Refugee Empowerment Task Force
VISION
To provide a forum for dialogue and informational exchange between rehabilitation practitioners and community representatives interested in working with displaced and conflict-affected populations.
MISSION
- To publicly attend to, identify, quantify, address the needs of the individuals with disabilities who are living as refugees or asylum seekers in various parts of the world
- To find innovative ways to augment, empower and support ongoing humanitarian projects led by local and international organizations actively working with refugees with disabilities with the rehabilitation research and clinical know-how of task force members
GOALS
- To facilitate interdisciplinary scholarly projects
- To foster connections among task force members and community representatives
- To build competencies within the rehabilitation workforce
CHAIR
Mansha Parven Mirza, PhD, OTR/L
CHAIR
Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy
University of Illinois at Chicago
2024 GOALS
- Recruit more members to the task force, especially members from middle and low-income countries.
- Developing multimedia content on the experiences and rehabilitation needs of refugees and other forced migrants
- Developing an I/EP (information and education papers) for Archives of PM&R
2023 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Successfully submitted a ‘special communication manuscript to the Archives of PM&R on addressing the rehabilitation needs of refugees in resettlement countries.
- Successfully submitted proposal for a symposium titled ‘Community-Engaged Trauma-Informed Care in Refugee & Asylum Seeker Rehabilitation Programming In North America’ for ACRM 2023 Annual Conference.
- Members published in peer reviewed academic papers and presented at international conferences.
- Attracted international membership.
