Refugees and Asylum Seekers with Disabilities: A Preliminary Report from Malaysia and Indonesia

"Too often invisible, too often forgotten and too often overlooked, refugees with disabilities are among the most isolated, socially excluded and marginalized of all displaced populations. … [T]hose with disabilities are more limited by our actions than by their own physical and mental abilities. The way we design and construct camps can impede their access to vital services" the way we distribute food without taking their specific needs into account impacts their health and safety" the way we exclude them from vocational training and income generation programs promotes the view that they are helpless and dependent" and when we don't actively encourage their participation in refugee leadership structures, we give the impression that they are less able."¹