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Event Summary & Key Takeaways
Transforming Support for Racialized and Newcomer Families with Disabilities Across Canada
On May 10, 2025, community members, advocates, and organizational leaders gathered at the Edmonton Intercultural Centre for a Fireside Chat hosted by SMILE Canada, sponsored by Islamic Social Services Association and International Development Relief Fund, and in collaboration with Islamic Family, Sister’s Dialogue, RuhCare, and Muslim Life Canada. This event created a space for honest, community-driven dialogue about how racialized and newcomer families navigating disability are impacted by systemic inequities, cultural stigma, and service gaps, and how we can co-create solutions grounded in justice, cultural humility, and community care.
We were honored to be joined by two powerful community leaders, Amber Rahman and Dima Aldahouk, who led a rich conversation exploring the ways in which racism, ableism, and xenophobia intersect to create complex and often overlooked barriers. Their reflections emphasized the urgent need for culturally rooted, identity-affirming, and accessible supports, and the importance of centering lived experiences in every aspect of service design, delivery, and advocacy. A central theme that emerged was the recognition that disability is a shared human experience, not limited to any one community or identity. In light of this, there was a strong call for organizations to come together in solidarity, combining strengths, resources, and knowledge to co-create systems of care that reflect the full diversity and dignity of the communities we serve.
Key Themes from the Discussion
Intersecting Barriers: Naming the Layers of Exclusion
Speakers discussed how systemic racism, ableism, and migration experiences intersect to create layered, compounding challenges for families. From healthcare and education to employment and social services, these barriers often leave families feeling invisible and unsupported in both mainstream and cultural community spaces.
It was emphasized that no two experiences with disability are the same, and that services must be informed by an understanding of intersectionality. Families expressed the need for programs that recognize the diversity within racialized and newcomer communities, rejecting tokenism and assumptions based on ethnicity, religion, or immigration status.
“We need systems that don’t just invite us in but see us, hear us, and build with us.”
Community Expectations and Internalized Barriers: Shifting from Silence to Solidarity
Speakers and participants spoke candidly about how stigma, silence, and fear of judgment within cultural communities can discourage families from seeking support. These internalized barriers are deeply shaped by colonial narratives, shame-based discourse around disability, and misinformation.
Dima encouraged communities to reframe conversations around disability, not as a burden, but as a shared human experience deserving of dignity and collective responsibility.
“Change begins when we choose to speak up, even when it’s uncomfortable.”
Stories shared during the event highlighted acts of advocacy: parents challenging workplace discrimination, young people speaking up in faith spaces, and community leaders naming stigma for what it is: a barrier to belonging.
Reframing Disability: Communities as Ecosystems of Care
Disability inclusion must go beyond policy checklists. It requires a deep shift in how we relate to one another. This conversation centered around the need to normalize accessibility, not as a special accommodation, but as a community value.
Dima shared how she regularly invites people to engage with assistive devices like wheelchairs and crutches, encouraging deeper empathy through embodied experience. Participants reflected on the importance of creating communal spaces where people of all abilities can connect, learn, and lead.
“Disability inclusion should be part of how we live, not something we remember during
special events.”
Collaboration Without Competition: Building With and For Community
Genuine partnerships, built on trust and shared purpose, are essential to advancing equity. Amber emphasized the need for disability-serving organizations, especially those led by and for racialized communities, to collaborate rather than compete.
Participants spoke to the power of pooling resources, amplifying voices, and centering families’ needs over organizational silos.
“The more services we build together, the more people we can reach. There is strength in solidarity.”
Community-Driven Calls to Action
As the event closed, participants identified actionable next steps rooted in accountability, shared leadership, and equity:
- Mapping Gaps & Solutions
- Named the shortcomings in current “culturally competent” services that often lack meaningful representation.
- Called for language-specific, inclusive, and culturally grounded support services.
- Proposed service provider training that centers identity, culture, and anti-oppression principles.
- Centering Lived Experience
- Called for the inclusion of disabled Muslim voices and other marginalized perspectives in program design, delivery, and evaluation. This should not just be in disability-specific conversations but all conversations and all platforms.
- Organizations committed to co-developing inclusive service models with community members, not just for them.
- Building the Ecosystem
- Mapped potential partners including local masjids, newcomer agencies, and grassroots organizations.
- Outlined next steps for collective outreach, partnership-building, and shared service delivery in the Edmonton area.
This gathering was a testament to what’s possible when communities come together with courage, clarity, and compassion. Moving forward, we are committed to co-creating inclusive, culturally rooted, and justice-driven systems where every family feels seen, supported, and empowered.
Together, we can move from conversation to collective action.