Tiny specks in microscopes: the impact of human service workers on the lives of parents with intellectual disabilities

This exploratory study used grounded theory methodology to examine the interactions between human service workers and parents with intellectual disabilities. Seven in-depth interviews were conducted with 3 parents. These parents were all receiving voluntary, formal support services. The findings of this study indicated that parents recognized that they needed voluntary, formal support services to manage some aspects of their lives. Other findings indicated, however, that support was not always viewed as being beneficial. Human service workers were often perceived as social control officers. A number of mechanisms such as coercion and blaming were used to maintain social control. The social control parents experienced led them to feel a sense of hopelessness about their situations which resulted in parents inventing new ways to adjust or adapt to their situations.