Critical Reflections on the Process of Developing a Resource Manual for Service Providers Working with Immigrants & Refugees with Disabilities

Authors

  • Kaltrina Kusari MSW, RSW, PhD Student Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary
  • Yahya El-Lahib RSW, PhD, Assistant Professor Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary
  • Natalie Spagnuolo PhD Candidate Critical Disability Studies program, School of Health Policy and Management, York University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15353/cjds.v8i5.567

Abstract

This paper presents critical reflections on the process of developing a resource manual for service providers who work with immigrants/refugees with disabilities. The development of this manual gave us insight into existing programs which address the intersection between immigration and disability, as well as the paradigms that guide services which target immigrants/ refugees with disabilities. We approached the manual through a postcolonial disability framework which facilitated a critical examination of the operation of ableist and neocolonial discourses within and through settlement practices. The main findings highlight the “siloed” nature of service delivery for immigrants/refugees with disabilities. Findings also illustrate how relevant provincial strategies do not address the intersection between immigration and disability, but rather focus on using immigration to reach other provincial targets. These findings add to the body of existing, albeit scarce, literature which focuses on the immigration-disability nexus and provide important implications for policymaking and service delivery for a largely hidden population of immigrants in Canada.

Author Biographies

Kaltrina Kusari, MSW, RSW, PhD Student Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary

MSW, RSW, PhD Student Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary

Yahya El-Lahib, RSW, PhD, Assistant Professor Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary

RSW, PhD, Assistant Professor Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary

Natalie Spagnuolo, PhD Candidate Critical Disability Studies program, School of Health Policy and Management, York University

PhD Candidate
Critical Disability Studies program, School of Health Policy and Management, York University

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Published

2019-10-28

How to Cite

Kusari, K., El-Lahib, Y., & Spagnuolo, N. (2019). Critical Reflections on the Process of Developing a Resource Manual for Service Providers Working with Immigrants & Refugees with Disabilities. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 8(5), 98–119. https://doi.org/10.15353/cjds.v8i5.567

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 5 (2019)

Section

Articles

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