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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.

Students play a significant role at the Live Work Well Research Centre. They bring a unique perspective and help us make sure we are reaching students across campus. At the same time, the Centre offers opportunities for undergraduate students to develop their skills, build a network, build a resume, and contribute to research, through work-study positions and research assistantships. 

We published our summer newsletter! Check it out by clicking here!

We are excited to share the projects our team have been working on, news, upcoming events and more with you through our newsletters.

We publish and distribute our newsletter four times each year, with collaboration and input from diverse families, organizations, and communities. 

For our last Reading, Watching and Listening blog post, we wanted to share some recommendations from the Live Work Well team! Reading is one of the best solutions to a rainy day, cancelled plans or an opportunity to learn something new. Books expose you to new worlds, help with self-improvement and improves your understanding of various topics. We hope that over the last few months, these reading, watching and listening lists have provided you with some insight, comfort and escape from daily challenges. Enjoy!

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.

A disability lens explores the relationship between bodies and the social environment. With this list, we dive deep into disability culture, exploring the assumptions and exclusions of what how we think about being normal, independent, and healthy. These authors, artists, and activists rethink access and justice by imagining a world that values all bodies. By telling their stories of discrimination and resistance, they explore how their disability experiences are shaped by gender, race, sexuality, and geography. Enjoy!

This summer update your reading, watching, listening lists to include stories of people from the LGBTQ2S+ community. For many LGBTQ2S+ folks, books, movies, tv shows and podcasts may be a resource they turn to for connection, understanding, and entertainment. These resources about the LGBTQ2S+ experience have the power to educateand empower their audiences, making us question what we take for granted in our relationships and social world.

Summer is here. Don’t you love all the green all around us? When was the last time you read a good book? As the COVID-19 outbreak continues and we are not able to travel, we can delve into books to be transported in another time and space. A good book can provide insight, comfort, or an escape from daily challenges. While many of us are also staying home more, reading can offer great entertainment as well.