Class Consciousness as Cultural Capital among High-SES Parents of Children with Disabilities

This article proposes to examine the parenting features of high socioeconomic class (SES) parents of children with disabilities. This examination also enables us to clarify to what extent high-SES parenting of children with disabilities aligns with the prevailing research on high-SES parenting of children without disabilities. To resolve this question, semi-structured interviews were conducted with high-SES parents of children with disabilities in Israel. The findings indicate that, in addition to financial advantages, these parents hold a clear class consciousness (enacted as cultural capital), which translates into advantages for their children. To that end, the study found four manifestations of cultural capital among high-SES parents in their approach to special education. The discussion offers a critical interpretation concerning how class consciousness serves as cultural capital among high-SES parents of children with disabilities, thus producing and maintaining inequity in the special education system.