May 25–31 is National AccessAbility Week (NAAW)! Each year, beginning on the last Sunday in May, Canadians celebrate the disabled community and highlight the importance of accessibility and inclusion. This week is an opportunity to draw attention to the experiences of disabled people and the areas in which accessibility barriers continue to be upheld.
Read more about "National AccessAbility Week 2025: May 25–31"
Saturday, May 17, is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, a day to acknowledge the harassment and discrimination that people with these identities face and to campaign for sexual equality.
Read more about "International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia: May 17"
Tourette’s Awareness Month is an international celebration that takes place each year from May 15 – June 15. This month of awareness was initiated by various Tourette’s awareness and advocacy organizations. The common goal of this month is to raise awareness for Tourette’s syndrome through education, advocacy, and community building.
Read more about "Tourette’s Awareness Month: May 15 – June 15"
Global Accessibility Awareness Day falls on May 15 this year and encourages people around the world to think and learn about digital access and inclusion. It is important to recognize those who live with disabilities and impairments and how inaccessible web content can be a barrier to their knowledge and access. Digital accessibility refers to the right for people with disabilities and/or impairments to consume and interact with digital content. Digital accessibility can refer to alt-text on images for users who are blind or have low-vision, captioning for users who are hard of hearing or deaf, adaptive hardware for those with motor impairments to navigate computers and mobile technologies, and cognitive accommodations for those with learning disabilities or impairments.
In February 2025, the Centre for Community Based Research launched their Certificate Program in Community Based Research. This month they are offering their new Principles and Strategies for Community Engagement course, starting May 14.
Read more about "Don’t Miss Out: Principles and Strategies for Community Engagement Course"
Join the Live Work Well Research Centre (LWWRC) and the Canada Research Chair in Critical Community Engagement and Public Policy on Monday, May 12, 2025, from 12:30pm to 2:00pm ET for an engaging panel on Countering Policy Exclusions: Canada, disability, and international commitments Part 2. The event will be held virtually via Zoom. Registration is required.
National Caregiver Day on the first Tuesday in April of each year aims to recognize caregivers’ importance in society and to celebrate and thank caregivers for their work amid the challenges involved. Although caregivers are essential to healthcare and enhance the quality of life for those needing care, many difficulties impact their ability to provide this service for others. To learn about what it is like to be a caregiver, Madison Harrison, a former student staff member in the LWWRC, talked to a Personal Support Worker (PSW) and wrote this blog about the challenges and rewards of being a caregiver in a retirement home. We also provide two additional perspectives: unpaid care work required of family members, and the issue of young disabled individuals being placed in nursing homes rather than assisted-living care homes.
Read more about "National Caregiver Day: The Many Forms of Caregiving"
Join the Live Work Well Research Centre (LWWRC) and the Canada Research Chair in Critical Community Engagement and Public Policy on Thursday, April 10, 2025, from 12:30pm to 2:00pm ET for an engaging panel on Countering Policy Exclusions: Centring accessibility to advance the right to housing. The event will be held both virtually via Zoom and in person at the University of Guelph in MacKinnon Room 019. Registration is required.
In Canada, March is Developmental Disabilities Month, a time when we recognize the unique skills of people with developmental disabilities and the challenges they continue to face. During this month, we spread awareness for those living with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and any form of a learning disorder.
Read more about "Everyone Counts: The Growing Crisis in the Developmental sector"
Roberta Hawkins is the Co-lead of the Reimagining Care Cluster at the Live Work Well Research Centre (LWWRC). Her work with the Cluster focuses on the different ways care can be practiced in a range of community, academic, and digital spaces. In her own research, Roberta focuses on topics such as feminist geography, ethical consumption, social justice, international development, slow scholarship, and feminist academia.
Email: liveworkwell@uoguelph.ca
Phone: 519 824 4120 x54930
Location: MacKinnon Building, Office 501, University of Guelph
