Bjørn-Eirik Johnsen

Bjørn-Eirik Johnsen is a Professor at the Department of Social Care, UiT The Arctic University of Norway. He specializes in disability studies, Sami diversity, and deinstitutionalization within social work.

His educational background includes a PhD (2012) and roles progressing from Lecturer (1995) to Head of Department (2016-2023). Research interests focus on

• Self-determination for people with disabilities
• Ethical issues in Sami disability research
• Historical institutional practices in Northern Norway
• Impact of the 1990s HVPU reform
• Cultural diversity in disability care
• Implementation of ICF in education

His recent publications analyze collaborative frameworks for disabled individuals, ethical research practices with Sami communities, and policy challenges in Norwegian disability services. He has contributed to book chapters and peer-reviewed journals like Disability & Society and International Journal of Circumpolar Health.

Johnsen has led projects on

• Collaboration between families and service providers
• Diversity and tolerance in multicultural societies
• History of Trastad Gård institution
• Pharmaceutical use among disabled populations

and served on advisory boards for Northern Norwegian disability initiatives.