Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Falling Into Action, Kent Hoffman

The Goose

Kent Hoffman explores human movement, his own mobility, and how it influences the way he moves on land. This personal essay, told through the lens of disability and accessibility, outlines his experience of living with Becker muscular dystrophy. Hoffman's approach to walking and mobility is heavily influenced by a fear of falling. As his mobility is changing, he's adapting and seeking out new ways to move on land. Different modes of mobility determine the way we experience personal movement, but accessibility determines who is welcome in spaces in the first place. Accessibility in the form of providing equal access is …

Deep In The Shadows Of Loss: An Exploration Of Grief, Mourning, And Intellectual Disability, Cara Grosset

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative research project explores grief and mourning experiences of people labelled/with intellectual disabilities subsequent to the death of someone important in their lives. The primary research question was: in what ways do people labelled/with intellectual disabilities experience grief after the death of a significant person in their lives? The need for a project of this kind is grounded in the lack of research and social work practice literature related to better understanding grief, mourning, and support experiences after a death from the perspective of people labelled/with intellectual disabilities. The dual purpose of this research is to better understand (and …

Disclosing Mental Health: The Experience Of Post Secondary Students Transitioning Into A Career/Experiential Learning Environment, Jennifer Mei

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The stigma associated with mental health and underrepresentation of students with disabilities in higher education is well documented (Barnard-Brak, Lechtenberger, and Tan 2010, p. 411). This presents a disclosure problem for post-secondary students with mental health challenges who are transitioning into a career or experiential learning environment. If students require workplace accommodations, they may find themselves faced with a decision to disclose mental health challenges to a faculty supervisor, career services practitioner or potential employer. Difficulties with mental health can be experienced because of a diagnosed mental health disability or be a symptom of another diagnosable disability.

The research begins …

Microaggressions And Microaffirmations Experienced By Lgbtq2s+ People With Disabilities, Kathleen Mckee

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study explored the indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination (i.e., microaggressions) and positive identity-affirming actions (i.e., microaffirmations) that gender and sexually diverse (LGBTQ2S+) people with disabilities (PWD) experience in multiple life contexts. Previous literature has tended to focus solely on negative experiences, and little research has been conducted to understand their possible experiences of microaffirmations and how they may promote resilience and well-being. Intersectionality theory, minority stress theory, and Crip theory guided the study. The objectives were to explore microaggressions and microaffirmations experienced by LGBTQ2S+ PWD, as well as these individuals’ responses to microaggressions and microaffirmations. Semi structured qualitative interviews …

Attained And Retained Employment Of Employees With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities In Ontario, Michelle Willson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Employment is a critical component of health and well-being as it has been shown to increase income, reduce poverty, establish social networks, and provide a greater sense of purpose and value within society. People with disabilities have higher rates of unemployment as compared to non-disabled people and experience many barriers to employment, including stigma, attitudes towards disabilities, and perceived costs of accommodation. There is limited research that looks at what has helped to facilitate employment, particularly retained employment, for this population. Therefore, understanding factors that have served to facilitate retained employment for those with disabilities is critical in understanding how …

The Lived Experiences Of People With Disabilities And Their Families: Transitioning To Adulthood And The Role Of Independent Facilitation, Emily Christine Tang

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

ABSTRACT

Objective

Emerging adulthood can be a stressful life stage due to the many life choices available and is especially challenging for emerging adults with disabilities (EADs) who face additional barriers in accessing supports and information regarding adult opportunities. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of transitioning to adulthood, and the role of a person-directed facilitation service, for EADs and their families.

Methods

Fourteen participants were recruited through purposeful and convenience sampling. Data collection procedures consisted of background questionnaires and one-on-one semi-structured interviews which were then thematically analyzed. Field notes, member checks and triangulation were used throughout the analysis process …

Systemic Workplace Barriers For Academic Librarians With Disabilities, Joanne Oud

Library Publications

Although studies related to diversity within librarianship as a profession are increasing, few have examined librarians with disabilities—and none so far have included their voices or perspectives. This qualitative study involved interviews with ten academic librarians with disabilities in Canada. With a grounding in the social model of disability, it examines their workplace experiences and concerns and the barriers they face within the context of cultural assumptions about disability and work, finding that the major barriers encountered are lack of awareness of disability issues and negative cultural stereotypes of disability.

“This Is The Way I Was”: Urban Ethics, Temporal Logics, And The Politics Of Cure, David R. Anderson

The Goose

This article employs Eli Clare's concept of the "politics of cure" in order to discuss issues of disability, temporality, and ethical relations to rehabilitation, restoration, and cure in the Sex and the (Motor) City: Ecologies of Middlesex special cluster.

A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography Of A Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder By Ma-Nee Chacaby With Mary Louisa Plummer, Emily Leung-Pittman

The Goose

Review of A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-Nee Chacaby with Mary Louisa Plummer.

Academic Librarians With Disabilities: Job Perceptions And Factors Influencing Positive Workplace Experiences, Joanne Oud

Library Publications

Although there has been increasing attention to diversity in librarianship, little attention has been paid to librarians with disabilities. This study uses a mixed method approach, using results from a survey and in-depth follow-up interviews, to investigate some of the characteristics of Canadian university librarians with disabilities, their job satisfaction, their perceptions of their workplace climate for diversity and accessibility, and the factors that influence their workplace perceptions. Although librarians with disabilities report a generally high level of job satisfaction, they are less satisfied with some areas related to workplace stress and job flexibility than librarians without disabilities. Librarians with …

The Biopolitical Critique Of The Notion Of Being Human And An Affirmation Of Lives, Ramanpreet Bahra

Sociology Major Research Papers

This major research paper (MRP) interrogates the discourse of ableism and disableism and its impact on disabled and fat bodies. The general theme of this MRP is the division of life through the dichotomy of human and non-human, and nondisabled and disabled. Humanism, overall is the benchmark from which other life forms, the animate and non-animate, are disaffirmed and looked at as being a deficit. With the use of DisCrit and Fat studies, in particular, an autoethnographic methodology will be used to situate how the writer embodies racism, ableism and sizeism and the ways theory is carried through the body. …

Accessibility Of Vendor-Created Video Tutorials For People With Disabilities, Joanne Oud

Library Publications

Many video, screencast, webinar, or interactive tutorials are created and provided by vendors for use by libraries to instruct users in database searching. This study investigates whether these vendor-created database tutorials are accessible for people with disabilities to see whether librarians can use these tutorials instead of creating them in-house. Findings on accessibility were mixed. Positive accessibility features and common accessibility problems are described, with recommendations on how to maximize accessibility.