Partners, Collaborators, and Key Organizations
NATIONAL PARTNER
COUNCIL OF CANADIANS WITH DISABILITIES (CCD)
A cross-disability social justice organization committed to inclusion, accessibility, and social justice for people with disabilities across Canada and globally for over three decades. CCD is an organization for and by persons with disabilities.
Role in the project:
Intellectual leadership and strategic visioning
Engaging local and national partners
Supporting accessible framework development
Assisting with participant recruitment
Participating in data analysis
Leading knowledge dissemination activities
Partnering on the Human Rights Museum exhibit in Manitoba
Contact:
Heather Walkus - heather@ccdonline.ca
Ingrid Palmer - ipalmer@realizecanada.org
Elliot Dewhirst - elliotjdewhirst@gmail.com
April - april@ccdonline.ca
PROVINCIAL PARTNERS
Newfoundland and Labrador
FasdNL
Provides education and evidence-based knowledge by connecting across communities to improve the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities affected by FASD across Newfoundland and Labrador.
Role: Accessibility planning, community connections, steering committee participation, knowledge translation
Contact: Dr. Kate Dunbar Winsor - contact@fasdnl.ca
Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador (ASNL)
Provincial non-profit providing community-based support across the life course to autistic people and their families through programs, advocacy, support, and education.
Role: Co-creating accessibility plan, recruiting autistic parents, engaging provincial partners, data analysis, knowledge mobilization
Contact: Leah Farrell - lfarrell@asnl.ca
Spinal Cord Injury Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SCI-NL)
Supporting individuals with spinal cord injuries and their families across the province.
Contact: Dion Regular - dregular@sci-nl.ca
Quebec
MÉMO-Québec (Moelle Épinière et Motricité Québec)
Non-profit organization promoting independence, social integration, and quality of life for people with spinal cord injury. Operating since 1946, MÉMO provides services in Quebec's main rehabilitation centers.
Role: Partner engagement, participant recruitment, knowledge sharing
Contact: Virginie Archambault - varchambault@moelleepiniere.com
Ex aequo
Montreal-based community organization promoting and defending the rights of people with motor disabilities for over 40 years. For the past 8 years, Ex aequo has made parenthood and disabilities a top priority with a dedicated committee and staff.
Role: Long-standing research collaboration partner, participant recruitment, community engagement
Contact: Levis-Simon Carpentier - lscarpentier@exaequo.net
Nova Scotia
IWK Health Centre
Women's and children's (pediatric) hospital and trauma centre in Halifax, providing pivotal care to children and women in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and beyond.
Role: Accessibility planning insights, networking with Nova Scotia organizations, knowledge sharing
Contact: Jaime Blenus, Accessibility Health Consultant - jaime.blenus@iwk.nshealth.ca
Alberta
Connections for Families
(Partnership in development)
Contact:
laurenr@connectionsforfamilies.ca
robynj@connectionsforfamilies.ca
COLLABORATORS & CONSULTANTS
Sibusiso Moyo, Msw
Doctoral Candidate, School of Social Work, Memorial University
Over a decade of child welfare management and front-line experience. Dissertation focuses on experiences of parents with intellectual disabilities in the South African context, exploring the impact of culture and race. Awarded the President's Doctoral Student Investment Fund.
Role: Interviewing, data analysis, knowledge translation, applying intersectionality lens throughout the project
Jaime Blenus, Ba, Mscot
Accessibility Health Consultant, IWK Health Centre
Clinical Occupational Therapist
PhD Health Student, Dalhousie University
Living with cerebral palsy, Jaime has built a successful 16-year career across Alberta, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of ableism within healthcare and post-secondary education through lived experience.
Role: Project conceptualization, accessibility planning, knowledge sharing and dissemination strategies
Dr. Andreae Callanan, Phd
Co-convener, Research and Knowledge Exchange on Critical Disability Studies
NL Centre for Applied Health Research
Research employs creative methodologies to examine disability narratives through a critical lens. Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation alumna and past Vanier scholar with expertise in university-community collaboration and knowledge mobilization.
Dr. David Mcconnell, Phd
Professor of Occupational Therapy
Director, Family and Disability Studies Initiative, University of Alberta
World-renowned researcher and community-engaged scholar with extensive experience directing large, complex collaborative projects.