Physical and sensory disabilities and displacement: A systematic review

In this paper, we provide the first systematic scoping review of English-language research on physical and sensory-related disabilities amongst displaced people of all age groups around the globe. While disability and displacement individually generate distinctive social, health, and accessibility challenges, their confluence can compound these challenges and heighten vulnerability in ways that have not received adequate scholarly attention. Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, our systematic scoping review summarizes peer-reviewed literature - encompassing empirical and theoretical approaches, but excluding meta-analyses and reviews - on the intersection of disability and displacement, takes stock of current research findings, identifies persistent gaps in knowledge as well as biases and blind spots in the research, and provides systematic data analysis on some of the core questions that have animated the field. Our analysis finds a sharp increase in research on the conjunction of displacement and disability over the last decade. However, such work remains largely siloed within disciplinary boundaries and inordinately focused on South-North migration patterns and resettled refugees, limiting the scope of the field and our understanding of more common migration statuses and displacement patterns. We call for future research to traverse disciplinary divides, center the experiences of affected individuals, and investigate more fully the causal impact of physical and sensory disabilities on migratory mobility.