Launched a new research network

THE NEW NETWORK. Standing in the room: Merete Fabritius, Trond Bliksvær, Birgit Pauksztat, Elisabeth Johannessen, Janet Jull, Moira Hutchinson, Hanne Jakobsen and Sophie Elixhauser. Present digitally: Line Melbøe, Barbara Schellhanmmer, Gunnar Michelsen, Anja Hynne Nielsen, Annapia Ferrara, Teija Kaartokallio and Cecilie Kolflaath Larsen. Not in the picture, but in the network: Nina Dahl, Ryan Weber and Laura William.

The experiences of indigenous people with disabilities in the Arctic are often overlooked or marginalized. A brand new research network is set to address this issue.

The timing was good. The huge Arctic Congress Bodø 2024 and the annual conference of the Norwegian Network for Research on Disability were both held at about the same time in a hot summer in Bodø.

Senior researcher at Nordland Research Institute , Birgit Pauksztat, took the opportunity to organize a workshop on Friday, May 31. The topic was the experiences of indigenous people with disabilities in the Arctic.  

– Vi ønsket å samle en internasjonal og tverrfaglig gruppe forskere og eksperter som er interessert i levde erfaringer og inkludering av urfolk med funksjonshemninger i de arktiske områdene i Alaska, Canada, Grønland og Sápmi, sier Pauksztat.

Arbeidsverkstedet samlet 19 forskere fra 10 ulike land og må betegnes som en suksess.

– We had very good conversations. We have formed a network and will continue to collaborate. The goal was to develop a common research agenda and we are succeeding in that, says Pauksztat.

Wants a large joint project

The new network will collaborate on a joint funding proposal for a future research project.

– We see a need for a larger, comparative project, says Pauksztat.

In recent years, she has seen an increasing spotlight on diversity and inclusion in the research world, but in the Arctic the focus has often been on gender.

“People with disabilities are often overlooked. The studies that do exist tend to be limited in geographical scope and often have a one-sided, often medical, perspective,” she says.

With a few exceptions, little attention has been paid to how people with disabilities actually experience everyday life.  

“To understand the experiences and challenges faced by indigenous peoples with disabilities in the Arctic, a comparative, interdisciplinary approach is necessary. That is the purpose of the new research network,” says Pauksztat.

The workshop was organized at Valnesfjord Health Sports Center and was a collaboration between Nordland Research Institute and the Center for Sami and Indigenous Studies at Nord University. The Research Council of Norway has supported the initiative.