Notes from the Field

As December 3rd was International Day of People with Disabilities, we would like to dedicate this month's blog theme to the importance of accessibility.

This year's theme of International Day of People with Disabilities, “Not all Disabilities are Visible,” focuses on spreading awareness and understanding of disabilities that are not always apparent to everyone at first glance, such as mental illness, chronic pain or fatigue, sight or hearing impairments, neurological disorders and many more.

The Displacement, Emergence and Change cluster is one of five intersecting clusters of the Live Work Well Research Centre. The cluster focuses on building inclusive cities, communities, towns and governance models that result from resource extraction, lack of living wages, and other broad socioeconomic and political shifts and challenges. With a focus on promoting inclusivity, the cluster examines how communities can be places where diverse families, livelihoods and all living environments thrive.

"All my Relations", led by Kim Anderson, is one of five clusters part of the Live Work Well Research Centre. Their work consists of Indigenous mentoring and networking and providing land-based learning and activities. This blog post was written by a graduate student, Emma Stelter, working in Kim Anderson's lab. Below, Emma provided us with very interesting updates on the research being done in their lab.

At the Live Work Well Research Centre, we are committed to starting from the margins. We want to make space for voices and experiences that are often left out or seen as ‘less valuable.’ People with disabilities, and especially those occupying more than one marginalized social identity, are commonly on the margins. This has certainly been the case for LGBT+ people with disabilities.

Despite the numerous stories of persons with disabilities achieving their life goals and thriving, they still face the struggle of society’s response to their condition. Currently, nearly 22% of Canada’s population aged 15 and over are living with some form of disability. Moreover, this population endure significantly higher rates of unemployment and poverty. Acording to Statistics Canada, as the prevalence of disabilities becomes more severe, the probability of being hired decreases and the probability of living in poverty increases even more. This situation, however, does not affect everyone in the same manner. For instance, while men with disabilities are more likely to report negative educational experiences, women with disabilities were less likely to report attending a special education school. These gender gaps are also extended to others economic aspects. On average, women with disabilities have lower personal income than men with disabilities and men and women without disabilities. 

Hey, it’s Shreya! Just your average undergraduate student here at the University of Guelph. I am here to help you find the hidden, and sometimes not so hidden, gems on campus. These places are great for you to relax, maybe take a nap, and get some delicious food to keep you going. Sometimes life can be a bit overwhelming for us students, especially during the pandemic, so it is important for us to take steps to still live and study well. Some of these places may be closed or have restrictions currently but be sure to check them out once they reopen.

I am a public health PhD candidate in the Department of Population Medicine which falls under the Ontario Veterinary College here at the University of Guelph. As such, the majority of researchers in my department differ significantly in focus and methodology from myself, a scholar exploring lived experiences of people with disabilities living in Ontario. When I was preparing for my qualifying exam about a year ago, I set out on a mission to find an examiner who had a similar research focus, someone who could provide content feedback.

Indigenous tradition and culture have been passed down for generations through storytelling and artwork. With this reading, watching, listening list, we seek to bring attention to the unique experiences of Indigenous people that are often overlooked and undervalued. These authors and artists imaginatively engage their readers and viewers with the ways in which colonization, residential schools, and settler policies/practices have influenced their lives, culture, traditions and future. We hope you find something on this list that will inspire and challenge you. Enjoy!

Integrating care in our lives requires us to consider our families, friends, livelihoods and living environments. With this list, we explore the ways in which care can bind individuals and communities together, especially when facing the unknown during times such as these. By telling their experiences, these authors, artists and activists describe what it means to give and receive care, through exploring complex social relationships.

Everyone deserves to live a life free from poverty and a chance to thrive. Billions of people around the world don’t have enough money to pay for food, housing, clean water, access to health care or education. In this reading, watching, and listening list, the authors and creators illustrate the many challenges people face as a result of capitalism, colonialism, inequality and poverty. This list provides many great resources on social movements, recognizing and resisting settler colonialism, homelessness and housing precarities.