Path to Empowerment: Strategies to Remedy Barriers to Care for African Nova Scotians Caught at the Intersection of Race and (dis)Ability

Path to Empowerment

Abstract

Abstract

Descriptions of intersectionality frequently rely on images of roads and intersections to represent how multiple systems of oppression converge. In these metaphors, roads represent the route by which negative forces of exploitation and oppression travel and interact. Roads and paths can also be used to represent an egress route taken to escape harm and move toward something better. This paper presents the voices of African Nova Scotians who have both identified patterns of harm and suffering within their community and pointed researchers in the direction of improved outcomes for African Nova Scotians living with (dis)Abilities including mental illness and addiction. Their shared observations and experiences identify key barriers to remove and bridges to be built if African Nova Scotians who are caught at the intersection of race and (dis)Ability are to have access to timely and effective care. The article concludes with discussion of pathways to empowerment for those caught at the intersection of race and disability oppression.