Inclusive Processes for Refugees with Disabilities: Improving Communication for Deaf Forced Migrants

The coming into force of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has created an opportunity to evaluate and re-design responses to forced migration, on both domestic and international levels. Indeed, since the creation of the CRPD, international and domestic organizations have taken a number of steps to make their processes more inclusive. Communication is fundamental to almost every aspect of refugee-related processes, from registration, through status determination, to needs assessments and resettlement evaluations. Ensuring that asylum seekers and refugees, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing, are able to effectively communicate and access information throughout these processes is thus a crucial prerequisite to them being able to enjoy their rights.

The chapter first briefly summarizes the key international legal provisions governing the procedural and communication-related rights of refugees with disabilities and explores recent updates to UN Refugee Agency guidance in this area. It then examines existing scholarship that demonstrates the central importance of effective communication to the crucial refugee status determination (RSD) process. This is followed by an exploration of existing research on disability in forced migration, with particular attention to communication involving refugees who are deaf or hard of hearing. The chapter concludes with a discussion of possible next steps within research and practice best to ensure inclusive and effective communication and thus to promote the enjoyment of procedural rights and access to protection for deaf refugees and asylum seekers.