Title: Migration and Solidarity in Welfare States: The Dilemma of Disability and Mobility

Migrants entering Western Europe have been heavily scrutinized by host states. In some cases, this has resulted in discrimination, which is not prohibited by international law. The case of people with disabilities is different. Disability is perceived as a common ground for positive discrimination in terms of welfare rights and access to benefits. There exists an intersecting policy contradiction between the “positive” discrimination of disabled people and the “negative” discrimination of migrants, which can be seen in the particular case of migrants with disabilities. The objective of this paper is to establish the evolution of the disability norm, discourses and migration policy-practices in Switzerland. In order to achieve these objectives, the following questions will be posed: How is disability addressed in the Swiss Migration Regime and what are the current practices? Furthermore, how has disability been defined and categorized within the Swiss institutional discourse?