Bumping Places of Social Inclusion: A Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of Refugee Families Who Have a Child Who Is Living with a Disability

ABSTRACT

Little attention has been given to the experiences of refugee families parenting a child living with disabilities as they resettle in a new country. Using narrative inquiry, we inquired into the experiences of two Syrian refugee families’ identity-making and agency in their efforts to secure services and programs for their children in Canada. We drew on field texts composed over two years that we spent alongside the children and their parents. The families experienced multiple and complex difficulties as they attempted to recompose their lives alongside their children. We identified multiple tensions and bumping places as the parents negotiated their and their children’s experiences on school and other institutional landscapes. The families’ stories showed the importance of using their experiences as the starting point for creating inclusive spaces for their children.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the generosity of the participants, who welcomed us into their lives with open arms. This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. We acknowledge our collaborators from the Multicultural Health Brokers, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, especially Dr. Yvonne Chui. We also learned so much from Hanan Alhendi and Zamard Rajab de El Houchaimi who worked closely with us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Selected data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, SSHRC IG 435-2017-0665.

Notes on contributors

Heather Raymond

Heather Raymond was a public-school educator for 34 years. Her teaching career began in the field of special education. Her doctoral research focused on inclusive education and the narrative of parents when they seek inclusion for their children with developmental disabilities.

D. Jean Clandinin

D. Jean Clandinin is Professor Emerita at the University of Alberta. Her research areas are in curriculum studies, teacher education, and in developing the theoretical, methodological, and ethical underpinnings of narrative inquiry.

Hiroko Kubota

Hiroko Kubota completed her post-doctoral fellowship and PhD in the Faculty of Nursing, the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on lived experiences of people who are often marginalized and made silent in society, such as people who are homeless or people who experience being refugees.

Vera Caine

Vera Caine is a professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. She is the past board chair of the New Canadians Health in Edmonton, a community health center that serves refugee populations.