Working on immigrant minority stuff lately.

So living here in Iceland has required me to retune my research and work. Yes I wrote a book on multiracial teens, not yet published by a big publisher, but available as a dissertation. My move to Iceland has shifted my focus just a little bit or more appropriately stated added a new dimension to it. I still look at marginal students, students who are not part of what is loosely and incorrectly termed 'mainstream,' now I am back looking at immigrants in a school system that is much more used to dealing with students who all look mostly the same. In the past 20 years there has been an increased focus on inclusive education, which aims at including differently abled children, but doesn't always refer to the education of students who are not native language speakers. This is considered and presented quite separately from minority culture students and immigrants. To be clear prior to the 1970 Iceland had few "interlopers" (people who look noticeably different from Icelanders).
When my mother moved here in the late 60's there were few 'immigrants' unless they were married to Icelanders or from the Navy base. There were no programs or language classes for those who wanted to learn Icelandic, except a few for people interested in Old Norse. In the past 20 years this has all changed significantly. Iceland is now home to 20,000 + immigrants and families. There are a number of classes for those who wish to learn Icelandic. In fact in order to become a resident of the island an immigrant must show documentation of language classes.
Currently I am reading a paper from the department of social services that examines responses to the increasing immigrant population and their needs. It like many of the papers I have read, they delve very superficially into the past history of immigration and the different populations. It should be noted that Iceland's Icelandic population is a population of immigrants and slaves (Norwegian, Irish and Scotish). True that all happened 1200 years ago, but prior to that there is no record of anyone living on the island. Like many Nordic cultures Icelanders are extremely proud of their history, and they can boast a long history and literacy and as a result a great deal of national pride. This of course means that although this is an open and welcoming culture, there is an strong under current of well they are here in our country and they just need to learn the language and fit in, assimilate. As if people who travel abroad for vacation, sun and cultural experiences, can hold the changing world at bay, even as they need more and more hands to work in industries that most Icelanders no longer want to work in.
When talking to collegues about such things as internet access and household computers, the answer is that most people/homes have computers and internet access, which is then qualified with a that isn't always true for immigrant households. As someone said today, "Some people have different priorities, fake nails, hair extensions and pets." (Are these cultural values or learned behaviors of how they show their wealth in a new place and time?). And how are the priorities to be understood and read? One of the things I keep thinking as I read is who's values are we offering these people, whom have we asked about their needs when the government does a study of immigrant needs and services.