gtv ) (2) coning mechanisms
ir oroblen solving situations (3) t k c- underiving reasons for the
transactions a mono fjjiib and kinshin tics and (4) the qualitative
a s n e c t s o f s p e c i f i c bull o c i 11 relationships
Overall the results t-evegtilei thltgt the Hlick mentally retarded a |
adults conducted their lives in the same way as their non-handicapped ||1
-leers andor role models These jiiults were involved in romantic |
-elationships had children developed close relationships and |bullS3
identified the farcilv as 1 dominant source in their social network
The role of the family ercerqed as an important source of
emotional psychological and financial support The composition
of the extended family network was a t r i archal with a cluster of
adult females plus lineal relatives such as aunts uncles in-laws t
and cousins This outcome confirmed the hypothesis that the
structural variables in the Black family fire not distinguishable
in nature from the Black family^haviin mentally retardedmembers
The data revealed that familial involvement consisted of a
range of services under the foilwing categories (1) life manageraquo||i
ment (2) housekeeping (3) child care and (4) guidance and
$poundygtamp$t$ Under the first category of life ^
bdquo- bull--bullbull bullbullbull 5il| -bdquo laquo bull i--^
tion of igtb ^ nn 1 i c a t i T s tne r -M bull- t i o n of food in a restaurant
the writinq of letters iscl thlaquo- bull bull bull - i ngt or bull bulllt-raquobull- e lt
drivers licence and c i v serur- t-gt raquo- In these circumstances
relatives ana kirshii bullH-mbers rather tnon friends wer-laquo instrushy
mental in fulfilling thi-ir dailv IM-I-- In pr i or i t i i i ru the
needs of P1acl cental lv re t t bull -ltKd ivlul fin a racial a y si stance
was a najor concern In soverraquol trraquo c LS ^1 out of 4 sample subshy
jects a awily member w^s n-lt nons i b 1 raquobull for maintaining the fiscal
nt of iconic- 1- r^L- ved from the r0( ial service agencies
P-ir example
bulleiffi lived in d Lcuiril jrid rire facility in which she had no cortro over her fininciai iffiirs Her I^ot her is the navee for Helens Sn 1 omenta 1 Security Income (SSI) and make c oavnents directly to the board and care operator The remaining amount is used bv Helens mother to purchase articles that she Relieves thit Helun needs Although Helen is quite discontent with this arrangement her history of psychiatric prubl cms and epileptic seirurer causes her mother to doubt Helens itnlit to iMan-VK- her ovn affairs independent lv (Kernan and Tucker D 17S)
The second cateqory nf housekeop i n-] wa-j an important function
o f family members Altliough Black mentil lv retarded females
were more skilled in performing household chores such as cleaning
cooking and washing the family of oriqin provided regular assis--
tance to oversee the completion of these activities
The third category child care was another significant
area of family responsibility Grandparents provided a range of t
chi Id-rearino services from parenting to babysitting to feeding
to educating young children The degree of participation or raquo
family suooort involved the total removal of the cliild from the
B _ _ Jl$^^^^^^^^H^i^^^^i^sa^^iM^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
V raquo f -raquoraquo
In us inn se 1 f - rer or t a c 1 bull s bullbullbull ifii data collection procedure
t n e following bull 0 r v 1 1 r n - o r bull bull r 1 1 ( o
farolvn WM-gt bull lt -I 1 voraquoi lt-i t-c ieves COT i dr rah I f sun port fron her r other bull i1 he care a vejrinq of nor three children throjih trgtc- r o i rgt i on of home money discipline and a nu-iber of ot^r-r daily child care needs Indeed her mothers I i jh level of i nvo 1 v-gtin t ippear-^ to Le a central factor in her trothraquo-rs decision to move back to their home state when it necoiies fir-araquouii feasible It is therlt- that Carolvns -iOthtr expects to find uf~iciett support fron her -gtwn kin i]rji to ma 1 1gt Cnvolvn 1 uenenderice less
of a bu rdcri ( Kerna n ^ Tucker n I MO)
v i t r i a rch i a 1 su port i f i -x tended family lu-work is also
illustrated through the
Althrjoh bull i tcraquo-o 1 1 a -i-vplusmnr o 1 J male had relatively little involvenK-nt witn li i bull fraquoiil this situation changed radically after n i s -iarrialt)e ari iubseoueigtt uirth of h i child- Beshycause Mitchells nothnr d i sa jure ves of his wife who is also retarded this increased reo Jeri( v of kin interaction tends to take okice between Mitchell n ci his in-laws rather than his own relative His niothtrs d i sengaqemen t however is more than compensated for by he nother- i n- 1 aw s involvement in his lif bull She invited the new couple to live with her iin cd orovids a wid- variety of unnort for them jrd their 1-abv (laquo(bullgt- nan laquolt Tuclfr n 130)
These findings surjest that the role of the grandmother is exshy
tremely imoortants iin i f i car t This extended family arrangement
has been identified as an informal adoption procedure whereby the
qranduarents assumed the child care resoonsi bi 1 i ties due to the
iiit-ntallv retarlt-d s narenta incaiMcity marital uroblems imshy
maturity and the Qrandnaren t s own su f - f u 1 f i 1 1 i nq need of
companion shin In addition these conclusions concur with the
previous writings of Hill and Shacklefcrd (1975) and Nobles (1974)
to suggest that laquo
this type of extended family structure is a
iss distinctive feature of Black f ami 1 ies
In the Vastcateltiorv of guidance and direction the i^^^^1^1 ^^^^^^ H bull(bullbullbullbullbull bull bullbull raquo ii
8
feelings Ion lines- anrt soc i a 1 -af t n i vr needs was an obvious
characteristic TK- sanK sub jet bull t bull gtrgtbullbullbull] to their parents
ii-laws and stliii as friends - e in mod noint was
nade by this c-L]ect
According f o S tevo a g bull ^ 2 h-- vu u 1 lt1 run to his mother in traquo linute lie tgtited that hlt vuuld drop like that T o run to her WP talk We dont have that kind of communication i 5- far js haiqirn around toqether But we talk shunever 1 need sninei^cy to talk to (Kernan laquo T u c k L- r t) 1 81 )
In -um-narv th--re vcre several idenufiaMe structural
characteristic^ of the I lack fan i 1 v havirvj mentally retarded
bull(nbers The vlt t erdi-d fai ilv in uirt iculjr the rple of the
bullOther and support of the q ran Joaron is jro essential elements
in the social sunport network The extent of thf involvement
line Jenree of interaction is determined bv two factors the
iiscal PKinaqenient of income and tho socialization of young
children Althounh housekc-ep i tu) ltmd j-ndtinct from the extended
family are not as IM port ant 81 act gt-^n t a 1 1 y retarded adults are
highly dependent upon their extended family to assist in these
areas
Earlier i ii this mi per the religious orientation of the
Black familv was discussed as an important formal support
service in developing friendships The research findings of
this study indicate that the church is the most central agency
among voluntary organizations where friendships can be nurtured
The church has been instrumental in their attempts to (1) assi
late the Black mentally retarded individual into the mainstrea
of society 2 teach occupational skills and (3) provide
laquo^^^ - sss^iiiiampfsA i
mishy
m
services ma- bgt attained There -rit--is to he more substantive
empirical -violence o document tMf tv-raquo ct services provided bull
who is entitled to toese services the frequency of participation
bv mentally retarded individuals anj the effectiveness (cost
and treatment) of these ceraquo-vices
Tne chur) i r ilso d viluahlc bullbullbullnj for Jelninq talents
in drama s ( -eltikincj musk djnetr eilaquo bullbullbullbull oxtri-curricular activities
offered by the church in aj-v casts supi)leiienl the schools academic
curriculum Trie -social structure of the church tan I 1 1 viewed a^ an
educatioiivil institution through whuli Click children i jfi achieve re-
gt0jnition and ^utiosi outside of tho school (ftjrkiti 1 195)
deg V
To determine the structural variables eg hi Id-rearing practices
associated with the Black family ethnographic studies employing naturalshy
istic observations and interviews have been conducted with Black mentally
retarded adults As children these mentally retarded adults were
labelled educable mentally retarded (FMR) and diagnosed as having learning c
and behavioral problems similar to the six-hour retarded child This
label implies that the condition of mental retardation occurs during the
school hours of 9 am to 3 pm and results solely from poor academic achieveshy
ment in the classroom In the community the six-hour retarded child has
adequate adaptive behavior skills and loses any distinctive characteristics
assigned by teachers and administrators in the public school system
(Mercer 1973)
Tucker and Kitchell-Kernan (1983) studied the social support and
social network of 24 Black mentally retarded adults 12 females whose
mean age was 265 and 12 males whose mean age was 268 The IQ scores of
the study sample ranged from b5 tc 70 living arrangements of the sample
consisted of (a) the family of origin (b) a care facility and (c) an
independent living situation
fill
As previously noted the procedure 1 used in ddt3 cjl lection
bull ia 1 i t a t i v o methods raquo i^ 1 bullbull lt e J in ( u i t u bull 1 i n t h rono 1 oi v ud social
bull)s vcho 1 Co v I n addition the bullgt ubri t s were ltbull 1 n i tr f ed structured
Huestionaires and s tend jrlaquoi i zed instruments From the oues ti ona i re
ronses the f o 1 1 ow i i ] catenaries emer-jed (1) the structural
characteristics ot the uir lc s -ociai networks (e-i dominant
curce Mid intimate -iu critical t i gtv ) (2) coning mechanisms
ir oroblen solving situations (3) t k c- underiving reasons for the
transactions a mono fjjiib and kinshin tics and (4) the qualitative
a s n e c t s o f s p e c i f i c bull o c i 11 relationships
Overall the results t-evegtilei thltgt the Hlick mentally retarded a |
adults conducted their lives in the same way as their non-handicapped ||1
-leers andor role models These jiiults were involved in romantic |
-elationships had children developed close relationships and |bullS3
identified the farcilv as 1 dominant source in their social network
The role of the family ercerqed as an important source of
emotional psychological and financial support The composition
of the extended family network was a t r i archal with a cluster of
adult females plus lineal relatives such as aunts uncles in-laws t
and cousins This outcome confirmed the hypothesis that the
structural variables in the Black family fire not distinguishable
in nature from the Black family^haviin mentally retardedmembers
The data revealed that familial involvement consisted of a
range of services under the foilwing categories (1) life manageraquo||i
ment (2) housekeeping (3) child care and (4) guidance and
$poundygtamp$t$ Under the first category of life ^
bdquo- bull--bullbull bullbullbull 5il| -bdquo laquo bull i--^
tion of igtb ^ nn 1 i c a t i T s tne r -M bull- t i o n of food in a restaurant
the writinq of letters iscl thlaquo- bull bull bull - i ngt or bull bulllt-raquobull- e lt
drivers licence and c i v serur- t-gt raquo- In these circumstances
relatives ana kirshii bullH-mbers rather tnon friends wer-laquo instrushy
mental in fulfilling thi-ir dailv IM-I-- In pr i or i t i i i ru the
needs of P1acl cental lv re t t bull -ltKd ivlul fin a racial a y si stance
was a najor concern In soverraquol trraquo c LS ^1 out of 4 sample subshy
jects a awily member w^s n-lt nons i b 1 raquobull for maintaining the fiscal
nt of iconic- 1- r^L- ved from the r0( ial service agencies
P-ir example
bulleiffi lived in d Lcuiril jrid rire facility in which she had no cortro over her fininciai iffiirs Her I^ot her is the navee for Helens Sn 1 omenta 1 Security Income (SSI) and make c oavnents directly to the board and care operator The remaining amount is used bv Helens mother to purchase articles that she Relieves thit Helun needs Although Helen is quite discontent with this arrangement her history of psychiatric prubl cms and epileptic seirurer causes her mother to doubt Helens itnlit to iMan-VK- her ovn affairs independent lv (Kernan and Tucker D 17S)
The second cateqory nf housekeop i n-] wa-j an important function
o f family members Altliough Black mentil lv retarded females
were more skilled in performing household chores such as cleaning
cooking and washing the family of oriqin provided regular assis--
tance to oversee the completion of these activities
The third category child care was another significant
area of family responsibility Grandparents provided a range of t
chi Id-rearino services from parenting to babysitting to feeding
to educating young children The degree of participation or raquo
family suooort involved the total removal of the cliild from the
B _ _ Jl$^^^^^^^^H^i^^^^i^sa^^iM^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
V raquo f -raquoraquo
In us inn se 1 f - rer or t a c 1 bull s bullbullbull ifii data collection procedure
t n e following bull 0 r v 1 1 r n - o r bull bull r 1 1 ( o
farolvn WM-gt bull lt -I 1 voraquoi lt-i t-c ieves COT i dr rah I f sun port fron her r other bull i1 he care a vejrinq of nor three children throjih trgtc- r o i rgt i on of home money discipline and a nu-iber of ot^r-r daily child care needs Indeed her mothers I i jh level of i nvo 1 v-gtin t ippear-^ to Le a central factor in her trothraquo-rs decision to move back to their home state when it necoiies fir-araquouii feasible It is therlt- that Carolvns -iOthtr expects to find uf~iciett support fron her -gtwn kin i]rji to ma 1 1gt Cnvolvn 1 uenenderice less
of a bu rdcri ( Kerna n ^ Tucker n I MO)
v i t r i a rch i a 1 su port i f i -x tended family lu-work is also
illustrated through the
Althrjoh bull i tcraquo-o 1 1 a -i-vplusmnr o 1 J male had relatively little involvenK-nt witn li i bull fraquoiil this situation changed radically after n i s -iarrialt)e ari iubseoueigtt uirth of h i child- Beshycause Mitchells nothnr d i sa jure ves of his wife who is also retarded this increased reo Jeri( v of kin interaction tends to take okice between Mitchell n ci his in-laws rather than his own relative His niothtrs d i sengaqemen t however is more than compensated for by he nother- i n- 1 aw s involvement in his lif bull She invited the new couple to live with her iin cd orovids a wid- variety of unnort for them jrd their 1-abv (laquo(bullgt- nan laquolt Tuclfr n 130)
These findings surjest that the role of the grandmother is exshy
tremely imoortants iin i f i car t This extended family arrangement
has been identified as an informal adoption procedure whereby the
qranduarents assumed the child care resoonsi bi 1 i ties due to the
iiit-ntallv retarlt-d s narenta incaiMcity marital uroblems imshy
maturity and the Qrandnaren t s own su f - f u 1 f i 1 1 i nq need of
companion shin In addition these conclusions concur with the
previous writings of Hill and Shacklefcrd (1975) and Nobles (1974)
to suggest that laquo
this type of extended family structure is a
iss distinctive feature of Black f ami 1 ies
In the Vastcateltiorv of guidance and direction the i^^^^1^1 ^^^^^^ H bull(bullbullbullbullbull bull bullbull raquo ii
8
feelings Ion lines- anrt soc i a 1 -af t n i vr needs was an obvious
characteristic TK- sanK sub jet bull t bull gtrgtbullbullbull] to their parents
ii-laws and stliii as friends - e in mod noint was
nade by this c-L]ect
According f o S tevo a g bull ^ 2 h-- vu u 1 lt1 run to his mother in traquo linute lie tgtited that hlt vuuld drop like that T o run to her WP talk We dont have that kind of communication i 5- far js haiqirn around toqether But we talk shunever 1 need sninei^cy to talk to (Kernan laquo T u c k L- r t) 1 81 )
In -um-narv th--re vcre several idenufiaMe structural
characteristic^ of the I lack fan i 1 v havirvj mentally retarded
bull(nbers The vlt t erdi-d fai ilv in uirt iculjr the rple of the
bullOther and support of the q ran Joaron is jro essential elements
in the social sunport network The extent of thf involvement
line Jenree of interaction is determined bv two factors the
iiscal PKinaqenient of income and tho socialization of young
children Althounh housekc-ep i tu) ltmd j-ndtinct from the extended
family are not as IM port ant 81 act gt-^n t a 1 1 y retarded adults are
highly dependent upon their extended family to assist in these
areas
Earlier i ii this mi per the religious orientation of the
Black familv was discussed as an important formal support
service in developing friendships The research findings of
this study indicate that the church is the most central agency
among voluntary organizations where friendships can be nurtured
The church has been instrumental in their attempts to (1) assi
late the Black mentally retarded individual into the mainstrea
of society 2 teach occupational skills and (3) provide
laquo^^^ - sss^iiiiampfsA i
mishy
m
services ma- bgt attained There -rit--is to he more substantive
empirical -violence o document tMf tv-raquo ct services provided bull
who is entitled to toese services the frequency of participation
bv mentally retarded individuals anj the effectiveness (cost
and treatment) of these ceraquo-vices
As previously noted the procedure 1 used in ddt3 cjl lection
bull ia 1 i t a t i v o methods raquo i^ 1 bullbull lt e J in ( u i t u bull 1 i n t h rono 1 oi v ud social
bull)s vcho 1 Co v I n addition the bullgt ubri t s were ltbull 1 n i tr f ed structured
Huestionaires and s tend jrlaquoi i zed instruments From the oues ti ona i re
ronses the f o 1 1 ow i i ] catenaries emer-jed (1) the structural
characteristics ot the uir lc s -ociai networks (e-i dominant
curce Mid intimate -iu critical t i gtv ) (2) coning mechanisms
ir oroblen solving situations (3) t k c- underiving reasons for the
transactions a mono fjjiib and kinshin tics and (4) the qualitative
a s n e c t s o f s p e c i f i c bull o c i 11 relationships
Overall the results t-evegtilei thltgt the Hlick mentally retarded a |
adults conducted their lives in the same way as their non-handicapped ||1
-leers andor role models These jiiults were involved in romantic |
-elationships had children developed close relationships and |bullS3
identified the farcilv as 1 dominant source in their social network
The role of the family ercerqed as an important source of
emotional psychological and financial support The composition
of the extended family network was a t r i archal with a cluster of
adult females plus lineal relatives such as aunts uncles in-laws t
and cousins This outcome confirmed the hypothesis that the
structural variables in the Black family fire not distinguishable
in nature from the Black family^haviin mentally retardedmembers
The data revealed that familial involvement consisted of a
range of services under the foilwing categories (1) life manageraquo||i
ment (2) housekeeping (3) child care and (4) guidance and
$poundygtamp$t$ Under the first category of life ^
bdquo- bull--bullbull bullbullbull 5il| -bdquo laquo bull i--^
tion of igtb ^ nn 1 i c a t i T s tne r -M bull- t i o n of food in a restaurant
the writinq of letters iscl thlaquo- bull bull bull - i ngt or bull bulllt-raquobull- e lt
drivers licence and c i v serur- t-gt raquo- In these circumstances
relatives ana kirshii bullH-mbers rather tnon friends wer-laquo instrushy
mental in fulfilling thi-ir dailv IM-I-- In pr i or i t i i i ru the
needs of P1acl cental lv re t t bull -ltKd ivlul fin a racial a y si stance
was a najor concern In soverraquol trraquo c LS ^1 out of 4 sample subshy
jects a awily member w^s n-lt nons i b 1 raquobull for maintaining the fiscal
nt of iconic- 1- r^L- ved from the r0( ial service agencies
P-ir example
bulleiffi lived in d Lcuiril jrid rire facility in which she had no cortro over her fininciai iffiirs Her I^ot her is the navee for Helens Sn 1 omenta 1 Security Income (SSI) and make c oavnents directly to the board and care operator The remaining amount is used bv Helens mother to purchase articles that she Relieves thit Helun needs Although Helen is quite discontent with this arrangement her history of psychiatric prubl cms and epileptic seirurer causes her mother to doubt Helens itnlit to iMan-VK- her ovn affairs independent lv (Kernan and Tucker D 17S)
The second cateqory nf housekeop i n-] wa-j an important function
o f family members Altliough Black mentil lv retarded females
were more skilled in performing household chores such as cleaning
cooking and washing the family of oriqin provided regular assis--
tance to oversee the completion of these activities
The third category child care was another significant
area of family responsibility Grandparents provided a range of t
chi Id-rearino services from parenting to babysitting to feeding
to educating young children The degree of participation or raquo
family suooort involved the total removal of the cliild from the
B _ _ Jl$^^^^^^^^H^i^^^^i^sa^^iM^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
V raquo f -raquoraquo
In us inn se 1 f - rer or t a c 1 bull s bullbullbull ifii data collection procedure
t n e following bull 0 r v 1 1 r n - o r bull bull r 1 1 ( o
farolvn WM-gt bull lt -I 1 voraquoi lt-i t-c ieves COT i dr rah I f sun port fron her r other bull i1 he care a vejrinq of nor three children throjih trgtc- r o i rgt i on of home money discipline and a nu-iber of ot^r-r daily child care needs Indeed her mothers I i jh level of i nvo 1 v-gtin t ippear-^ to Le a central factor in her trothraquo-rs decision to move back to their home state when it necoiies fir-araquouii feasible It is therlt- that Carolvns -iOthtr expects to find uf~iciett support fron her -gtwn kin i]rji to ma 1 1gt Cnvolvn 1 uenenderice less
of a bu rdcri ( Kerna n ^ Tucker n I MO)
v i t r i a rch i a 1 su port i f i -x tended family lu-work is also
illustrated through the
Althrjoh bull i tcraquo-o 1 1 a -i-vplusmnr o 1 J male had relatively little involvenK-nt witn li i bull fraquoiil this situation changed radically after n i s -iarrialt)e ari iubseoueigtt uirth of h i child- Beshycause Mitchells nothnr d i sa jure ves of his wife who is also retarded this increased reo Jeri( v of kin interaction tends to take okice between Mitchell n ci his in-laws rather than his own relative His niothtrs d i sengaqemen t however is more than compensated for by he nother- i n- 1 aw s involvement in his lif bull She invited the new couple to live with her iin cd orovids a wid- variety of unnort for them jrd their 1-abv (laquo(bullgt- nan laquolt Tuclfr n 130)
These findings surjest that the role of the grandmother is exshy
tremely imoortants iin i f i car t This extended family arrangement
has been identified as an informal adoption procedure whereby the
qranduarents assumed the child care resoonsi bi 1 i ties due to the
iiit-ntallv retarlt-d s narenta incaiMcity marital uroblems imshy
maturity and the Qrandnaren t s own su f - f u 1 f i 1 1 i nq need of
companion shin In addition these conclusions concur with the
previous writings of Hill and Shacklefcrd (1975) and Nobles (1974)
to suggest that laquo
this type of extended family structure is a
iss distinctive feature of Black f ami 1 ies
In the Vastcateltiorv of guidance and direction the i^^^^1^1 ^^^^^^ H bull(bullbullbullbullbull bull bullbull raquo ii
8
feelings Ion lines- anrt soc i a 1 -af t n i vr needs was an obvious
characteristic TK- sanK sub jet bull t bull gtrgtbullbullbull] to their parents
ii-laws and stliii as friends - e in mod noint was
nade by this c-L]ect
According f o S tevo a g bull ^ 2 h-- vu u 1 lt1 run to his mother in traquo linute lie tgtited that hlt vuuld drop like that T o run to her WP talk We dont have that kind of communication i 5- far js haiqirn around toqether But we talk shunever 1 need sninei^cy to talk to (Kernan laquo T u c k L- r t) 1 81 )
In -um-narv th--re vcre several idenufiaMe structural
characteristic^ of the I lack fan i 1 v havirvj mentally retarded
bull(nbers The vlt t erdi-d fai ilv in uirt iculjr the rple of the
bullOther and support of the q ran Joaron is jro essential elements
in the social sunport network The extent of thf involvement
line Jenree of interaction is determined bv two factors the
iiscal PKinaqenient of income and tho socialization of young
children Althounh housekc-ep i tu) ltmd j-ndtinct from the extended
family are not as IM port ant 81 act gt-^n t a 1 1 y retarded adults are
highly dependent upon their extended family to assist in these
areas
Earlier i ii this mi per the religious orientation of the
Black familv was discussed as an important formal support
service in developing friendships The research findings of
this study indicate that the church is the most central agency
among voluntary organizations where friendships can be nurtured
The church has been instrumental in their attempts to (1) assi
late the Black mentally retarded individual into the mainstrea
of society 2 teach occupational skills and (3) provide
laquo^^^ - sss^iiiiampfsA i
mishy
m
services ma- bgt attained There -rit--is to he more substantive
empirical -violence o document tMf tv-raquo ct services provided bull
who is entitled to toese services the frequency of participation
bv mentally retarded individuals anj the effectiveness (cost
and treatment) of these ceraquo-vices
bdquo- bull--bullbull bullbullbull 5il| -bdquo laquo bull i--^
tion of igtb ^ nn 1 i c a t i T s tne r -M bull- t i o n of food in a restaurant
the writinq of letters iscl thlaquo- bull bull bull - i ngt or bull bulllt-raquobull- e lt
drivers licence and c i v serur- t-gt raquo- In these circumstances
relatives ana kirshii bullH-mbers rather tnon friends wer-laquo instrushy
mental in fulfilling thi-ir dailv IM-I-- In pr i or i t i i i ru the
needs of P1acl cental lv re t t bull -ltKd ivlul fin a racial a y si stance
was a najor concern In soverraquol trraquo c LS ^1 out of 4 sample subshy
jects a awily member w^s n-lt nons i b 1 raquobull for maintaining the fiscal
nt of iconic- 1- r^L- ved from the r0( ial service agencies
P-ir example
bulleiffi lived in d Lcuiril jrid rire facility in which she had no cortro over her fininciai iffiirs Her I^ot her is the navee for Helens Sn 1 omenta 1 Security Income (SSI) and make c oavnents directly to the board and care operator The remaining amount is used bv Helens mother to purchase articles that she Relieves thit Helun needs Although Helen is quite discontent with this arrangement her history of psychiatric prubl cms and epileptic seirurer causes her mother to doubt Helens itnlit to iMan-VK- her ovn affairs independent lv (Kernan and Tucker D 17S)
The second cateqory nf housekeop i n-] wa-j an important function
o f family members Altliough Black mentil lv retarded females
were more skilled in performing household chores such as cleaning
cooking and washing the family of oriqin provided regular assis--
tance to oversee the completion of these activities
The third category child care was another significant
area of family responsibility Grandparents provided a range of t
chi Id-rearino services from parenting to babysitting to feeding
to educating young children The degree of participation or raquo
family suooort involved the total removal of the cliild from the
B _ _ Jl$^^^^^^^^H^i^^^^i^sa^^iM^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
V raquo f -raquoraquo
In us inn se 1 f - rer or t a c 1 bull s bullbullbull ifii data collection procedure
t n e following bull 0 r v 1 1 r n - o r bull bull r 1 1 ( o
farolvn WM-gt bull lt -I 1 voraquoi lt-i t-c ieves COT i dr rah I f sun port fron her r other bull i1 he care a vejrinq of nor three children throjih trgtc- r o i rgt i on of home money discipline and a nu-iber of ot^r-r daily child care needs Indeed her mothers I i jh level of i nvo 1 v-gtin t ippear-^ to Le a central factor in her trothraquo-rs decision to move back to their home state when it necoiies fir-araquouii feasible It is therlt- that Carolvns -iOthtr expects to find uf~iciett support fron her -gtwn kin i]rji to ma 1 1gt Cnvolvn 1 uenenderice less
of a bu rdcri ( Kerna n ^ Tucker n I MO)
v i t r i a rch i a 1 su port i f i -x tended family lu-work is also
illustrated through the
Althrjoh bull i tcraquo-o 1 1 a -i-vplusmnr o 1 J male had relatively little involvenK-nt witn li i bull fraquoiil this situation changed radically after n i s -iarrialt)e ari iubseoueigtt uirth of h i child- Beshycause Mitchells nothnr d i sa jure ves of his wife who is also retarded this increased reo Jeri( v of kin interaction tends to take okice between Mitchell n ci his in-laws rather than his own relative His niothtrs d i sengaqemen t however is more than compensated for by he nother- i n- 1 aw s involvement in his lif bull She invited the new couple to live with her iin cd orovids a wid- variety of unnort for them jrd their 1-abv (laquo(bullgt- nan laquolt Tuclfr n 130)
These findings surjest that the role of the grandmother is exshy
tremely imoortants iin i f i car t This extended family arrangement
has been identified as an informal adoption procedure whereby the
qranduarents assumed the child care resoonsi bi 1 i ties due to the
iiit-ntallv retarlt-d s narenta incaiMcity marital uroblems imshy
maturity and the Qrandnaren t s own su f - f u 1 f i 1 1 i nq need of
companion shin In addition these conclusions concur with the
previous writings of Hill and Shacklefcrd (1975) and Nobles (1974)
to suggest that laquo
this type of extended family structure is a
iss distinctive feature of Black f ami 1 ies
In the Vastcateltiorv of guidance and direction the i^^^^1^1 ^^^^^^ H bull(bullbullbullbullbull bull bullbull raquo ii
8
feelings Ion lines- anrt soc i a 1 -af t n i vr needs was an obvious
characteristic TK- sanK sub jet bull t bull gtrgtbullbullbull] to their parents
ii-laws and stliii as friends - e in mod noint was
nade by this c-L]ect
According f o S tevo a g bull ^ 2 h-- vu u 1 lt1 run to his mother in traquo linute lie tgtited that hlt vuuld drop like that T o run to her WP talk We dont have that kind of communication i 5- far js haiqirn around toqether But we talk shunever 1 need sninei^cy to talk to (Kernan laquo T u c k L- r t) 1 81 )
In -um-narv th--re vcre several idenufiaMe structural
characteristic^ of the I lack fan i 1 v havirvj mentally retarded
bull(nbers The vlt t erdi-d fai ilv in uirt iculjr the rple of the
bullOther and support of the q ran Joaron is jro essential elements
in the social sunport network The extent of thf involvement
line Jenree of interaction is determined bv two factors the
iiscal PKinaqenient of income and tho socialization of young
children Althounh housekc-ep i tu) ltmd j-ndtinct from the extended
family are not as IM port ant 81 act gt-^n t a 1 1 y retarded adults are
highly dependent upon their extended family to assist in these
areas
Earlier i ii this mi per the religious orientation of the
Black familv was discussed as an important formal support
service in developing friendships The research findings of
this study indicate that the church is the most central agency
among voluntary organizations where friendships can be nurtured
The church has been instrumental in their attempts to (1) assi
late the Black mentally retarded individual into the mainstrea
of society 2 teach occupational skills and (3) provide
laquo^^^ - sss^iiiiampfsA i
mishy
m
services ma- bgt attained There -rit--is to he more substantive
empirical -violence o document tMf tv-raquo ct services provided bull
who is entitled to toese services the frequency of participation
bv mentally retarded individuals anj the effectiveness (cost
and treatment) of these ceraquo-vices
V raquo f -raquoraquo
In us inn se 1 f - rer or t a c 1 bull s bullbullbull ifii data collection procedure
t n e following bull 0 r v 1 1 r n - o r bull bull r 1 1 ( o
farolvn WM-gt bull lt -I 1 voraquoi lt-i t-c ieves COT i dr rah I f sun port fron her r other bull i1 he care a vejrinq of nor three children throjih trgtc- r o i rgt i on of home money discipline and a nu-iber of ot^r-r daily child care needs Indeed her mothers I i jh level of i nvo 1 v-gtin t ippear-^ to Le a central factor in her trothraquo-rs decision to move back to their home state when it necoiies fir-araquouii feasible It is therlt- that Carolvns -iOthtr expects to find uf~iciett support fron her -gtwn kin i]rji to ma 1 1gt Cnvolvn 1 uenenderice less
of a bu rdcri ( Kerna n ^ Tucker n I MO)
v i t r i a rch i a 1 su port i f i -x tended family lu-work is also
illustrated through the
Althrjoh bull i tcraquo-o 1 1 a -i-vplusmnr o 1 J male had relatively little involvenK-nt witn li i bull fraquoiil this situation changed radically after n i s -iarrialt)e ari iubseoueigtt uirth of h i child- Beshycause Mitchells nothnr d i sa jure ves of his wife who is also retarded this increased reo Jeri( v of kin interaction tends to take okice between Mitchell n ci his in-laws rather than his own relative His niothtrs d i sengaqemen t however is more than compensated for by he nother- i n- 1 aw s involvement in his lif bull She invited the new couple to live with her iin cd orovids a wid- variety of unnort for them jrd their 1-abv (laquo(bullgt- nan laquolt Tuclfr n 130)
These findings surjest that the role of the grandmother is exshy
tremely imoortants iin i f i car t This extended family arrangement
has been identified as an informal adoption procedure whereby the
qranduarents assumed the child care resoonsi bi 1 i ties due to the
iiit-ntallv retarlt-d s narenta incaiMcity marital uroblems imshy
maturity and the Qrandnaren t s own su f - f u 1 f i 1 1 i nq need of
companion shin In addition these conclusions concur with the
previous writings of Hill and Shacklefcrd (1975) and Nobles (1974)
to suggest that laquo
this type of extended family structure is a
iss distinctive feature of Black f ami 1 ies
In the Vastcateltiorv of guidance and direction the i^^^^1^1 ^^^^^^ H bull(bullbullbullbullbull bull bullbull raquo ii
8
feelings Ion lines- anrt soc i a 1 -af t n i vr needs was an obvious
characteristic TK- sanK sub jet bull t bull gtrgtbullbullbull] to their parents
ii-laws and stliii as friends - e in mod noint was
nade by this c-L]ect
According f o S tevo a g bull ^ 2 h-- vu u 1 lt1 run to his mother in traquo linute lie tgtited that hlt vuuld drop like that T o run to her WP talk We dont have that kind of communication i 5- far js haiqirn around toqether But we talk shunever 1 need sninei^cy to talk to (Kernan laquo T u c k L- r t) 1 81 )
In -um-narv th--re vcre several idenufiaMe structural
characteristic^ of the I lack fan i 1 v havirvj mentally retarded
bull(nbers The vlt t erdi-d fai ilv in uirt iculjr the rple of the
bullOther and support of the q ran Joaron is jro essential elements
in the social sunport network The extent of thf involvement
line Jenree of interaction is determined bv two factors the
iiscal PKinaqenient of income and tho socialization of young
children Althounh housekc-ep i tu) ltmd j-ndtinct from the extended
family are not as IM port ant 81 act gt-^n t a 1 1 y retarded adults are
highly dependent upon their extended family to assist in these
areas
Earlier i ii this mi per the religious orientation of the
Black familv was discussed as an important formal support
service in developing friendships The research findings of
this study indicate that the church is the most central agency
among voluntary organizations where friendships can be nurtured
The church has been instrumental in their attempts to (1) assi
late the Black mentally retarded individual into the mainstrea
of society 2 teach occupational skills and (3) provide
laquo^^^ - sss^iiiiampfsA i
mishy
m
services ma- bgt attained There -rit--is to he more substantive
empirical -violence o document tMf tv-raquo ct services provided bull
who is entitled to toese services the frequency of participation
bv mentally retarded individuals anj the effectiveness (cost
and treatment) of these ceraquo-vices
8
feelings Ion lines- anrt soc i a 1 -af t n i vr needs was an obvious
characteristic TK- sanK sub jet bull t bull gtrgtbullbullbull] to their parents
ii-laws and stliii as friends - e in mod noint was
nade by this c-L]ect
According f o S tevo a g bull ^ 2 h-- vu u 1 lt1 run to his mother in traquo linute lie tgtited that hlt vuuld drop like that T o run to her WP talk We dont have that kind of communication i 5- far js haiqirn around toqether But we talk shunever 1 need sninei^cy to talk to (Kernan laquo T u c k L- r t) 1 81 )
In -um-narv th--re vcre several idenufiaMe structural
characteristic^ of the I lack fan i 1 v havirvj mentally retarded
bull(nbers The vlt t erdi-d fai ilv in uirt iculjr the rple of the
bullOther and support of the q ran Joaron is jro essential elements
in the social sunport network The extent of thf involvement
line Jenree of interaction is determined bv two factors the
iiscal PKinaqenient of income and tho socialization of young
children Althounh housekc-ep i tu) ltmd j-ndtinct from the extended
family are not as IM port ant 81 act gt-^n t a 1 1 y retarded adults are
highly dependent upon their extended family to assist in these
areas
Earlier i ii this mi per the religious orientation of the
Black familv was discussed as an important formal support
service in developing friendships The research findings of
this study indicate that the church is the most central agency
among voluntary organizations where friendships can be nurtured
The church has been instrumental in their attempts to (1) assi
late the Black mentally retarded individual into the mainstrea
of society 2 teach occupational skills and (3) provide
laquo^^^ - sss^iiiiampfsA i
mishy
m
services ma- bgt attained There -rit--is to he more substantive
empirical -violence o document tMf tv-raquo ct services provided bull
who is entitled to toese services the frequency of participation
bv mentally retarded individuals anj the effectiveness (cost
and treatment) of these ceraquo-vices
services ma- bgt attained There -rit--is to he more substantive
empirical -violence o document tMf tv-raquo ct services provided bull
who is entitled to toese services the frequency of participation
bv mentally retarded individuals anj the effectiveness (cost
and treatment) of these ceraquo-vices