Between Hope and Precarity: Experiences of Syrian Refugee Families Raising Children with Disabilities in Türkiye
摘要
This study explores the lived experiences of Syrian refugee families raising children with disabilities in Türkiye, examining the multilayered vulnerabilities, constrained capabilities, and forms of resilience that emerge at the intersection of war, forced migration, disability, and caregiving. Drawing on intersectionality and the capability approach, this study employs a constructivist grounded theory design to generate an explanatory model of caregiving during displacement. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with 13 Syrian parents (nine mothers and four fathers) caring for 17 children with intellectual, physical, hearing, speech, or visual impairments in Kilis, Türkiye. Analysis following Charmaz’s grounded theory procedures identified six interconnected themes: (1) diagnostic processes and encounters with the healthcare system, (2) impact of migration and new living conditions, (3) access to services and support mechanisms, (4) Gendered Care Responsibilities and Family Roles, (5) experiences of exclusion and double stigma, and (6) resilience and future expectations. The findings show that delayed diagnosis, language and bureaucratic barriers, fragmented services, gendered care responsibilities, and social exclusion produce layered precarity in families’ everyday lives, while families develop fragile yet persistent forms of resilience within constrained institutional settings. This study proposes a model of layered precarity and constrained capabilities and underscores the need for inclusive, rights-based, culturally responsive, and gender-sensitive service systems for refugee children with disabilities and their families.