We've needed this book for a long time! Immigration activists have much to learn from the disable... more We've needed this book for a long time! Immigration activists have much to learn from the disabled people's movement, and particularly from disabled asylum seekers. Rebecca Yeo is a committed, inspiring and comprehensive guide to this important emerging field.
It was so good what we did together. All of us disabled people. We will never forget. We can't ev... more It was so good what we did together. All of us disabled people. We will never forget. We can't ever forget because we have proof, there it is what we did' (Disabled asylum seeker speaking after completion of mural as part of research project, cited in Yeo and Bolton 2013).
Abstract The reduction in public services since 2008 has undoubtedly affected some groups, such a... more Abstract The reduction in public services since 2008 has undoubtedly affected some groups, such as disabled people, more than others. Many of these cuts, ostensibly imposed in response to recession, bear similarities to measures previously tried and tested on disabled asylum seekers. I argue that the perception of national crisis was used by government as a smokescreen to expand the population affected by such policies, thereby asserting a predetermined neoliberal agenda of public expenditure cuts. The inequality of this situation is compounded by the entitlements granted to people deemed exceptionally worthy. The Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme for Syrian nationals includes disability among the eligibility criteria, offering considerably greater entitlements than available to asylum seekers. If the response to certain people is markedly different to that offered to others, then negative consequences can be anticipated, as from any other example of inequality. Furthermore, this scheme promotes a significant shift in migrant entitlement. The UK government has no legal obligation towards this group; therefore, those people who are selected are recipients of gifts rather than people claiming their rights. I explore the nature and implications of such differences in entitlement, arguing that inequality in all its manifestations must be challenged to reduce deprivation and to avoid negative consequences for the wider population.
This paper is based on a study conducted with disabled people seeking asylum in the UK, using art... more This paper is based on a study conducted with disabled people seeking asylum in the UK, using art as a means to bring out and promote people’s key messages in public spaces. The findings suggest that people with these intersecting id entities lack sufficient numbers, resources or allies to assert their needs and rights in statutory, non-statutory or even peer support organisations in the UK. This results in such deprivation and isolation, that their very existence is often obscured. The paper argues that not only does such marginalisation cause unnecessary suffering among those directly affected, but also negatively impacts on the whole population. A hierarchy of entitlement may impede recognition of the causes and commonalities of oppression and therefore also hinder solidarity. Where reduced standards become acceptable for certain people, the imposition of similar standards on others is facilitated, particularly in the context of neoliberal austerity. Many of the recent restrictio...
Forced migration and disability often are ignored in the research literature. In spite of the equ... more Forced migration and disability often are ignored in the research literature. In spite of the equalities legislation for the rights of disabled people, often the responses to disabled migrants are not helpful. In theory, the UK’s National Health Service is founded on the basic principle of universalism. The theoretical hegemonic commitment to universal human rights has often been most overtly broken in relation to migrant rights. In contrast to official condemnation of racism and disablism, successive governments of different political persuasions have continued to, and indeed competed to, prove their hostility towards migrants, whether they are disabled or not. The British asylum system itself is disabling by design. Some people are disabled on arrival in the UK; others become disabled later on. Disabled asylum seekers often describe the system as psychological torture. Therefore, ongoing mental distress can create difficulties in further adjustment, thus compounding problems. Usin...
We've needed this book for a long time! Immigration activists have much to learn from the disable... more We've needed this book for a long time! Immigration activists have much to learn from the disabled people's movement, and particularly from disabled asylum seekers. Rebecca Yeo is a committed, inspiring and comprehensive guide to this important emerging field.
It was so good what we did together. All of us disabled people. We will never forget. We can't ev... more It was so good what we did together. All of us disabled people. We will never forget. We can't ever forget because we have proof, there it is what we did' (Disabled asylum seeker speaking after completion of mural as part of research project, cited in Yeo and Bolton 2013).
Abstract The reduction in public services since 2008 has undoubtedly affected some groups, such a... more Abstract The reduction in public services since 2008 has undoubtedly affected some groups, such as disabled people, more than others. Many of these cuts, ostensibly imposed in response to recession, bear similarities to measures previously tried and tested on disabled asylum seekers. I argue that the perception of national crisis was used by government as a smokescreen to expand the population affected by such policies, thereby asserting a predetermined neoliberal agenda of public expenditure cuts. The inequality of this situation is compounded by the entitlements granted to people deemed exceptionally worthy. The Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme for Syrian nationals includes disability among the eligibility criteria, offering considerably greater entitlements than available to asylum seekers. If the response to certain people is markedly different to that offered to others, then negative consequences can be anticipated, as from any other example of inequality. Furthermore, this scheme promotes a significant shift in migrant entitlement. The UK government has no legal obligation towards this group; therefore, those people who are selected are recipients of gifts rather than people claiming their rights. I explore the nature and implications of such differences in entitlement, arguing that inequality in all its manifestations must be challenged to reduce deprivation and to avoid negative consequences for the wider population.
This paper is based on a study conducted with disabled people seeking asylum in the UK, using art... more This paper is based on a study conducted with disabled people seeking asylum in the UK, using art as a means to bring out and promote people’s key messages in public spaces. The findings suggest that people with these intersecting id entities lack sufficient numbers, resources or allies to assert their needs and rights in statutory, non-statutory or even peer support organisations in the UK. This results in such deprivation and isolation, that their very existence is often obscured. The paper argues that not only does such marginalisation cause unnecessary suffering among those directly affected, but also negatively impacts on the whole population. A hierarchy of entitlement may impede recognition of the causes and commonalities of oppression and therefore also hinder solidarity. Where reduced standards become acceptable for certain people, the imposition of similar standards on others is facilitated, particularly in the context of neoliberal austerity. Many of the recent restrictio...
Forced migration and disability often are ignored in the research literature. In spite of the equ... more Forced migration and disability often are ignored in the research literature. In spite of the equalities legislation for the rights of disabled people, often the responses to disabled migrants are not helpful. In theory, the UK’s National Health Service is founded on the basic principle of universalism. The theoretical hegemonic commitment to universal human rights has often been most overtly broken in relation to migrant rights. In contrast to official condemnation of racism and disablism, successive governments of different political persuasions have continued to, and indeed competed to, prove their hostility towards migrants, whether they are disabled or not. The British asylum system itself is disabling by design. Some people are disabled on arrival in the UK; others become disabled later on. Disabled asylum seekers often describe the system as psychological torture. Therefore, ongoing mental distress can create difficulties in further adjustment, thus compounding problems. Usin...
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