Indigenous with disabilities. Experiences from their meetings with social and health affairs.

Session Nr.1: "The importance of cultural competence when providing services to Sámi people with disabilities"

An English-language version will be published after Easter

I et forskningsprosjekt om situasjonen til samer med funksjonsnedsettelser, undersøkte vi i en kvalitativ intervjustudie følgende tre problemstillinger: Hvordan opplever samer med funksjonsnedsettelser sin egen hverdag, hvordan opplever de viktige overganger i livet (som f.eks. mellom skole og arbeid, fra ungdom til voksen osv.), og hvordan deltar de i demokratiske prosesser. Formålet med studien var å få en dypere forståelse for hverdagserfaringene til samer med funksjonsnedsettelser på de ovenfor tre nevnte områdene.

Et av hovedfunnene i studien var at hjelpeapparatet innehar begrenset kompetanse om den samiske befolkningen og deres kultur, noe som får uheldige konsekvenser for denne gruppens møter med hjelpeapparatet. Samer med funksjonsnedsettelser tilbys standardiserte tjenester tilpasset majoritetssamfunnets behov. Hovedfokuset rettes mot funksjonsnedsettelsen, uavhengig av deres samiske språklige og kulturelle bakgrunn. Konsekvensen er at samer med funksjonsnedsettelser ikke mottar likeverdige tjenester, da tjenestene ikke er tilpasset samisk tenkemåte, verdier, holdninger og livsfilosofi. Dermed møter de kulturelle og språklige barrierer, f.eks. som at tjenesteyterne ikke kjenner til samers kommunikasjonsform, hvordan de forstår og kommuniserer om sykdom, funksjonsnedsettelser og behandling, samt hva samiske barna får lære om på skolen og hvordan osv. Mens enkelte opplever at de må velge mellom et faglig tilpasset tilbud og et samisk tilbud, erfarer andre at de tvinges til å velge et norsk tjenestetilbud tilpasset funksjonsnedsettelsen. Konsekvensen er at flere opplever at de dermed mister tilgang til samisk språk, identitet og kultur, og risikerer dermed å bli marginalisert både på grunn av sin etniske bakgrunn og funksjonsnedsettelse.

Session Nr.2: "Towards indigenous social work practice guidelines for assisting African families raising children with Down Syndrom"

It is common knowledge that the social work profession in South Africa, including its theories, methods, and models, has been implanted from the global North (Europe) and North America. Scholarship within social work has confirmed that there are challenges of relevance and appropriateness of Westernised social work interventions, and consequently, their effectiveness in a context outside the Euro-North America. It is against this backdrop that the researcher explored the African family, its experiences, and its coping strategies when raising a child with Down Syndrome as well as the nature of social work services they received and whether such services were congruent with the family’s existential condition and subjectivities. A retrospective qualitative study following a phenomenological design was conducted. Research data were collected from a sample drawn using purposive and snowball techniques, through the use of semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data analysis process adapted from Terre Blanche, Durrheim and Painter (2006:33) was used, complemented by Atlas.ti programme. The findings were used to develop indigenised social work practice guidelines for social workers assisting African families raising children with DS

Session Nr.3: "Participation and social inclusion of the Sámi with disabilities in Finland"

We will present the preliminary results of the pilot study concerning the situation of the Sámi with disabilities that is under way in Finland in correspondence with the earlier studies in Norway and Sweden.  The aim is to enhance knowledge about experiences of the Sámi with disabilities particularly in relation to social and health affairs, service delivery and social inclusion. The special focus is on the welfare service experiences and opportunities to be heard as a citizen, Sámi, and person with disability in use of services. Particularly is examined whether Sámi persons with disabilities encounter linguistic and cultural barriers in in their daily lives. The study seeks to map the involved problematics, occurring coping strategies, individual and community resilience, and existing social support thereby enhancing extended understanding of the situation of the Sámi with disabilities in Finland opening up the important target areas for development and the diversity of Sámi persons. The aim was to run 10 theme interviews of the Sámi with different types of disabilities adapting the question framework created by the research project. In collecting data, analyzing, interpreting and reporting the results, research ethical principles of social scientific research are adapted. The research involves vulnerable groups and sensitive subjects and therefore special consideration and protection measures are applied.