Making things work, practically: Care relations in parent-led autism advocacy in urban India

Drawing on ethnography that involved in-depth online interviews with parents of adult autistic individuals in India, this article focuses on the experiences of five interlocutors to examine the nuanced understanding of disability, family, and care in the context of COVID-19 in India and, more broadly, in the realm of disability. Anchored in a feminist philosophical framework of care, the study addresses two pivotal questions. First, it explores how the narratives of the mothers interviewed challenge normative articulations of care. Second, it illustrates that care relations involving autism are characterized by considerable interdependence. Within the realm of autism advocacy in India, which is characterized by its inherent diversity, this article emphasizes that questions of care, (in)dependence, and kinship are shaped more by individuals’ social locations than by Western theorizations of inclusion and care. This article contributes to the ongoing discourse on disability, family, and care, providing rich insights into the lived experiences of mothers of autistic adults in the specific context of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The findings offer a broader understanding of the complexities inherent in care relations and advocate for more inclusive and culturally sensitive approaches to support families of individuals with autism in urban India.