Sirad Shirdon It’s clear that there is a stigma attached to disability in the Somali community. Some parents keep their children with developmental disabilities at home, fearing that if they’re in the public eye, they will be the talk of the community and the family will be looked down upon. This is not a…
Sirad Shirdon A few months ago, I met with a vibrant Somali mother who runs a community organization which serves newly arrived refugees. She expressed concerns regarding the lack of understanding newcomers had regarding their children’s medical conditions. One of her greatest challenges in serving refugees was in improving health literacy. She mentioned that there…
By: Sirad Shirdon “ We only use English in the home”. As a speech-language pathologist, families often admit that they speak English exclusively in the home. If these families were from English speaking backgrounds, this would be understandable. However, I am increasingly hearing this from families who come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The…
The Somali Literacy Project 