Disability and cross-border mobility: comparing resettlement experiences of Cambodian and Somali refugees with disabilities

Abstract

This paper explores disabled people’s access to cross-border mobility within the context of refugee resettlement. The research presented in this paper stems from an ethnographic study involving in-depth interviews, focus groups and participant observations with 15 disabled Somali and Cambodian refugees resettled in the United States. The study combined ethnographic data with information obtained from key experts and interpretive analysis of refugee resettlement policies and guidelines. The findings revealed some shifts within refugee resettlement policies, both domestically within the United States and internationally within the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR). Corresponding to these policy shifts, the two refugee groups in the study reported disparate resettlement experiences. While the Cambodian participants reported delays and complications with getting approved for resettlement, the Somali participants described a smooth and streamlined resettlement process. The implications of these findings are discussed within the larger scheme of cross-border mobility for people with disabilities.

Keywords:

• disability
• refugees
• immigration
• resettlement
• cross-border mobility

Acknowledgements

This research was completed in partial fulfillment of a doctoral degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago and this paper was written as part of a postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University. The contents of this paper were developed under a grant from the Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (#H133P080006). The author is indebted to mentors at these institutions (Dr Joy Hammel and Dr Allen Heinemann), the dissertation committee, as well as to all the participants, cultural guides, and community contacts who made this project possible