5/1/2024 – 4/30/2026
$227,235
Black/African American families often engage in ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) practices, which are implicit and explicit messages about race and strategies for coping with racism and discrimination. ERS messages can be protective (e.g., preparation for bias, promotion of mistrust) and/or affirmational (e.g., cultural socialization). To our knowledge, however, very few studies have investigated ERS practices and strategies for coping with racism and ableism among Black youth with disabilities. Rooted in African-centered psychology and informed by the theory of intersectionality, R3ISE integrative framework, and the disability critical race theory (DisCrit), this mixed-methods project builds upon a pilot study and aims to (1) examine the relations between parents’ ERS practices and school engagement and mental health outcomes among Black students with neurodevelopmental disabilities, (2) explore the purposes and goals of Black/African American parents engaging in ERS practices, and (3) understand challenges that arise for Black parents who communicate ERS practices to their children with disabilities through semi-structured interviews or focus groups. The Principal Investigator is Dr. Noreen Yazejian, and the co-PI is Dr. Nicole A. Telfer of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at UNC at Chapel Hill. This project represents the intellectual property of Dr. Telfer.