Online Reporter
Disability Issues
Dr Christine Peta
AS asserted by the United Nations, all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and they possess the potential to contribute constructively to the development and well-being of their societies.
Thus, this week we focus on the critical intersection of race, disability and migration.
The belief that one race is superior to another is wrong, unjust and dangerous, and it should be condemned and rejected at all costs.
The same applies to the harmful misconception that persons of African descent with disabilities are worthless.
In reality, disability occurs across all racial, ethnic, linguistic and social groups.
However, persons of African descent with disabilities often face compounded challenges across all facets of life, particularly when they migrate to non-African countries where disability, race and migrant status intersect to frame their marginalisation.
Tomorrow, August 31, Zimbabwe joins the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day for People of African Descent, which is a crucial occasion.
Migrants of African descent who acquire disabilities while living in non-African host countries are at risk of confronting the politics of invalidation.
This dynamic often pushes them into frustrating intra-state battles as they struggle to penetrate exclusionary
spaces embedded with segregation in nations they once regarded as lands of abundance.
When individuals of African descent with disabilities enter non-African countries as migrants, they must navigate unfamiliar social, political and economic environments, where disability compounds the disadvantages of their migrant status and complicates their search for belonging.
Disability and race intersect to widen the scope of marginalisation, as these individuals are commonly looked down upon, prejudiced and excluded from most facets of life in ways that severely compromise their livelihoods.
Furthermore, disability often attracts negative stereotypes associated with illness, deformity, mental health issues and crime.
In some cases, these prejudices are compounded to portray persons of African descent with disabilities as unworthy of acceptance, viewing them generally as a liability rather than an asset and excluding them from socio-economic participation.
Much like ink thrown across a page, the portrait of an “otherised” migrant of
African descent with disabilities is viewed through a lens of undocumented status, dependency and shame, while unfairly categorised as a vehicle for community destabilisation.
As race and disability intersect to drive this marginalisation, these individuals are fallaciously regarded as disease carriers and putative criminals who represent a mere burden to the host country.
A migrant of African descent with disabilities is also at risk of being labelled a gatecrasher who challenges a community’s existential order.
The lack of citizen identity
further exposes them to heightened vulnerability.
It is, therefore, unsurprising that feelings of anger, bitterness and hostility towards these migrants can arise, ultimately impacting their livelihoods and well-being.
Moreover, confusion often abounds among migrants with disabilities regarding their entitlements within a host country, particularly in legal contexts that protect some individuals while leaving others unprotected.
Understanding the intersection of race, disability and migration — and its profound impact on the well-being of migrants of African descent with disabilities — is a vital disability rights goal.
There is an urgent need for collective action to research this severely under-researched area, thereby eliminating the data gaps that hinder effective policy, practice and equitable service delivery across most sectors.
Dr Christine Peta is a disability, public health, policy, international development and research expert. She can be contacted on: [email protected]
