Ottawa, ON – Today, on the International Day of the Girl Child, The Transforming Disability Knowledge, Research and Activism (TDKRA) project released its final report.

The project aimed to address the gap in knowledge about the situation of women and girls with disabilities in three disadvantaged communities in Vietnam and to build potential for their activism. The main objective of the project was to engage girls and women with disabilities in knowledge production as a form of activism for their inclusion. It also aimed to connect research and activism to build a more transformative approach to inclusion and social justice in the global South.

The TDKRA project was implemented in 5 phases. In each phase, emphasis was given to strengthening partnership with local DPOs and community, building local leadership, training, and enhancing women’s skills to be co-facilitators in various participatory visual methods. The outcomes of this project show potential for women and girls with disabilities to engage in local and transnational activisms. We have further pushed against traditional research methods and sought to implement decolonial methodologies by way of epistemological engagement with Global South representations. To this end we have centered the experience of women and girls in the Global South and worked with themĚýto produce their desired outcomes while also respecting their agency and supporting their feelings of empowerment throughout the research process.

Please kindly find the attached report: TDKRA Final Report

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Research Assistant (RA) Position

The Learning with and from the Global South: Opportunities for Engaging Girls and Young Women with Disabilities Across Southern Spaces (ENGAGE) project invites applications for 1 Research Assistant at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University in Canada. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2021-24), ENGAGE aims to create decolonial spaces for young women and girls with disabilities in the global South to develop their knowledge of leadership and foster their inclusion.

Objectives: ENGAGE examines how girls and young women with disabilities in the global South can engage in transnational and local spaces and networks to become young leaders in their communities. Specifically, this project has five Research Objectives:

1) CREATE decolonial and participatory spaces for girls and young women with disabilities in the global South to develop knowledge on leadership and activism;

2) ENGAGE these women and girls in transnational and local platforms to shape their activist spaces and agendas based on their perspectives and experiences;

3) MOBILIZE these knowledge networks across advocacy organizations, universities, and communities in the global South to foster solidary and collective social action;

4) ESTABLISH sustainable relationships with global and local stakeholders and build potential for transnational activism that engages young women and girls with disabilities across the global North and South.

5) BUILD future partnerships with disabled girls and women and their Disabled Persons’ Organizations (DPOs) to foster their activism for inclusion and social change across the global North and South.

We enthusiastically invite applications for one Research Assistant (RA) position at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University to assist the Project Director in all phases of the research process. The successful candidate will be a graduate student enrolled in a PhD or MA program at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University. As an RA, you will have the opportunity to work with an international team with an interdisciplinary focus. You will work directly with the Project Director, Professor Xuan Thuy Nguyen, and other Research Assistants. You will be provided with necessary training to successfully conduct your research and coordinating tasks.

Responsibilities: The RA will be responsible for assisting the Project Director in all phases of the research process. You will report your tasks directly to Dr. Nguyen. Major responsibilities include: developing training guides; fieldwork, data collection and management; and preparing articles for publications.

Specific responsibilities of the research assistant are described below:

1. Assisting the Project Director in developing training materials.
2. Assisting the Project Director in conducting literature review, data collection, data analysis, and data management.
3. Assisting the team in administrative and academic tasks, such as financial reporting.
4. Assisting the team in preparing manuscripts for publications, where applicable.
5. Assisting in coordinating activities with global and local partners, when required.

Qualifications:

1. Knowledge on critical disability studies, women’s and gender studies, and/or post-colonial and decolonial studies.
2. Good qualitative research skills. Basic knowledge of Nvivo software will be considered an asset.
3. Interest in and/or experience organizing research activities in coordination with an international team.
4. Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills.
5. Ability to work independently to fulfill assigned tasks on time.
6. Experience working with women and girls with disabilities in the global South is an asset.

Salary:

The total number of hours is approximately 10 hours/week, within 36 weeks (or 9 months/year), starting on Sept 15^th, 2021, and ends on August 31^st, 2022, with a possibility of renewal. Salary will be paid in accordance with your experience and degree. Probationary period is applied for the first two months.

This job will be primarily online. However, you are expected to meet with the Project Director and the research team on a regular basis via zoom or face-to-face. You may also be required to meet with the project’s partners for networking and planning purposes. The successful candidate can arrange his/her time appropriately.

Applications will be accepted until August 31^st, 2021. The screening process will start on September 1^st, 2021.

A detailed job description can also be found:

PDF version

Word version

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and their rĂ©sumĂ© in English to Dr. Xuan Thuy Nguyen, Associate Professor, Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies & the Pauline Jewett Institute of Women’s and Gender Studies, ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University, at xuanthuy.nguyen@carleton.ca. Please state “APPLICATION – ENGAGE_RA POSITION” in the subject line of the email.

Ěý

1. I found that the theme of inclusion and exclusion was strong in the video Our Journey. Many of the girls attending the workshop had experiences with being excluded in school and within their communities. There was also a definite difference in power regarding who is allowed to belong based on the perception of a person’s abilities and ethnicity. This made me think about what it means to be included and how a person knows when they are being excluded. Would inclusion mean modified participation, or merely being present in a space? Or, could these also be considered aspects of exclusion? From what many of the girls shared, exclusion was often in the form of being teased by peers and prevented from doing activities, like going to community celebrations. In those places their presence was discouraged and even punished with verbal and physical abuse. Being allowed to exist in the same space as others appears to be a large issue, which is fed by physical and attitudinal barriers. At times these barriers were put up by family members, whether they intended to or not. For example, a girl was told by her grandmother that if she couldn’t speak well, she should not speak at all. However, I can see how saying something like that could have been intended as a way to keep a person safe. This brings up another large issue of “best interest”, and whose best interest is really being considered.

There are many aspects in the Global South, as mentioned in the lecture, that I may not have considered previously such as disability being related to sin. From what I have learned in the context of the Global North, the notion of disability as a punishment for the sin of the parents was an understanding from the past, and no longer prevalent. So, I am glad to have learned more about the intersectional considerations in the Global South, and how my understandings cannot simply be transferred without being modified to include the context surrounding a place and issue.

2. I really liked the video called “Our Journey”. It talked about how people with disabilities are patronized and viewed as less capable but that is far from the truth. In fact disabled people can do things that people without disabilities can’t. Everyone is different and unique and capable of their own things and that makes the world really beautiful. It should be cherished instead of frowned upon- but capitalism does not see it this way and adds to the stigma people with disabilities face. It was really cool seeing youth with disabilities especially in an international context because media and in real life with segregation in places such as schools, they are not seen and heard much by society. When society thinks of someone with a disability it is usually an older person. I was also nice that a variety of disabilities were shown. Also, it was nice that youth in the disabled community were doing activism and feeling empowered because empowerment leads to societal change and dismantling oppressive structures. I also really liked learning about disability justice in the lecture and how it differs from disability rights. I like how solidarity is shown for other movements since that is so important for creating change and making total liberation happen.

3. I felt most engaged with the video Transforming Disability Knowledge, Research, & Activism. This video immediately caught and held my attention. This video has the aims to breakdown barriers for females experiencing a disabibility living in Vietnam (Hanoi, Thua Thien Hue, and Can Tho) to allow them to express themselves. It was amazing to see and here various people with varying disabilities to speak about their personal experiences and sadly, experience of oppression and exclusion. It was so sad to hear the young girl say that she has always wanted to go to a cultural festival, but she cannot bring herself to go as she would be face everyone treating her funny or looking at her funny due to her disability. In other words, she faces exclusion from her cultural practices. That is not okay. I particularly enjoyed, and felt most engage with the consideration that this video centered in on females. The female experience and as a female myself, I was able to attempt to place myself in their shoes. I also enjoyed that the age range of people speaking in the video ranged from young to old, hearing all stories rather than centering on the common heard voice of young adults.