Beyond the refugee label : identity and agency among Somali refugees

Includes abstract.|Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-103).As the world refugee population continues to rise, so the debate over how to best assist those who have been displaced intensifies. Humanitarian practices often have a disempowering effect on individuals instead of helping them to become self-sufficient. This problem is compounded by the gap between the realities on the ground and the overarching policies of both governments and organizations. In South Africa, the plethora of social issues, the lack of long-term solutions for refugee resettlement and the unsuccessful implementation of national policies relating to refugees contribute to the xenophobia that has become prevalent across the country. When the xenophobic sentiment turns violent, the Somali community has been targeted in the most extreme ways. Using the oral history methodology, this study draws on 17 life story interviews with Somali refugees residing in the Cape Town area. The interviews focus on the refugees' experience with humanitarian organizations and the government policy of their host country. By exploring their memories of Somalia and their relationship to their homeland, as well as their experiences in exile, it becomes evident that the Somalis' personal histories impact on how they negotiate the different forms of assistance that are available, or the lack thereof. Those who have had little control over their own lies in the past continue to have greater difficulty reaching their financial and educational goals, integrating onto South African society, and accessing the rights granted to them by law. Those who historically had some amount of agency continue to do so, despite the disempowering effects of mass assistance programs. In order for governments and organizations to be successful in their mission to assist and resettle refugees, they must have a more complete understanding of the history and cultural norms of assistance of the communities with whom they are working, as well as the realities of the current circumstances. The oral history method, with its ability to account for personal subjectivity, narrative authority, and historical agency, allows for in-depth exploration into the impact of policies created by the external bodies of international aid organizations, national governments, and local organizations at the grassroots level

Alien Registration- De Meritt, Winniefred (Bangor, Penobscot County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/15932/thumbnail.jp

Letter, 1976 December 15, from Theresa Meritt Heni to Eva Jessye

2 pages, Heni was a friend of Jessye

The dynamic connection framework : intelligently creating and maintaining connections in a volatile network environment

Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1999.Includes bibliographical references (p. 44).by Jaime A. Meritt.M.Eng

Low Cost Submersible Thruster

The objective of this project is to design and build a disposable underwater thruster. This thruster will have an operational life of a few hours, much shorter than the industry standard operating life that spans multiple years. While maintaining reliability as a priority, our goal is to significantly reduce the cost of our thruster compared to other thrusters on the market today

The forgotten population: The intersection of military-connected students and special education

Doctor of PhilosophyCurriculum and Instruction ProgramsMajor Professor Not ListedMilitary-connected students currently make up 1.3 million of K-12 students enrolled in public schools across the United States (US Department of Defense, 2020). There are also more than seven million students with an identified exceptionality qualifying them to receive special education services (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). While states are required to collect data on enrollment of military-connected students, as well as the number of students receiving special education services, they do not collect data on how many military-connected students are also identified as exceptional. As a result, this unique population of students can be thought of as “the forgotten population” and the unique needs of this population are unclear. In this phenomenological qualitative study, the impact of military-related transitions on the educational experiences of a child with exceptionalities are explored. Four parents of military-connected children with exceptionalities engaged in qualitative interview and timeline elicitation. These qualitative data were coded and analyzed through the lens of ecological systems theory to identify the impacts of military-related transitions on the school experiences of a military-connected child with exceptionalities. Four key themes are identified and described. Through these themes, the experiences of the forgotten population are shared, and insight into their unique needs is provided. The first theme, out of compliance, describes the delays and discrepancies experienced by the participants’ children, resulting in the special education being out of legal compliance. The second theme, lack of understanding creates tension, discusses an overall lack of understanding of military culture by educators. The impact of this lack of understanding on the child’s school experiences is explored. The third theme, fear, anxiety, and stress describes the specific internal feelings of the child, their parent(s), and the resulting impact on school experiences. The fourth theme, advocating for child, discusses how each of the prior themes result in parents needing to advocate for their military-connected exceptional child