This virtual talk is on the road to celebrating Human Rights Day on December 10, based on the work of the CURDG, and a joint presentation between Hollis Peirce, a Research Consultant, Disability Historian, and Podcaster, and Dr. Dominique Marshall, a professor in the Department of History.

To register and find out more, please

My new episodes will be up fairly soon on other platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows. You can also follow the podcasts for updates on:

Nine of the twenty projects of this large program focus on Accessibility, three of them on disability in particular. See them here: /gendesignsteam/?s=accessibility

Join us online on October 25th 2023 for a discussion of Wendell’s life and work with Melinda Martin, Wendell’s Widow, Wasueg Nicholas, Wendell’s daughter & oral historian Ann Seymour. You can learn more and register free at the��.

Date: Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Time: 16:30-18:30 EST

ABSTRACT

Participatory research collaborates directly with the stakeholders that are affected by the issue under investigation and can lead to better research outputs and outcomes, including research uptake. The concept of participatory research is well-aligned with the motto “nothing about us, without us”, which is an essential approach for equity-denied communities, including the disability community. There is a spectrum of what “participation” could mean and a variety of barriers to participation, including systemic barriers. This seminar will discuss the intersection of participatory research and disability, and the experiences of conducting such research with individuals with disabilities, including those with multi-sensory impairments.

BIOGRAPHIES

Atul Jaiswal��is a trained occupational therapist as well as a rehabilitation social worker with experience of more than a decade in the field of disability rehabilitation. He obtained his Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science from Queen’s University, where his thesis focused on identifying ways to enhance the social participation of individuals with combined vision and hearing impairment [referred to as dual sensory impairment/DSI] in society. His postdoctoral research explored the impact of COVID-19 on access to healthcare for older Canadians with DSI. His research scholarship aims to advance the knowledge in the field of rehabilitation to promote equity, occupational justice, and social participation for individuals with sensory impairments.

Adrian D. C. Chan��is a biomedical engineering researcher with expertise in biomedical signal processing, biomedical image processing, machine learning, noninvasive sensor systems, assistive devices, and accessibility.

This seminar is part of the ongoing series��Accessibility, Inclusion, and Disability: Connecting Scholars and Practitioners, hosted by �Ӱ�ԭ�� University’s Disability Research Group.

Access the article here:

Abstract: Building a disability archives that is accessible is an ongoing challenge. At �Ӱ�ԭ�� University in Ottawa, Canada, this work began a decade ago with the formation of a modest collection of scholars interested in disability issues. The �Ӱ�ԭ�� University Disability Research Group developed as a collective of scholars, graduate students, and non-governmental organisation workers from the fields of social work, engineering, history, library, and archives, including people with disabilities. Since 2013, it has worked to collect, archive, discuss and display histories of disability in Canada, using various media. This paper documents and analyzes the aspects of this work linked to information studies, from the role of archivists and librarians to the making of archives and exhibits with, for, and about people with disability. It presents innovative decisions, introduces unexpected benefits for all in the light of the project of a critical disability archival method and discusses the potential of universities as a site of practice. It takes its most recent project, the��Oral histories of activists in the disability rights movement in Canada (1970–2020) as the main case.

Megan Linton, Creator and Host, Invisible Institutions and Ph.D. Student, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Keenan Wellar, Co-Leader and Director of Communications at LiveWorkPlay.ca / VivreTravaillerJouer.ca

Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Time: 14:30-16:30 EST
All are welcome to register for this live online event at:��

Inside the Invisible Industry

The decline of large-scale, state-operated institutions for disabled people in Ontario coincided with the growth of private, for-profit residential institutions such as nursing homes and privatized group homes. Through this presentation, I evaluate the political choices that lead to the institutionalization of 5,300 people under the age of 65 in long-term care institutions. This research employs Marta Russell’s money model of disablement and Liat Ben-Moshe’s decarceration industrial complex to observe the means of commodifying and incarcerating disability. The findings of this research point to the violences of current systems of institutionalization, and the need for abolitionist approaches to disability and long-term care.

Megan Linton��is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology and Political Economy at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University and host and creator of the Invisible Institutions Podcast. Her research and advocacy focuses on the political economies of institutionalization and the possibilities of abolition. Megan’s writing and research has appeared in CBC, Briarpatch magazine, and
Canadian Dimension.

The Inclusion of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities: A Principled Approach to a Non-Programmatic Life.

In 2006, as part of a 30-year process of de-institutionalization, the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) launched Opportunities and Action, laying out a systemic change process for ensuring that people with intellectual disabilities are supported to live in regular housing and participate fully in their communities. More than 15 years later, objective analysis of the sector revealed very little progress, with small pockets of success scattered among various agencies and communities, and some 80% of resources still segregated housing and programs. In 2021, MCCSS announced Journey to Belonging, laying out a similar vision for inclusion as its 2006 predecessor. This process also repeats a fundamental flawed – there are no clearly defined outcomes for measuring change and reporting on progress. We need a principled approach that helps us understand not only “what is inclusion” but also “what is not inclusion.” And we need accountability for making it happen.

Keenan Wellar��has served as Co-Leader and Director of Communications for charitable organization LiveWorkPlay since 1997. LiveWorkPlay has earned numerous accolades, including being named Ottawa’s Best Non-Profit at the annual awards of the Ottawa Board of Trade in 2019. Keenan has a Master’s in Applied Linguistics from �Ӱ�ԭ�� University and is a founding member of the �Ӱ�ԭ�� Alumni Mentorship Program, having mentored more than a dozen 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students since 2014. He also holds degrees in History and Education with Ontario Teacher Certification from the University of Ottawa, and a Professional Certificate in Non-Profit Marketing from the Sprott School of Business. He enjoys kayaking and nature photography as well as the local music scene and sports. Keenan has also done some work on the other side of the pen and lens, as a regular contributor and feature article writer for Non-Profit Quarterly (2018-2019).

This seminar is part of the ongoing series��Accessibility, Inclusion, and Disability: Connecting Scholars and Practitioners, hosted by �Ӱ�ԭ�� University’s Disability Research Group.

We are pleased to announce the publication of Ryan Patterson’s article “Transnational Representation: Mennonite Central Committee Canada and the Founding of Disabled Peoples’ International, 1981” in the��Journal of Mennonite Studies,��Vol.40, No. 1 (2022), pp. 207-223.

Based on oral history interviews and archival research, Ryan charts the rise of the international NGO Disabled People’s International in 1981 and highlights the pivotal role that the Mennonite Central Committee of Canada and a small team of advocates and organizers in Winnipeg played in the founding of this international voice for persons with disabilities.

Patricia Bérubé, Ph.D. candidate in Cultural Mediations at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University

Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Time: 16:30-18:30 EDT (Ottawa), 13:30pm-15:30pm PDT (Vancouver)

Left Image: Bavi, Ahlam, Remediation workflow for cave painting puzzle, Canada, 2021.
Right Image: Figure 32 Image used as an indication for sound placement in Carmichael’s work (credits Patricia Bérubé).

Gamification of digital heritage as an approach to improving museum and art gallery engagement for blind and partially sighted visitors

Digitization of heritage in art gallery and museum contexts raises ethical concerns around ownership, consent, and use. It also highlights fundamental issues of access and engagement for blind and partially sighted (BPS) visitors, mostly elders. Gamification, which refers to the use of game elements and game design techniques, such as user feedback and additive levels of progress in non-game contexts, has been used to improve heritage pedagogy, accessibility for, and engagement with museum and art gallery visitors. In this presentation, we examine collaborative efforts in digital heritage that engage with BPS visitors from historically excluded communities, thereby addressing their traditional exclusion from experiential learning in museum and art gallery settings. Using 3D printed models, we show that gamification can play an essential role in providing BPS visitors in museum and art galleries an incentive to engage with the digital and physical archives, guiding them in experiential learning, and enabling new insights into heritage. Fulsome implementation of 3D models as gamified objects can improve viewership, sharing, learning, and open discussion on redress for historically excluded groups when it comes to their heritage. Gamification of digital heritage can enable a more diverse group of visitors to fully participate in the museum and art gallery experience.

Ahlam Bavi��is a specialist in the digitization of cultural heritage, a digital humanities scholar, and a digital designer. Her work applies 3D technologies, design, and humanities application research for the remediation and reproduction of cultural heritage for easy access, preservation, and repatriation to the original communities. She is a Ph.D. candidate in IGS Digital art and Humanities at the University of British Columbia. She has focused on the digitization of cultural heritage using open-source software to make the process of digitization more accessible for marginalized communities.

Experiencing paintings through augmented multi-sensory prototypes

This presentation will focus on my doctoral work in which I relied to multi-sensoriality in the understanding and appreciation of two-dimensional artworks, such as drawings or paintings, by people with visual impairments. Previous research has focused primarily on a first wave of initiatives to translate visual arts into tactile content to make it accessible to people with visual impairments. This doctoral research builds on the second wave of multisensory initiatives for the low-vision and blind community, which draws on research findings of sensory museology and cognitive psychology to deepen our knowledge about multi-sensory translation. The broader findings of this study provide evidence to support the notion that touch and hearing can play a valuable role in conveying the emotional nature of art to visually impaired visitors, giving them greater autonomy in their interpretation.

Patricia Bérubé��is 2019 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation scholar and a PhD candidate in cultural mediations at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University. Her research aims to make paintings more accessible to visitors with visual impairment. To do so, her work involved the co-design of multi-sensory prototypes in close collaboration with members of the low-vision and blind community. Moreover, her research interests revolve around accessibility, disability studies, museum studies and anti-occularcentrism as an approach. Patricia works as a policy officer in the Accessible Canada Directorate within the Federal Government of Canada, in addition to also being an accessibility expert (consultant) and part-time professor at the University of Ottawa.

This seminar is part of the ongoing series��Accessibility, Inclusion, and Disability: Connecting Scholars and Practitioners, hosted by �Ӱ�ԭ�� University’s Disability Research Group.