Grandparents' role and support in the process of coping with the grandchildren's disability

The topic of the diploma thesis is grandparents' role and support in the process of coping with the grandchildren's disability. The thesis is divided into theoretical and practical parts. The theoretical part deals with the definition of a person with disability in society, defining the norm and normality, basic terminology and the concepts of defect and defectiveness, impairment, disability and handicap, and a child, a pupil, and a student with special educational needs. Subsequently, the thesis deals with the rights of persons with disabilities, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the National Plan for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities 2021-2025. It is also dedicated to the family and its functions, the family of a child with disability, the stages of coping with the birth of a child with disability, grandparents and their role, and grandparents of a child with disability. It also focuses on the possibilities of supporting families and individuals with disabilities, where it focuses on non-governmental non-profit organizations, social services, where it defines early intervention and social activation services for families with children, and School Guidance and Counselling Facility. The aim of the practical part of the diploma thesis is to find out how grandparents cope with the birth of a child (grandchild) with disability, how they are involved in the care and support of the primary family and whether there is an adequate support available to them from the professionals in the Czech Republic. Mixed research was chosen to fulfil the stated objective. Two types of semi-structured interviews were used for data collection in the qualitative research. One was for parents of children with disabilities and the other was for grandparents of children (grandchildren) with disabilities. A questionnaire designed for professionals working in social services in the Czech Republic was used to collect data in the quantitative research