Drawing on one-to-one guided conversations with disabled children and follow-up interviews with their parents and siblings, this volume takes an in-depth look at the effects of disability on disabled children. Approaching this neglected subject through the disabled child's perspective, it considers:

* disabled children's understanding of disability

* the ways in which children negotiate the experience of disability in their everyday lives

* children's perceptions of their relationships with professionals and their knowledge and views of service provision

* children's aspirations for the future and their views on the type of support which might help achieve them

* siblings' perceptions of the effects on them of having a disabled brother or sister.

Informed by the social model of disability, Clare Connors and Kirsten Stalker identify and draw out the implications of their findings for social work and health services. Illustrating effective ways of communicating directly with disabled children, this will prove an invaluable resource for academics, policy makers and practitioners working with disabled children in health and social care settings.