On Dec. 3, 2024, Mustafa Rfat, a social work PhD student at Washington University and Iraqi refugee with disabilities, gave a virtual talk on the challenges and discrimination he faced under the intersectionality of refugee status and being disabled. It is the third and final talk given in a series under the topic of reimagining refugees.
While waiting for a slideshow to be presented in the virtual meeting, Rfat gave a personal introduction, saying that he was in a refugee camp in Turkey and moved to the United States in 2011. He also talked about his dissertation on refugees with disabilities and how they access social services.
Rfat claimed that the legal definition of refugees is thought about a lot, but not the social and material loss refugees have faced and are facing. “It was huge for me,” Rfat reflected.
Reflecting on the understanding of refugees with disabilities, Rfat said, “Unfortunately, this is the least researched topic.” Rfat continued, “That exclusion, that marginalization hits hard. When you encounter the stigma of being a refugee, of being a person with disabilities, it’s challenging.”
According to Rfat, there are currently 120 million displaced people in the world. Back in 2021, Rfat said there were 50 to 55 million forcibly displaced people. Many of the wars, conflicts and genocides started since the 2000s haven’t ended, being a large part of why so many people are displaced.
Despite what Rfat says, “One-third of refugees have at least one type of disability,” he also said, refugees with disabilities continue to live in the shadows.” He was told by someone that he doesn’t have to work and could rely on public services such as supplemental security income (SSI) to live, but he said he didn’t want to be stuck at home because of his aspirations of wanting to continue his education. “Obviously, that was not my goal,” Rfat said.
Rfat then reviewed the American Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Immigration Act of 1882, the latter being a xenophobic piece of legislature trying to hinder immigration. “This policy is clear that we don’t want immigrants,” Rfat said. The Immigration Act of 1882 was reversed in the1960s, but immigrants continue to face issues in the United States.
They don’t give refugees with disabilities refugee status because they would have to give [them] resources.
Mustafa Rfat, Social Work PhD Student at Washington University
“You might ask how the Immigration Act of 1882 influences the current legislation,” Rfat said. In the U.S., refugees are expected to be self-reliant in one month. Furthermore, from his personal experience, Rfat said that a social worker divided refugees who were employable and unemployable. Those deemed to be unemployable refugees were disregarded until they get SSI. “I was forced to find employment by myself,” Rfat said.
Rfat was finally able to apply to West Virginia University. “In my first week, I was hospitalized due to back problems,” he said, referring to the heavy books and backpack that he had to carry. He had negative self-talk about not being able to attend college while in the hospital. A social worker referred Rfat to the disability services at his college, giving him an iPad to read his books and take notes and a backpack with wheels. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree on an honors track.
Refugees with disabilities often face invisibility in the resettlement process, their identity not being recognized and their needs not being met. Queer and transgender refugees are also invisible to most, according to Rfat.
Rfat then proposed some solutions in terms of how to remedy this maltreatment of refugees with disabilities. He wants to develop a new refugee policy to replace the Refugee Act of 1980 and have dedicated liaisons for resettlement camps.
Rfat then tackled the topic of the language barriers. Refugees oftentimes face discrimination because they don’t speak English. For refugees with disabilities, “Because they don’t speak English, they don’t know about the ADA and about Section 504.”
There was then a Q&A session after the talk. One audience member asked, “Are displaced persons with disabilities less likely to qualify as refugees for immigration?” Rfat answered, “They don’t give refugees with disabilities refugee status because they would have to give [them] resources.” Furthermore, if you don’t declare a disability as a refugee, you may be put in situations that aren’t accommodating. “It’s a very complex dynamic,” Rfat said.
Another question acknowledged the incoming Trump administration’s potential impact on immigration and refugees. Rfat said “If you don’t want illegal immigrants, you have to open the door up for legal immigrants.” “In my dictionary there is no legal and illegal immigrants,” he continued.
Rfat then mentioned his research, stating “I interviewed 40 refugees with disabilities. It was baffling that for 10 years some struggled to find a job. It tells you the neglect.” Rfat later added, “A hospital has the right to deport an undocumented immigrant if they don’t have the paperwork,” and due to how much it would cost to treat the undocumented immigrant.
Visiting Assistant Professor with the UConn Hartford Transformation, Equity, Access and Sense of Belonging (TEAS) Project, Qazi Arka Rahman, asked Rfat: “What has been your motivation?” Rfat first clarified that Rahman was his English tutor at West Virginia University.
“We see our communities day by day being oppressed. My research has opened the door to learning more about refugees with disabilities,” Rfat stated. Rahman then said, “It is not enough to just give them support; we have to make them feel welcome.”