Recent legislative changes in education policy have formalized parental rights and parental involvement in educational issues, especially concerning the development and implementation of their children’s education programme. In Cyprus, the legislation of 1999 has sanctioned parental involvement regarding the education of children with disabilities, a decision that is consistent with the theoretical framework of inclusive education, in which medical and normalizing theories are abandoned and emphasis is placed on equality of opportunity and participation (Barton, 2001; Armstrong, 2003). This context leaves, in theory, the ‘experts’ with less power over important decisions of disabled children’s future, while parents are expected to be involved in their children’s diagnosis, assessment and re-evaluation (Beveridge, 1997; Symeonidou, 2007). Nevertheless, differences are noted between the rhetorical proclamations of the 1999 Law, and stated and enacted policies (Ball, 1994). Even though the legislation ratifies parental involvement in schools, it also poses obstacles towards its effective implementation (Phtiaka, 2007); a phenomenon we often meet in inclusive policies that “lead to the repetition of exclusion” (Allan, 2010: 25). The medical model underpins the legislation (Phtiaka, 2007), while collaboration between professionals and parents is ineffective due to multiple interpretations of the legislation (Ball, 1994) and the unequal power relations between them (Phtiaka, 1999; Boutskou, 2007; Symeonidou, 2007). Further, research indicates that professionals discard the knowledge and experiences of parents during the decision-making processes, thus positioning them at the bottom of the hierarchy in their meetings (Ware, 1994; Phtiaka, 2004). In Cyprus, research often overlooks home-school relationships and the parents of children with disabilities. In this paper, we will critically examine the concepts of ‘parents’, ‘children with special needs’ and ‘parental involvement’ with particular focus on the 1999 educational policy in Cyprus.

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