Intersectional Aspects of Education at the Nexus of Disability and Forced Migration: Perspectives of Parents, Educational Experts, and School Authorities in Greater Vienna

Author(s)

Seyda Subasi Singh, Camilla Pellech, Alexandra Gutschik, Michelle Proyer, Iris Maureen O'Rourke

Abstract

Although Austrian statistics inform about the distribution of students among different school types based on either their special education needs or their (forced) migration background, the group facing the disadvantages of both situations is almost invisible in the national context. There is a lack of data about the intersection of the kind of schooling (integrative setting, inclusive settings, or special education classes), gender, nationality, or first language use. In order to learn about the current educational practices and challenges in the Austrian context, parents of disabled children from a refugee background as well as educational experts and school authorities were interviewed. Findings showed that there is only a little awareness of the intersectional aspects of disability and forced migration among educational experts and school authorities, while the diagnosis of special education needs suffers from the complexity of the situation. Additionally, parents' lack of information, as well as the need to improve collaboration and increase the availability of translation services, multilingual counseling, or service provision in general were other aspects that this study found. Parents perceived school choice as a key decision and findings underlined that their worries, also as a result of past experiences, affected current decision-making regarding their children's education.

Organisation(s)

Department for Teacher Education, Department of Education, Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology

Journal

Education Sciences

Volume

11

No. of pages

19

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11080423

Publication date

08-2021

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

504021 Migration research, 503034 Inclusive education

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Computer Science (miscellaneous), Education, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation, General Computer Science, Computer Science Applications, Public Administration

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 4 - Quality Education, SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/793e5014-3492-4827-8940-57971e88859c