Indigenous People with Disabilities in the Arctic: Workshops for Initiating Research Collaboration

The aim of this event is to promote knowledge exchange and initiate international, interdisciplinary research collaboration on the lived experiences and inclusion of indigenous people with disabilities in the Arctic. The term 'disabilities' here is used broadly, including e.g. physical/sensory, learning and mental health impairments. Over the past years there has been increasing attention to diversity and inclusion; in the Arctic, the focus has often been on gender, while people with disabilities are often overlooked. Moreover, the studies that do exist tend to be limited in geographical scope and often adopt a monodisciplinary perspective. Little attention has been paid to the lived experiences of people with disabilities within their social, cultural, political, geographical and historical context. As highlighted by the “social model” of disability, the context plays a key role in “enabling” or “disabling” people with impairments. To understand the experiences and challenges faced by indigenous people with disabilities in the Arctic, a comparative, interdisciplinary approach is needed. This event consists of workshops and meetings that bring together researchers and experts interested in the lived experiences and inclusion of indigenous people with disabilities in the Arctic. The objective is to (1) share knowledge and insights, and (2) develop a shared research agenda and initiate collaboration through the preparation of a joint funding proposal. Participants will be an international and interdisciplinary group of researchers and experts/representatives from interest organizations from different countries (e.g., Canada, the USA, Europe), and from different disciplines (e.g., social sciences, healthcare sciences, etc.). Information about the event will be distributed as widely as possible through mailing lists and through a snowballing approach with contacts in Norway, Greenland, Canada, Alaska and several European countries as starting points.