This study investigated Korean grandparents' involvement and support in the families of children with severe disabilities. It employed mixed methodology, administering surveys, scales, and interviews with grandparents and parents. Eighty-two parent-grandparent pairs (82 parents and 82 grandparents) and 76 non-paired parents (a total of 240 participants) participated in the study. Surveys admistered included the Korean translation of the Grandparent Invovlement Scale, the Korean translation of the Grandparent Support Scale, and the Korean translation of the Parenting Stress Index/Short Form. Post-survey interviews with 10 grandparents and 6 parents were also conducted to more deeply understand perspectives regarding grandparental involvement and support.

Factors influencing grandparents' involvement and support were identified. The most significant grandparental demographic factors influencing grandparents' perception of their involvement was the frequency of visits with the grandchild, followed by grandparents' educational level and grandparents' marital status. Grandparents' perceptions of their support were influenced most by their geographical distance from their grandchild and by their monthly income. Grandparents who lived closer to their grandchild were generally more involved with and supportive of the child's family. Parents' perceptions revealed that the parents' age was the most significant parental demographic factor on grandparents' involvement followed by parents' employment status. In addition, a notable finding in the study was that grandparents' involvement and support reduced the parents' parental distress. A comparison of grandparents' and parents' perceptions regarding grandparental involvement resulted in that parents' perceptions were higher than the grandparents' perceptions.

Based on interviews with grandparents and parents, a particularly notable form of grandparent support was that they provided babysitting and took their grandchild to special education service programs. Interestingly, the interviews revealed that grandparents felt the need to hide their grandchild with a disability in public. Parents called attention to the fact that grandfathers were less supportive than grandmothers in helping the grandchild and the child's parents. Parents also reported that grandparents were a source of stress to them in instances when their grandparents deny or have inaccurate knowledge regarding their child's disability, when they try to become over-involved with their grandchild, and when the grandparents express grief in front of child as well as parents.

In order to encourage grandparents to become actively involved in the lives of grandchildren with disabilities, this study suggests that educators and relevant professionals need to consider grandparents as willing partners in intervention plans for their grandchild's education and therapy. To help grandparents become familiar with educational and therapy intervention, educators and relevant professionals should invite and encourage grandparents' involvement in early stage of IFSP or IEP. In addition, educators and relevant professionals are encouraged to facilitate support groups and implement workshops for grandparents to be able to positively adjust to their situation of having a grandchild with a disability and to make a positive impact on the parents' distress.