The circumstances of migrant families raising children with disabilities in five European countries: Updating knowledge and pursuing new research

Abstract

In 2017, specialists in several fields (health, education, and social work) from five European countries (France, Georgia, Italy, Norway, and Switzerland) established a network to jointly pursue studies on migration and disability. An initial workshop provided an opportunity to discuss their previous individual work and to develop a comparative research project. This article presents the key aspects of the discussion and the resulting plans for collaborative study. First, migrant children with disabilities remain statistically invisible in some countries. Separate policies and systems address their needs as migrants and their needs as persons with disabilities. Second, in all countries covered by the research network, there is an important gap between legal norms and the circumstances of migrant families raising children with disabilities. The same holds true for collaboration between public agencies, or between those agencies and NGOs (serving persons with disabilities, migrants, and/or national minorities). Further comparative and cross-disciplinary study must focus on increasing the social participation of children with disabilities and their families through social, educational, and health interventions within an intercultural context.