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Research on Disabled Refugee experiences
Edited by Orla, Alicja, and Fran in January 2022, and by Maddie in January 2023
We have chosen this topic in order to break down the wall between “us and them”. We want to remove the idea of superiority we have regarding refugees. There are plenty of generic examples in media of the suffering experienced in order for refugees to get to the UK and world-wide, but we have little which is specific about their personal experiences and personal struggles. We have focused both on physical disabilities and mental disabilities. We have chosen a variety of sources in order to include the perspectives and experiences of refugees with different disabilities, these include primary sources and organisations to offer support to refugees in need. While we have also included newspaper articles and academic sources, our primary consideration is first-hand reports made by disabled refugees.
From carrying out this research we have discovered that not every country has been resources in order to offer the support need for refugees with disabilities, there is still a long way to go with the organisation of host countries. However, there is still hope with the few organisations who are able to provide support, and hopefully in years to come this will increase and can be added to the archive. Another factor that can be considered is that is geographical location for where these support units are, mainly focusing in London and Birmingham.
Organisations that offer support to refugees- UK
Until now there has only been consideration on the stories of refugees, rather than considering the support network they need to be part of. We should be better educated on what support is available.
https://hearequality.org.uk/policy-and-campaigns-project/disabled-asylum-seekers-and-refugees/
https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/disabled-people-refugee-and-asylum-seeking-communities-britain
Primary sources
First-hand stories of refugees which highlight the different possible outcomes of their experience.
The first two sources highlight the stories of refugees who did not come to the UK in order to seek refuge.
https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/36816/anthonys-story-i-suffered-in-africa-and-im-coming-to-suffer-here-again
https://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/2018/12/5c0149e34/congolese-tailor-disability-stitches-new-life-kenya.html
The second two sources come from television news reports by the BBC with first-hand experiences of what the journeys were truly like.
Academic sources
We have included academic studies which highlight the number of refugees who have disabilities who have come to the UK
https://www.york.ac.uk/inst/spru/research/pdf/nlcb1816.pdf
https://lemosandcrane.co.uk/resources/JRF%20-%20They%20do%20not%20understand%20the%20problem%20I%20have.pdf
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article/complex-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-in-asylum-seekers-and-victims-of-trafficking-treatment-considerations/A8721B0A4EE9F8BBF87F8831B0891FDC
Articles
We have a range of articles from both newspapers and a refugee organisation, this highlights the different portrayal of refugees.
https://www.independent.co.uk./news/uk/home-news/sopra-steria-immigration-fees-home-office-vulnerable-hostile-environment-a8968981.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/06/disabled-afghans-in-special-jeopardy-warns-exiled-campaigner
https://www.refugee-action.org.uk/disabled-refugees-allowed-access-disability-benefits/
Disabled Refugees Agency
Edited by Izzy and Alexei in January 2023
My last chance: the story of Qusai, a disabled Syrian refugee
This article focuses on Qusai, a disabled Syrian refugee, and their first hand account focuses on their struggles of making the journey to Europe. Their story was able to be shared through oral history.
The Girl From Aleppo: Nujeen’s Escape from War to Freedom – Nujeen Mustafa (2016)
Synopsis: Malala Yousafzai has said that Nujeen “inspires me to dream without limits”. In
this book we follow her as a 16-year-old Kurdish girl with cerebral palsy escaping the violence of Syria and travelling across Europe to a new home in Germany.
Unexpectedly for such a heavy story the book bounces along, buoyed by Nujeen’s youthful optimism and curious mind. There’s a childlike innocence in the way Nujeen recounts her life which insulates us as the reader from some of the more traumatic elements.
This is a powerful and inspiring recounting of an incredible woman’s life.