South Asian Parents’ Perspectives on Advocacy, Knowledge, and Community Belonging Through the SAATHI Transition-Focused Parent Training

Racially minoritized parents frequently face systemic barriers in accessing and navigating equitable supports needed to effectively plan for their child's future after high school. Culturally adapted, transition-focused parent education interventions offer a promising approach to addressing the persistent knowledge and advocacy gaps that these families often encounter. This qualitative study explores the perspectives of six South Asian parents of children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who participated in South Asians Accessing Transition and Higher Education Inclusion (SAATHI), a culturally informed, community-based parent training designed to enhance transition-related knowledge, strengthen advocacy skills, and foster a sense of community belonging. Findings indicate that SAATHI enhanced parents’ confidence and capacity to navigate transition planning, engage with schools and adult service systems, and advocate more effectively. Parents also emphasized the critical role of culturally affirming training curricula, peer connections, and practical strategies for collaborating with schools and service providers. Implications for research and practice are discussed.