Intersectionality Between Race, Religion, and Disability

Overview: Disability is a human rights issue globally. Persons with disabilities face attitudinal barriers, including prejudice, stereotypes, and stigma. They have equal rights to non-discriminatory practices. The intersectionality between race, religion, and disabilities remains largely understudied. This panel will discuss the intersectionality between race, religion, and disability as emerging research.Proposal text:

Background:
On a global scale, race, ethnic, and disability inequalities continue to afflict marginalized populations in several nations on a worldwide scale. These inequities lend to poor health outcomes and consequences, as evidenced by the onslaught of the COVID-19 epidemic (Yaya et al., 2020). Over many years health disparities have been glaringly noted but have been routinely neglected. Traditionally individuals living with disabilities who have intersectional identities from minoritized racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds frequently encounter several obstacles and barriers. According to the Brandeis Laurie Institute for Disability Policy, scarce data informs public health issues on individuals with minoritized racial, ethnic, and language intersectional identities (Ho et al., 2019). Humanity is constructed with disparities for individuals with race, ethnicity, disabilities, and religious intersections. According to the Office of Disability Employment Policy, BIPOC individuals with disabilities cope with distinctive systemic challenges due to their intersectional identities (USDL, 2021). From a global perspective, international human rights laws obligate individual countries to protect inherent rights (United Nations, 2020). However, despite the laws put into place, many individuals face horrific discrimination due to some or all their intersections. In the United Kingdom, Muslims have been classified as a community that experiences Islamophobia, and the bias toward Muslim communities is epic. According to the lead author of the study, “the non-Muslim British public is three times more likely to hold prejudiced views of Islam than they are of other faiths” (Jones &Unsworth, 2022, p. 8). Religion is an intersection area for many individuals with other identities such as a marginalized race, ethnicity disability, or gender identity. For individuals with disabilities, the intersection of religion is significantly under-researched, and there is a gap in the literature. The intersectionality between Islam as a religion and cultural beliefs and their differences regarding disability by focusing on racism, spirituality, and acculturation can impact how Muslims view disability. It can cause conflict when the children of these individuals start taking on caregiving roles, as many Muslim families do not accept the American concept of institutional caregiving (Al-Krenawi & Graham, 2000; Bagasra, & Mackinem,2019). This knowledge can help develop culturally appropriate interventions to overcome the stigma toward mentally ill clients (Al-Krenawi & Graham, 2000).

Objectives:
This presentation attempts to fill this gap in the literature and explain the complexity of intersectionality between race, religion, and disability to emphasize the issue and initiate discussions among participants to advance a research initiative on the topic.

Implications:
The panel will emphasize the cross-cultural challenges and successes experienced by Muslim American families living with disabilities. The panel discussion will have important implications for social work educators. Panelists will highlight the importance of understanding intersectionality between race, religion, and disability; while calling attention to the understudied topic to aid in closing the gap in the literature and elevate emerging research. Incorporating such content into social work curricula helps address CSWE’s (2015) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, which require social work programs to educate students on how to engage diversity and difference in practice (Competency 2).