Arab Refugees with Physical Disabilities: An Exploration of Barriers within the Resettlement Process

A series of global crises—the war on terror and its subsequent geopolitical disruptions, climate change, and political and economic instability —have created new waves of refugees, primarily from the Middle East, North Africa, and Latin America. Among these refugees are people with sensory disabilities (PWD). While all refugees require support and encounter challenges to adapting to their resettlement countries, those with physical disabilities face additional barriers to successful resettlement and integration into their resettlement communities. These additional barriers include access to accessibility services for alternative communication methods, orientation and mobility assistance, disability-specific medical support, as well as social support to alleviate social isolation due to their disability. Finally, PWD require specific guidance through the various bureaucracies of disability. This study aims to explore the resettlement journeys of PWD and the barriers they have and continue to face. In this qualitative research project, refugees with physical and sensory physical disabilities in Austin, Texas, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview process. Participant narratives were captured and analyzed to determine the scope of the barriers and challenges they have faced during resettlement and to find commonalities within the resettlement process for refugees with physical disabilities.