Mike Ashkewe is an independent media producer residing in Guelph. As a sixties-scoop survivor, Mike advocates for indigenous and disability-related issues and shares his insights on a wide range of topics through freelance writing, podcasting, and more. He is also the executive producer of This Week in Geek and is a freelance reporter for the Guelph Mercury Tribune.
The Canadian Feminist Disability Coalition (CFDC) is a 30-month systemic change initiative interested in promoting equality for women and girls with disabilities by supporting them in their capacity and advocacy for leadership. Partnered with various organizations, such as the DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (DAWN), the CFDC addresses the substantive gaps and barriers that currently exist in policy and practice for women and girls with disabilities. For more, see our previous blog post, which contains an Interview with Siobhan Grant, Project Coordinator of the CFDC, or visit the University of Guelph news article introducing the CFDC.
On November 15, 2022, the Live Work Well Research Centre (LWWRC) hosted “Imagining a More Just University”, a panel event that explored how to create more just academic spaces by reducing barriers to access and ensuring equity for all. The panel was moderated by then-Acting Director of LWWRC, and the Co-Lead of the Displacements, Emergence, and Change Cluster, Dr. Leah Levac.
Collaborating with the Native Women's Association of Canada, we've produced a Shadow Report for the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It addresses 17 key issues faced by Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA people with disabilities. We recently interviewed Dr. Lynn Gehl, who worked as an Advisory Committee member on the report, to discuss the issues outlined in the report and more! The Shadow Report is available for reading on the Live Work Well website.
The Live Work Well Research Centre is thrilled to share the following interview with Siobhan Grant, Project Coordinator for the recently announced Canadian Feminist Disability Coalition. To learn more about this exciting project, click here!
Read more about "Announcing the Canadian Feminist Disability Coalition"
The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) started as a vigil in 1999 to honour the memory of Rita Hester, a Black, transgender woman who was brutally murdered in 1998. Started by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, the vigil evolved into an annual day on November 20th, commemorating all transgender people who have lost their lives to anti-transgender hate and violence since Rita’s gruesome murder. While we must remember and honour transgender people who have been violently taken from us, we must not restrict our understanding of anti-transgender hate to the past tense.
Read more about "Transgender Day of Remembrance: The Urgency of Inclusion"
Trigger Warning: The following blog post discusses sensitive issues including gender-based violence. The University of Guelph offers a series of Wellness Resources which can be accessed here.
Read more about "UNITE! Activism to End Violence Against Women and Girls"
Stories have the power to make change; this is a driving idea behind the Storied Lives project, a SSHRC-funded research project hosted by the Live Work Well Research Centre, the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute, and the Guelph-Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination, that aims to improve peoples’ understandings of the complex experiences of individuals living with poverty in Ontario and beyond. At the heart of Storied Lives is a series of four podcasts, each telling a composite story. They are fictional narratives, based on a collection of true accounts, that allow people with lived experience to share their knowledge. Each composite story is followed by a short discussion with a community activist with expertise in combatting poverty. Listeners are asked to complete pre- and post-surveys, which aim to improve our understanding of how stories impact perceptions of poverty.
Read more about "Stories as a Medium for Change: A Reflection on the Storied Lives Project"
You say your future was stolen.
After more than two years of living and working amidst the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Engendering Disability-Inclusive Development - Genre, handicap et développement inclusif (EDID-GHDI) partnership team came together in person and online in Ottawa from June 21st to June 23rd for our first Partnership Team Meeting. The meeting was an opportunity for the entire partnership team to share the work they have been doing and to communicate their plans for moving forward in partnership.
Read more about "Coming Together in Partnership: EDID-GHDI Partnership Meeting in Ottawa, Canada"
Email: liveworkwell@uoguelph.ca
Phone: 519 824 4120 x54930
Location: MacKinnon Building, Office 501, University of Guelph
