Johanna Shapiro, PhD
Past efforts to address cultural factors with regard to disability in Latino families are based on limited research and tend to depict Latino culture in a fixed, stereotypic manner. In this chapter, counselors and case managers are encouraged to move beyond this culture-as-elements approach by considering the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of Latino culture. A cultural perspective is presented that respects the sociohistorical context of Latino families and draws on an ethnographic or narrative approach whereby Latino families are asked to tell their story with regard to disability in their family. Cases are used to illustrate this cultural perspective. By listening to the stories of Latino families with disability, practitioners will be in a position to consider carefully cultural factors and to devise appropriate interventions.