Linking Refugees with Disabilities to Employment in Illinois (IL UCEDD)

May 10, 2017

Grad students (L-R) Vineeta Ram & Kathryn B. Duke work on the PRIDE project with researchers Rooshey Hasnain & Mansha Mirza

Transnational refugees with disabilities are left out of many social service provisions typically provided to refugees. The Institute on Disability and Human Development (IDHD) at the University of Illinois at Chicago has received a three year grant funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to address the support needs of refugees with disabilities. Principal Investigator Rooshey Hasnain, Clinical Assistant Professor of Disability and Human Development, and Co-Principal Investigator Mansha Mirza, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy and an alumna of DHD's Disability Studies PhD program, noticed this disparity and decided to take action.

The grant will provide much-needed services and supports to refugees with disabilities living in Illinois with a focus on employment and entrepreneurship activities. The aptly named initiative, Partners of Refugees in Illinois Disability Employment (PRIDE), is breaking new ground as the first U.S. project to address pathways to employment for refugees with disabilities Read more here: https://news.uic.edu/east-meets-west-supporting-refugees-with-disabilities and visit PRIDE's Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/prideuic/

Mirza speaks with community members, people who have disabilities and refugees during a project community meeting this semester.