Local Nonprofit Serves Immigrants
with Disabilities
by Abdul Gulan
In the last
decade, the Twin Cities has become the defacto “capital” of
the Somali community in North America. Minnesota is home to the
largest Somali population in the United States, nearly all of
which are located in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. There are
70,000 immigrants from Somalia living in the state, and 20,000
of these people arrive with a disability. These Somalis have
come either directly from refugee camps, or as secondary migrants
from other countries and U.S. cities, drawn here by the urban job market
and the refugee service agencies.
The Disabled Immigrants Association (DIA) was formed by immigrants
from Somalia in 2003. The voluntary, human services organization
is led by immigrants with disabilities who are striving to help other
immigrants with disabilities (from all countries) adjust to their
new opportunities in the United States. DIA supports immigrants and
their careers by providing a multitude of services, information and
advocacy on key issues. The immigrants DIA serves which arrive in
this country burdened with a variety of physical and/or mental disabilities.
These disabilities often cause the immigrants to have low self-esteem
that cripples their ability to succeed in their new homeland. DIA
helps by teaching them how to move away from low self-esteem and
dependence towards self sufficiency and increased self-confidence.
Somali refugees have
been settling in the Twin Cities since Somalia’s
civil war erupted in 1991. In the aftermath of the civil war, there
has been no central government, which means there are no functional
institutions to provide assistance. There has been no organized police,
no education, little healthcare, a lack of clean water and many other
major problems. These governmental shortcomings have both led to
or exacerbated people’s disabilities.
Many Somalis have disabilities that are a result of either a birth
defect or the civil war. Some people have physical disabilities,
including amputees, those born without limbs, the blind, and the
deaf. Others have cognitive disabilities, including treatable emotional
ailments such as depression and culture shock. Furthermore, there
are many war disabilities that are not the result of military service.
These disabilities occur from being in a refugee camp or from just
being an innocent bystander in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
When the need for more services in the Twin Cities increased, DIA
responded by opening an office in Minneapolis in 2003. The organization
acts as a resource center. It also manages a range of services to
support its mission. DIA, which recently received its 501(c) 3 status,
is looking for help from other more experienced non-profit organizations.
The situation in Somalia
has been dire for some years now. Hundreds of thousands of people
in southern Somalia are at risk of starvation due to drought and
economic turmoil. Only one-fifth of children aged 6 to 13 are in
school, with even fewer attending secondary school. The region
suffers from a high incidence of malaria, tuberculosis, and H.I.V.
virus. Many people do not understand the nature of these diseases
and their transmission. Lastly, the region’s main
form of income, its livestock trade, has been decimated by the outbreak
of two deadly viruses (Rift Valley Fever Virus and the Rinderpest
Virus) and the subsequent bans placed on their livestock by the region’s
trading partners. Many Somalis lack the knowledge and the equipment
to take the necessary steps to overcome the bans, regulate the trade
in livestock and be able to compete in the marketplace. In light
of the disease, lack of educational opportunity, and economic turmoil,
many of the disabled Somali immigrants have never had the resources
or opportunity to seek help with their disabilities.
These immigrants arrive in
this country seeking a new life while trying to deal with physical
and/or cognitive disabilities. These disabilities often cause these
immigrants to have low self-esteem and cripple their ability to succeed
in their new homeland.
The Disabled Immigrant Association
can be contacted at 612-824-7075, or through email at DI_ASSO@yahoo.com
