Disclaimer:
Research announcements and participation requests are posted to this site for informational purposes. Postings of the following research projects do not indicate the direct support, endorsement or involvement by the DisAbled Women's Network Ontario.

Ethical Guidelines for Research
with Pacific DAWN: Pacific DisAbled Women's Network
Reprinted with permission from Joan Meister

Statistics on Persons with Disabilities in Ontario
Statistics based on the Statistics Canada 1991 Health and Activity Limitation Survey (HALS) and links to other stats sources; (Up-to-date figures will be made available Autumn 2002)

 

Posted June 18, 2007

Call for Participants: Study of Online Social Economy Organizations
Sherida Ryan, a graduate student at OISE's Social Economy Centre is seeking participants for a research study of online social enterprises.
Follow this link for details and contact information.

 

Posted May 25, 2005

ODSP Research Study

A McMaster University Student is seeking participants for a study on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and the advocacy process. The study is seeking people to participate in a study to learn about their experiences at the ODSP hearing. In particular, the study hopes to determine how the role of advocates influences the ODSP appeals process.

• Have you ever been to an Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) hearing (ie as a client)?
  
  
• Did you attend the hearing with an advocate who spoke on your behalf?
  OR are you an Advocate yourself?
  
  
• Are you from the London (Ontario) area?

If so:

Please contact Peter Houghton via E-mail: houghtpw@mcmaster.ca or
phone: 519-870-9602 (please leave a voicemail) to learn more information about the study and how to participate.

 

Posted May 19, 2005

Women of Colour and Cancer Information Study - Immigrant Women & Women of Colour Needed!

The Ontario Breast Cancer Community Research Initiative (OBC CRI) is seeking Focus Group participants to evaluate breast cancer educational materials to asses their relevancy to the lives and cultural realities of women of colour.

Are You:

• A woman of colour or an immigrant woman?
• A woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer or are you a breast cancer survivor?
• Over the age of twenty?

If So: Please call Leslie Norville at 416-351-3800 ext.2128, or email leslie.norville@sw.ca to find out how to participate or to get more information. If no one is available to take your call, please leave a message.

HONORARIUM, TTC TICKETS, CHILDCARE & LUNCH PROVIDED

Examining Breast Cancer Information from Racially Marginalized Perspectives: A Community-Based Analysis is a project conducted through the Ontario Breast Cancer Community Research Initiative (OBC CRI) and Sunnybrook & Women's College Health Sciences Centre.

 

Posted May 5, 2005

Menopause Study for Women with Spinal Cord Injury - University of Michigan - Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

This goal of this study is to understand how menopause is experienced by women who have spinal cord injuries. Findings will help women with spinal cord injury and their healthcare providers better understand unique health risks and allow them to maximize their health during menopause.

Participants will complete 4 surveys about their health and emotional wellbeing.

The study lasts 3 years and participants can earn up to $160.

We are recruiting women with spinal cord injury, men with spinal cord injury and non-disabled women for this study.

You may be able to participate in this study if you*

Are a woman or man with a spinal cord injury and also*

• Have an injury between C6 and T12 and are mostly non-ambulatory
• Use a wheelchair (manual or power) most of the time
• It has been at least 36 months since your injury

You must also be:

• Between the ages of 45 and 60
• A non-smoker

And if you are a woman, if you...

• Are not taking hormone replacement therapy or birth control
• Have never had a hysterectomy with ovary removal

For more information, e-mail us at MenopauseSCI@med.umich.edu or call 734-936-9334

Mary Burton, M.S, Project Associate
Martha Ellen, N.P., Study Coordinator
Claire Z. Kalpakjian, Ph.D, Co-Principal Investigator
David G. Gater, MD., Ph.D, Co-Principal Investigator
IRB # 2004-0766

University of Michigan Health System

 

Posted March 8, 2005

Seeking Women who are HIV positive to Participate in Research Study

This research is being done so that we can learn about living with HIV from a woman's perspective. We want to gain a better understanding of some of the challenges that are unique to you as an HIV positive woman and what sorts of things help you to live better. We are interested in your ability to work, live and cope with HIV on a day to day basis. By increasing our understanding of important influences on your daily living we hope to provide recommendations to health and social service providers about ways to improve the quality of life of women living with HIV.

If you volunteer to participate in this study you will be asked to take part in a personal interview that will be approximately 1 - 1½ hours.

If you agree to take part, we will reimburse you $40.00 for study related expenses. This study is completely confidential.

You can either email Marilyn at swinton@mcmaster.ca or leave a message with your first name and phone number for Marilyn at Tel: (289) 260-6544. Your confidentiality will be protected - when Marilyn phones you back she will ask for you by name and won't discuss the reason of the call with anyone else.

 

Posted February 1, 2005

Women's Health Care Study
BLACK WOMEN AND WOMEN OF COLOUR NEEDED
Five Community Health Care Centres in Toronto are seeking research participants for individual interviews on the barriers Black Women and Women of Colour face when accessing Primary Health Care. Read More

 

Posted September 12, 2004 - updated Sept. 23, 2004

Women Living With Fluctuating Chronic Health Conditions: Research Study On (In)visible Disabilities

Hello. I am a PhD student at the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. As part of my degree requirements and under the supervision of Dr. Adrienne Chambon, I am conducting a study that explores how women living with the fluctuating effects of multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or environmental illness experience their condition in visible and invisible ways in their everyday lives.

I am looking for women who are:

• Living with the shifting visible and invisible effects of a chronic condition such as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or environmental illness for at least one year or more
• Between 20 - 65 years of age
• Living within the greater Toronto area
• Interested in sharing their experiences through creating and working with photographs

If you are interested in participating in this study or for further details, please contact:

Andrea Vick at (647) 233-7020 (local Toronto number) or andrea.vick@utoronto.ca

 

Posted January 14, 2004

Research participants wanted: Nova Scotia Women with disAbilites who are caregivers

We are seeking women with disAbilities in the Halifax area who are caregivers for someone else in their family or in their home (caregiving beyond regular childcare). This could be providing care to a spouse or partner, a sibling, an aging parent, a child with disabilities, another relative, or any combination of these.

We want to create in-depth 'portraits' of the experience of providing care. We'll be doing the same research with caregivers who are African Nova Scotian women, First Nations women, immigrant women, lesbians, rural women and urban women. Our aim is to develop a complex picture of the range of ways caregiving can be experienced.

The research team includes members who are women with disabilities, and is guided by an advisory committee that also includes women with disabilities. The intent is to have direct impact in policy contexts, as well as in community contexts

If you may be interested in participating, or would like more information, please contact Dr. Brenda Beagan, School of Occupational Therapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax NS. (902) 494-6555 brenda.beagan@dal.ca

******************************************
Brenda Beagan
School of Occupational Therapy
Sociology & Social Anthropology
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
B3H 3J5
(902)494-6555
fax 494-1229
brenda.beagan@dal.ca

 

Posted October 1, 2003

Elections Ontario Needs Volunteers to Participate in an Important Survey
On behalf of Elections Ontario, Ipsos-Reid - the national opinion research firm - will be conducting a comprehensive research project among eligible voters (whether they voted or not). The findings will help us make further improvements to the administration and management of the electoral process in Ontario. The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete and will be conducted in English. If the nature of your disability would make it difficult for you to do a telephone interview, please contact Ipsos-Reid at Toll free 1-888-666-8541, TTY 1-888-292-2312, or email electionsurvey@ipsos-reid.com. Read More

 

Posted September 20, 2003

Obstacles to Justice Research Project
This is a research project aimed at identifying obstacles in the justice system which prevent or discourage sexual assault survivors' access. The project will examine the current trend towards criminalizing women or making them responsible for men's violence (eg. dual charging, using the defense of provocation in aid of violent men, criminalizing women when they do not give abusive fathers access to their children, and requiring that women supervise/monitor the violent behaviour of abusive fathers in the home). Read Project Descriptions & Questions =>

 

Posted June 29, 2003

Final call for the Lesbians and Breast Cancer Project
With your help, the Lesbians and Breast Cancer Project Team has connected with 29 lesbians willing to tell their stories about breast and gynecological cancer. Read early quotes from women we have interviewed so far. This is our final recruitment call! Interviews with lesbians across Ontario who have had breast or gynecological cancer will be booked until July 15th, to take place in July and August. Read More =>

 

Posted October 23, 2002

The Lesbian Breast Cancer Project

If you are a lesbian* and you have experienced a breast cancer diagnosis, or gynecological cancer ... We want to talk with you!

We are ...the Lesbians and Breast Cancer Project Team, and we're gathering the stories of lesbians from across Ontario who have experienced a breast cancer diagnosis. We're also interviewing a small number of lesbians with gynecological cancers.

Your story - about your diagnosis, about the support you received and didn't, the ways health care worked and didn't, what cancer has meant to you as a lesbian - will make a difference for other lesbians diagnosed with cancer.

Seeking Diversity
This is a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project. PAR is research for education and action - research that works with and strengthens communities.

If the project is going to strengthen lesbian community, it should reflect
lesbian community, right?

So we want to gather stories from lesbians of colour who have cancer as well as white lesbians, older and younger lesbians, disabled and able-bodied lesbians. We plan to interview lesbians who live in different parts of Ontario about their cancer experience, in both big and small communities, and rural areas. Lesbians who have primary breast/ gynecological cancer as well as those with recurrence and advanced cancer are encouraged to participate.

Arranging interviews
We're planning in-depth interviews with 30 lesbians who have experienced a breast or gynecological cancer diagnosis. Interviews will happen between October 2002 and November 2003. So be in touch with us now!

Contact Chris Sinding
The Ontario Breast Cancer Community Research Initiative
Tel: (416) 351-3808
Email: christina.sinding@tsrcc.on.ca

Calls are confidential.

You'll receive a small $ for taking part in the interview.

* Labels - we can't live with them, can't live without them. By 'lesbian' we mean women whose primary emotional and sexual relationships are with women.

More about the Project
The Lesbian Breast Cancer Project involves lesbians directly affected by breast cancer as well as people who care about the issues - issues like lesbians' experiences of body image, identity and sexuality in relation to a cancer diagnosis; the strategies lesbians use to gather support and get good health care; heterosexism in health and social services and in health research; lesbian visibility in the cancer community.

Agencies represented on the Project Team:
* The 519 Church Street Community Centre
* DAWN Ontario: DisAbled Women's Network Ontario
* The Coalition for Lesbian & Gay Rights in Ontario
* Gilda's Club
* The Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto
* The Ontario Breast Cancer Community Research Initiative
* The Rainbow Health Network
* Sherbourne Health Centre
* Sunnybrook & Women's College Health Sciences Centre - Social Work & Professional Advisory Committee
* Willow Breast Cancer Support & Resource Services

Christina Sinding
Ontario Breast Cancer Community Research Initiative
Psychosocial and Behavioural Research Unit
Suite 950
790 Bay Street
Toronto ON   M5G 1N8

(416) 351- 3808
Fax (416) 351 - 3812

Posted August 21, 2002 - amended August 23, 2002

INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE in a Study of Students with Disabilities Graduating in 2002

Are you a person with disabilities who graduated or expects to graduate from university or college in 2002? The Canadian Centre on Disability Studies would like to talk with you about participating in a national study examining the school-to-work transition experiences of post-secondary students with disabilities. We need to know about your successes, the obstacles you encounter, and the factors that contribute to your successes.

If you are interested in participating in the study, we would like to interview you this year and then again one and two years after you graduate. Your confidentiality will be protected. We will not tell anyone that you are participating in the study and you will not be identified in any of the study's reports. You will also receive a $50 honorarium for each interview and will have an opportunity to review and comment on a preliminary report of the study's findings. We are particularly interested in interviewing 2002 graduates who attended universities and colleges in Calgary, Toronto, and Halifax.

More detailed information about this study is available at http://www.disabilitystudies.ca/trans.htm

To participate in this study or for further information, please contact:

Gary Annable, Senior Research Associate
E-mail: research1@disabilitystudies.ca
Tel. (204) 287-8411 ext. 22 (Call Collect)
TTY: (204) 475-6223
Fax: (204) 284-5343

The Canadian Centre on Disability Studies is a consumer-directed,
university-affiliated centre dedicated to research, education, and
information dissemination on disability issues. The first phase of this
study is funded by Human Resources Development Canada (Office for Disability Issues).

 

Posted January 15, 2002

Call for Submissions

Stories are wanted from parents of children with disabilities or chronic illnesses, who work outside the home and have encountered barriers in getting time off work for their children's health-related needs. Testimonials are being collected by a task force to push for national social policy change. Write to:

Canadian Alliance for Children's Healthcare
c/o Today's Parent
269 Richmond St. W.,
Toronto, ON M5V 1X1
Fax: (416) 596-1991;
e-mail: mailbag@todaysparent.com

 

Posted January 7, 2002

Does Prenatal Diagnosis Discriminate Against People With Disabilities?

Project Information

This is a short information sheet to let you know about a research project that may be of interest to you, and to ask you to consider having some input.

The project is called "Does Prenatal Diagnosis Discriminate Against People With Disabilities?" It is a 3-year, multi-disciplinary project funded by the Australian Research Council. It aims to explicate and critically analyze the meaning(s) of the claim made by some disability activists that pre-natal screening and diagnosis programs discriminate against persons with disabilities.

We intend to enrich and extend bioethical analysis of the discrimination claim through rigorous engagement with perspectives from both academic and non-academic perspectives on disability. Here we will explore the attitudes of persons with disabilities toward prenatal screening, as well as their perceptions of discrimination, oppression, and disempowerment. In so doing, we hope to develop new, empirically oriented research methods for future bioethics research.

We would like to invite you to make available to us any publications or comments from your organization that speak to these issues. In particular, we are looking to collect written materials that we would not normally be able to access through academic libraries. Written materials from your organisation would make an important contribution to our research project. If you are able to help, please contact Kyle Anstey, our research assistant (details below).

We would also appreciate your input and comments about our research design and methods. If you would be willing to take time to talk through the project with Kyle, this would again be appreciated

At a later stage, we plan to conduct formal interviews to assist us in clarifying and extending the results of our inquiry. This would focus on the appropriateness of terms employed in, and arguments produced by, our theoretical analysis. Again, your organisation's involvement is invited. We will contact you again more formally in the future about this, but we invite you to consider be involved in this way.

If you are interested to help us, or if you want more information, please contact Kyle Anstey. Kyle can be reached at kyle_anstey@hotmail.com.

Alternatively, feel free to get in touch with any of the investigators. Our contact information is listed below.

We thank you for time, and look forward to your involvement in our project.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lynn Gillam (Chief Investigator)
l.gillam@cshs.unimelb.edu.au

Prof. Julian Savulescu (Chief Investigator)
savulescuj@cryptic.rch.unimelb.edu.au

Dr. Christopher Newell (Associate Investigator)
Christopher.Newell@utas.edu.au

 

Posted November 11, 2001

Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Against Women in the Workplace

Community Research Project call for Focus Group Volunteers

Under the funding of Status of Women Canada, the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centre’s in partnership with the Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children and Sandy Welsh of the Sociology Department at the University of Toronto is undertaking to address women’s right to a violence free workplace; a workplace free from sexual harassment and discrimination based on gender, race, ability, sexual orientation or other defining differences.

Violence against women in the workplace is a serious problem that women have very limited options for addressing. The purpose of this research is to understand from the perspective of women experiencing it, this workplace violence and to develop strategies for effective remedies and prevention efforts.

We are looking for women who will share their workplace experiences of harassment and discrimination based on gender, race, ability, sexual orientation, or other defining differences.

We are looking for women who are willing to speak to the issue of complaint processes. From the voices of women we want to hear if there are or are not any viable means of complaining. We would also like to discuss the avenues women use to complain and the results of their complaint process.

We are looking for women who will participate in focus group discussions and/or individual interviews. Some criteria will determine individuals for interviews.

For more information or to volunteer, email:

Jacquie Carr or Sharon Chapman at kevjac@execulink.com

Posted October 15, 2001

Consultants invited for McMaster Course on Successful Aging with a Disability

Physically challenged people over the age of sixty are being invited to
serve as consultants to students in the winter term (January to March 2002).

Each consultant will be asked to offer guidance about aging with a
disability in response to queries from an individual student throughout the
term. Correspondence will be conducted via e-mail.

For further information, please contact Ellen Ryan ryaneb@mcmaster.ca

Ellen Bouchard Ryan, Ph.D.
McMaster Cen. for Gerontological Studies
McMaster University, KTH-231
Hamilton ON L8S 4M4

Posted September 26, 2001

Study on Closed Brain Injury -- participants required

Memory impairment is one of the most common effects of a brain injury. It is also one of the most difficult to repair. An investigational medication for the treatment of memory loss in individuals who have suffered a closed brain injury is currently being tested in a medical research study.

If you suffer from mild to moderate memory impairment from a closed brain injury, you may be eligible to participate in this study. Qualified and consenting participants will receive study-related medical care, laboratory evaluations, and either the investigational study drug or a placebo (sugar pill).

If you believe that this study might be of interest to you, your spouse, family member, friend, or patient and would like to find out more about the study or enrolment eligibility, please call 1-866-488-7425.

====================================================


My name is Erin Larson and I am working to support recruitment efforts for a closed brain injury study taking place at more than 27 sites around the country. Memory impairment is one of the most common effects of a brain injury, it is also one of the most difficult to repair. An investigational medication for the treatment of memory loss in individuals who have suffered a closed brain injury is currently being tested in this medical research study.

I was hoping that since your organization is so involved with the brain injury community, that your organization would be willing to include information about the study on your Web site, in your newsletter, or any other member publication. I would be happy to provide you with flyers and other information if you are interested in providing this information to your constituents. I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

For further information about the study, please visit out Web site at www.brainandmemory.com. I look forward to receiving your response about working with us to help spread the word about this study. Together we can help others with their daily struggles. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Erin Larson
Matthews Media Group
email: erin.larson@matthewsgroup.com
Tel: 301-984-7191 ext. 672
Fax: 301-984-7196

Posted August 30, 2001

CALL FOR A BOOK ON FILM AND DISABILITY:

THE PROBLEM BODY: Portrayals of Disability, Illness, Obesity, and Age in Film


We seek papers for a book collection that will analyze the normative body as spectacularly depicted in film. In particular, we are looking for papers examining portrayals of bodies in all their problematic constructions: disabled, ill, obese, old. Submissions should address variable determining factors that define the problematic relationship between "normal" and "abnormal" bodies.

We welcome selections that will contribute to the research fields of Disability Studies, Body Criticism, and Film Studies by looking critically at a range of problem bodies through the lens of disability. We do not wish merely to introduce the disabled body, the ill body, or the elderly body as the next overlooked critical frames within body criticism. Rather, we wish to reveal - through the visual dramatization of disability - the problem body as a complicated multiplication of physical and social problems that demand rich discourse to advance thinking beyond the simple focus on either this [adjective] body or that [adjective] body.

Our book seeks to bring together disparate essays that take on discourse surrounding bodies through the promising field of disability and film, and remedy readings of celluloid disability as merely - and continually - metaphorical. We welcome essays that address any national cinema or historical period, with careful attention to the filmic devices and mechanisms that situate certain bodies as "other." We intend for "The Problem Body" to integrate discourses about so-called anomalous bodies in order to discuss their depictions as more than figurative, to view the filmed body as more than just a metonymic repository for cultural signification.


POSSIBLE TOPICS INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT RESTRICTED TO:

- Filmed Representations of Disability, Obesity, Age, Illness
- Documenting Problem Bodies
- Audience Reception to Problem Bodies on Film
- Filmic Constructions/Reconstructions of Disability as Ableist Spectacle
- The Intersection of Gender, Race, and Class with Disability
- The Intersection Between Culture, Sexuality, Nationality, and Disability
- Embodiment and Star Power in Disability Cinema
- Filmic Challenges to the Limits of Current Body Theory
- Disability Theory as Framework to Re-evaluate Film


Please notify us of your intention to submit by sending a title, a
2-sentence description, and contact information by October 26, 2001.

Our deadline for 300-word abstracts is January 21, 2002. We expect final papers to be submitted in May 2002.

Sally Chivers schivers@interchange.ubc.ca
Nicole Markotic markotic@ucalgary.ca

Sally Chivers is a postdoctoral fellow in the English department at University of British Columbia and Nicole Markotic is an assistant professor at the University of Calgary.

 

Posted August 24, 2001

Hello.. I am a blind woman in receipt of Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) benefits. I am hoping to connect with anyone who shares concern over the lack of accessible correspondence from ODSP and who would be willing to participate in lobby efforts to affect positive change.

I am not able to read the correspondence mailed to me from the ODSP office as it is sent to me in a format that is NOT accessible to me, (their correspondence is either filled with charts, or it is handwritten ) nothing has been done to accommodate me.

Despite repeated calls to ODSP to request that all my correspondence be transmitted to me via email, computer disk, or braille format, and that they please STOP sending me handwritten letters, nothing has changed.

ODSP's response has been to simply pass the buck , informing me that it's not their responsibility, or by saying that I should have someone else read these documents to me with no regard for my right to privacy and confidentiality.

ODSP continually make excuses, claiming they do not have the technology to send me correspondence by email, and further stating that all correspondence is mass-mailed.

This is a systemic issue that I am certain affects more than just myself. My goal is to file a human rights complaint against ODSP.

Together, we can make ODSP accessible to everyone. After all, the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) is supposed to be for Persons with Disabilities!

I encourage anyone who is concerned with this issue and wished to participate in a joint effort to bring about change, to kindly contact me.

Carin Headrick
cheadric@uoguelph.ca

 

Posted August 6, 2001

FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL PHASE II
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Focus: Women with Disabilities

Have you been impacted by changes to social assistance benefits, employment insurance, or cpp/qpp pension benefits?

How are you affected by the current housing situation in Canada?

What about the Canadian government's immigration policies?

Are you willing to share your stories and experiences with us regarding any of these important issues and how they impact on your life as a woman in Canada?

The National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC) is looking for women to participate in Focus Group Discussions or complete a questionnaire regarding income support, housing and immigration policies.

NAC is nterested in hearing from women from all backgrounds and experiences and in particular women from the following groups: Aboriginal Women, Black Women, Women of Colour, Women with Disabilities and Francophone women.

Email: Suzanne Bradley at nacco@web.ca for a copy of the questionnaire

Posted August 5, 2001

Older Workers and E.I.
Tell the Government what you think

If you are an individual or organization involved in the delivery of EI-funded employment assistance services in the Toronto area, or if you have a personal or professional interest in such services, we need your help. We are seeking respondents for a survey on the adequacy and effectiveness of the training opportunities offered under the current system, especially for older and other high-needs clients.

This survey is part of a larger study of the employment insurance regime being sponsored by the Law Commission of Canada, with additional funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The LCC is an independent federal law reform agency which solicits and publishes research into socially critical aspects of the law and advises Parliament about possible directions for change. If you want to know more about this organization, you can check out their website at www.lcc.gc.ca.

The question all you cynics are asking right now, of course, is why should you bother with yet another survey? Is anyone out there really listening? In fact, change is very much in the wind right now. Evaluations of existing Labour Market Development Agreements have suggested a need for more top-down oversight. There are rumours that the federal government is thinking of reinvolving itself in training. Adding to the impetus, the Ontario Human Rights Commission recently called for an age-based analysis of all government programs and policies. By assisting us in this research, you can help ensure that the experience and the opinions of those on the front lines of the employment assistance sector will be taken into account when these developments begin to bear fruit.

If you would like to add your voice to the record, please download and complete the attached questionnaire, and return it, along with any additional comments, to terracon@sympatico.ca.

Alternatively, you can send hardcopy material by fax to: E.I. Project, 519-433-8459 or by surface mail to E.I. Project, 39 Gunn Street, London, Ont. N6G 1C6.

URL:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/terracon/soc-legal/EI_survey/index.html

Sample Survey:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/terracon/soc-legal/EI_survey/survey_html.html

 

Re-Posted May 17, 2001 (timeline extended to June 15, 2001 and age of participants to 50)

Physically Challenged Women
Required For A Research Study

What is it?
A research study on the Impact of disability on Women. It is a comparative study of Canadian and Indian Women with disabilities.

What is Involved?
Participants will participate in one interview with the researcher that will take about one hour. Your identity will not be revealed and confidentiality will be maintained.

Do I Qualify?
Canadian Women with Disabilities (WWDs) from 16 – 50 years old having physical disabilities that hinder your from doing some normal chores of life using a wheel chair, gadgets, splints, or any other kind of appliances for their mobility, diagnosed as having Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteo-arthritis, Cerebral Palsy, Poliomyelitis, Post-polio syndrome, Scoliosis, Hemiplegia, Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury, Upper of Lower limb amputation, finger or toe disarticulations, Ankylosis, Muscular Dystrophy or Atrophy, Dwarfism, Congenital deficiencies.

Those who have overcome some of these difficulties and who are leading a challenging life too are invited to participate.

Participants with multiple disabilities (mobility + visual/speech/or mental health problems) too are welcome.

While it doesn’t matter how long you have had the disability, you should have had the problem for at least one month.

Where?
Kingston, Toronto, Aurora or anywhere in Ontario.
Interviews will be held where convenient for you.

Who do I contact?

Elizabeth John
52 Henderson Drive, Unit 16,
Aurora, ON
L4G 3L2

e-mail: johne_India@yahoo.com
Tel: 905-726-9523

(Elizabeth John is with the School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen’s University)

Posted April 4, 2001

CONTRIBUTORS NEEDED
Nurturing Assistance Project

The Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT) is seeking contributors for its Nurturing Assistance Project.

We would like to hear from:

• parents with a disability who have had experience with nurturing assistance or a similar type of service;
• parents who have not used nurturing assistance, but would like to comment on its relevance to their family situation;
• nurturing assistants;
• attendants;
• service providers;
• consumers planning to use nurturing assistance;
• individuals who would like to review and comment on a pre-publication draft, in print or alternative format.

The goal of the project is to define nurturing assistance more clearly and to explore ways to make the process more rewarding for parents and children, and more workable and cost-effective for service providers.

A book will be produced as a result, including a "how-to" guide for parents, prospective parents, service providers and funders wishing to establish nurturing assistance services. Publication is scheduled for September 2001.

CILT is grateful to the United Way of Greater Toronto for continuing its support of the Parenting with a Disability Network (PDN) through the Nurturing Assistance Project. The United Way of Greater Toronto also provided funding for CILT's 1999 publication, The Parenting Book for Persons with a Disability: From planning your family to raising adolescents.

If you have a story or experience to share, or would like to review the draft publication, please contact:

Mary Ocampo at CILT, (416) 599-2458, Ext. 26;
1-800-354-9950 (toll-free in Ontario);
TDD: (416) 599-5077;
fax: (416) 599-3555;
email: pdn@cilt.cnd.com

Posted March 13, 2001

I am an independent researcher and am looking for some fairly specific information. First I am looking for the most up-to-date statistics about violence against disabled women (domestic violence, sexual assault), preferably by disability type.

Secondly, I am gathering ideas from service agencies about the best methods of providing disabled women with information and education on violence and abuse and how to recognize, prevent, and respond to it. I anticipate that the methods may vary by disability type. If you have any ideas on the second topic I would really appreciate your
input.

Also, if you are aware of any high-quality research on the first
(other than the US National Study, and the DAWN Canada survey done in the late 1980's) I would really appreciate you pointing me in the right direction.

I am finding that these reports are very difficult to discover as many have not been published in professional journals, but rather are non-governmental organizational or even governmental documents.

Thank you in advance for your effort to respond,

Jill Rettinger
Jill.Rettinger@jus.gov.on.ca

 

Posted March 13, 2001

My name is Amanda Scott and I am a graduate student at Carleton University in the School of Social Work. As part of my coursework for a Master's level course in Policy Analysis and Decision Making, I am searching for candidates with whom to conduct brief (20 minute) interviews concerning the Disability
Tax Credit.

I am wondering if there might be someone at DAWN who is knowledgeable of this issue and may be willing to assist me in this regard.

Thank you very much.

Amanda Scott
Politique sociale/Social Policy
DRHC/HRDC
tel.: (819)994-6645
fax: (819)997-0696
e-mail: amanda.scott@spg.org

 

Posted March 9, 2001
(reposted May 17, 2001 with new timeline and age of participant)

Physically Challenged Women
Required For A Research Study

What is it?
A research study on the Impact of disability on Women. It is a comparative study of Canadian and Indian Women with disabilities.

What is Involved?
Participants will participate in one interview with the researcher that will take about one hour. Your identity will not be revealed and confidentiality will be maintained.

Do I Qualify?
Canadian Women with Disabilities (WWDs) from 16 – 45 years old having physical disabilities that hinder your from doing some normal chores of life using a wheel chair, gadgets, splints, or any other kind of appliances for their mobility, diagnosed as having Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteo-arthritis, Cerebral Palsy, Poliomyelitis, Post-polio syndrome, Scoliosis, Hemiplegia, Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury, Upper of Lower limb amputation, finger or toe disarticulations, Ankylosis, Muscular Dystrophy or Atrophy, Dwarfism, Congenital deficiencies.

Those who have overcome some of these difficulties and who are leading a challenging life too are invited to participate.

Participants with multiple disabilities (mobility + visual/speech/or mental health problems) too are welcome.

While it doesn’t matter how long you have had the disability, you should have had the problem for at least one month.

Where?
Kingston, Toronto, Aurora or anywhere in Ontario.

Interviews will be held where convenient for you.

Who do I contact?
Elizabeth John
Louise D. Acton Building
Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen’s University
13 George Street
Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6
School of Rehabilitation Therapy
e-mail: johne_India@yahoo.com
Tel: (613) 533-6000 x75628
Thank You!

 

Posted March 5, 2001

W A N T E D: Participants for a research study on Women ageing with a spinal cord injury.

We would like to find out the unique needs and concerns of Women ageing with a spinal cord injury. This information is important to help Women with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) plan and prepare for their later years, and will provide an important resource to service providers and policy makers.

Those Eligible to Participate:

• Women over the age of 40 who have had a traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
• Living anywhere in Ontario

Interviews will be conducted by phone at your convenience.

We are also looking for participants for four focus groups to be held in accessible locations throughout the province.

All costs of attending groups will be reimbursed.

For further information, please call (416) 243-3699 or 1-888-805-5550 or email at mgould@oise.utoronto.ca

This study is funded by the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation and is conducted through the School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, with the co-operation of West Park Health Care Centre and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.

 

Posted February 24, 2001

Legal Information Workshops: Province-wide project seeks advisory committee members from Women's groups

The Ontario Women's Justice Network (OWJN) and METRAC are looking for Advisory Committee members from Ontario Women's organizations to assist us with the development and implementation of the following project. If you would like to participate or would like more information, please contact Paula Wansbrough, Project Coordinator, at (416)392-3138 or owjn@web.ca.

The project is in its initial stages of development. At this time, workshop packages are only available to Advisory Committee members.

For further information, please visit the OWJN site
Pinpoint URL: http://www.owjn.org/new/workshop.htm

 

Where Now with Disclosure?
CALL FOR INFORMATION

Professor Susan Boyd at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law is researching the extent to which Women's personal records (diaries, therapy notes, psychiatric records, social assistance records, general medical records, etc.) are being used as evidence against them in child custody disputes.

Have you run into this either yourself or with clients? What have been your/your clients' experiences? Does your organization have any procedures with handling a request for such information? Are Women being discouraged from undertaking personal therapy or from disclosing certain issues (e.g. a substance abuse problem) because they fear that their records could be used against them?

If you have any information or thoughts on this subject that would be useful to Susan, please contact her at boyd@law.ubc.ca

Posted January 30, 2001

Study examinging accesibility to Ontario fitness centres, health clubs, and university and municipal fitness facilities for Ontarians with a physical disability and/or visual impairment.

RESEARCH STUDY HAS BEEN COMPLETED

Thank you to everyone who participated!

posted on behalf of
Dawnelle Hawes, B.A., B.Kin., M.Ed.
project coordinator
Trillium Grant Inclusive Physical Conditioning
dawnelle.hawes@primus.ca

Research Recruitment Announcement
posted January 13, 2001

This particular study is, at present, confined to disabled Women in the northern midwest U.S. but they would be happy to hear from volunteers for future related studies.

Some of us find it important to relate to a community in our lives, some of us do not. Community can be many things. Some people see community as a group of people who are joined together by a common goal or purpose. Some examples of community might be church groups, neighborhood groups, parenting groups, ethnic and disability groups.

We are interested in talking with Women with disAbilities between the ages of 18-64, who are willing to talk to a graduate student researcher about the meaning and place of community in their life. You do not need to participate in a community in order to participate in this project.

This research project, through the University of Illinois at Chicago, is designed to include the voices of Women with disAbilities in research. Results will be reported in a master's thesis, for the purpose of contributing to a better understanding of the experiences of Women with disAbilities.

Your responses will remain anonymous and confidential.

If you are interested, please contact Principal Investigator:
Maureen E. O'Nell
Home (847) 864-3327 (v)
Work (847) 967-1800 ext: 114 (v)
E-mail monell2222@aol.com

Faculty sponsor: Dr. Carol Gill
University (312) 355-0550 (v)
(312) 413-0453 (TTY)
E-Mail cg16@uic.edu

 

 

Request for Participation of Women with disAbilities in web-based Survey on sexuality issues

submitted October 12, 2000

Hi! My name is Kristi Ketz and I am a doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at The University of Memphis. I am currently doing my dissertation on sexuality issues in Women with disAbilities. I am recruiting Women with disAbilities/illnesses to complete a web-based survey. The link will appear below this message if you are interested. I sincerely appreciate your help!!

Kristi Ketz
email: kketz@prodigy.net
URL: http://sagan.psyc.memphis.edu
address: 848 Thistledown Dr., #1
Memphis, TN    38117

 

 

Understanding the Experiences of Women Who Use Wheelchairs for Full Time Mobility in Their Homes

Investigators:
Denise Reid, PhD,
Department of Occupational Therapy
Jan Angus, PhD (cand.),
Faculty of Nursing
Patricia McKeever, PhD,
Faculty of Nursing & The Home Care Evaluation and Research Center, University of Toronto

Contact: Jan Angus, Faculty of Nursing 50 St George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H4, (416) 978-0695, jan.angus@utoronto.ca

Despite the recent home care trend in the Canadian health care system and the dramatic advances in wheelchair development and production in recent years, there is a paucity of research available that provides insights into wheelchair users' expereinces of daily living.

Few studies have been conducted to examine the perspectives of people who use wheelchairs on a full time basis regarding the constraining and/or enabling aspects of their home environments. Although a great deal has been written about the home in the fields of housing, disability/ rehabilitation, and more recently, medical geography, there is surprisingly littel attention to the relationship between the person and the home.

The home has been described as the place where one carries out one's daily activities. These activities provide structure for one's life. However, the home environment can play a significant role in facilitating or constraining activity. It is suggested that the physical and social circumstances that compose a home environment have a far greater influence on performance of everyday activities than the ability or inability to perform a number of activities independently.

Women, regardless of age and disability status assume most responsibility for household tasks and child care, but there is not definitive work exploring the experience of homemaking for disabled Women who use wheelchairs.

We wish to locate 10 to 12 Women who use a wheelchair for full time mobility to participate in a study of how they adapt and respond to their physical home environments to perform daily household activities. These participants should meet the following criteria: be between 25 and 50 years, have at least one child living at home, reside in the greater Toronto area, have lived in the same setting for at least 6 months, speak English without difficulty, and not have any cognitive or other problems that would limit ability to participate in interviews.

Inter views will elicit participants' descriptions of their activities surrounding home maintenance; structural modifications and alterations to their homes; experiences with wheelchair use; relationships with family and others; and demographic and health information. Interviews will be conducted at times and locations of participants' choosing.

The findings from this study will help to identify factors in the home environment that are barriers to homemaking activities in Women who use wheelchairs for mobility. This information could be used by health professionals, builders, home designers and others who are concerned with the needs of Women in similar situations.

We would appreciate comments and feedback from anyone involved in the DAWN network. The study is currently being designed and submitted for funding, and would be strengthened by input from Women (especially mothers) who have firsthand experience with negotiating a home environment using a wheelchair for mobility. We thank you for your assistance.

Jan Angus
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Nursing
University of Toronto
August 17, 1999

 

 

DAWN Research Project

(outdated)

I am doing research for the DisAbled Women's Network of Ontario (DAWN Ontario) on the accessibility of Police Services and Women's Shelters for Women with disAbilities who experience violence or abuse, in Northern Ontario.   Much of the research to date has been focused on larger centres and has not included data on rural services or the experiences of aboriginal Women or Women in small towns.

To provide the clearest understanding of how Women access services in Northern Ontario, and the availability and accessibility of services we need to speak with the Women who experience violence or abuse and the providers of service.  By gaining both points of view, we will be able to identify the gaps in service.

The objective of this unique opportunity is not to criticize but to determine how services can be improved for Women with disAbilities who experience violence and how best to assist service providers in increasing access for Northern Women.

I would like to meet with as many Women with disAbilities and community service providers as possible.  If you would like to share your experiences with accessing Northern Police Services and Shelters I can be reached (in Thunder Bay) at 807-345-6157 before 3:30 (EST) and at home, 807-623-3799 after 4 p.m.  My fax number at home is the same as my telephone number.  As well, information can be emailed to DAWN or personally to my e-mail at reltanta@alumni.lakeheadu.ca.   My mailing address will be released to Women wishing to write their experiences by contacting the DAWN Ontario office at 800-561-4727 or via email at dawn@thot.net.

No one is asked to provide intimate details of the violence or abuse experienced but rather the experience with service providers and the legal system.  Anonymity and confidentiality is assured, only experiences will be cited in research not people.

Thank you.

Michele El-Tantawy
Researcher for DAWN Ontario

 

 

Seeking People with Disabilities to Participate in an Internet Project

Hello.   I am am Internet Strategist and Advocate for People with Disabilities who lives with the effects of an unseen disability.   Currently, I am involved in an innovative project (H.O.P.E. PROJECT:  Helping Other People Excel) that seeks to celebrate "Positive" stories of People with Disabilities.

It is our HOPE that we can empower and inspire many online visitors, either with or without disabilities by affecting ATTITUDES towards disability through promotion and example....   for example: the site aspires to raise awareness of appropriate use of "People First Language" in referring to People with Disabilities.   i.e. WE ARE PEOPLE FIRST..... and as such we are People with disAbilities ... WE come before the Disability.   Let us always remember to put the Person/People before our/their "disability".

If you have a success story that may help to EMPOWER, INFORM, or ENRICH another individual, please consider sharing your story with us.

We may be reached at:

email:    anello@thot.net

mail:   Attn: Barbara Anello
           H.O.P.E. Project
           162-975 McKeown Ave. #5A
           North Bay, ON   P1B 9P2

Ciao
Barbara Anello
October, 1998

 

 

Personal stories wanted from Women about their lives

I am a disabled woman writer in Orlando Florida. I've just gotten a book contract to write about Women and disability and want to include personal stories from Women about their lives. I'm interested in getting the word out so Women can submit their stories and I may do phone interviews with Women for inclusion. Can you alert disabled Women in your country who might want to share some of their life stories with me?

I can be contacted at my e-mail address: mailto:SemiYung@aol.com.

I have been writing a newspaper column for 4 years for two newspapers on disabled issues and have been disabled with polio since age 3 and diagnosed with post polio syndrome since about 1984. I look forward to hearing from someone about this request.

Thanks.

Mona Hughes
November 4, 1997

 

 

Researching Inadequate Gynecological Care

I'm a disabled freelance writer who has been published in several newspapers and magazines, specializing in disabled Women's topics. I'm currently working on and researching inadequate gynecological care for disabled Women. I need somewhere similar to this page of yours, where I can post a notice seeking personal stories from disabled Women, both positive and negative, regarding this issue. Can you perhaps help me or direct me to where I may do this?

Although I live in the U.S., my basic research has already told me that there are thousands upon thousands (most likely more) of disabled Women who DO NOT seek annual mammograms, pelvic exams, gyn counseling, etc. due to the lack of accommodation by the doctors. In fact if seen by their GYN doctor, the Women aren't even talked to about STD's and AIDS, birth control, etc., because most doctors are still in the dark ages regarding disabled Women's sexuality and wrongly assume that because the woman is disabled, she is sexually inactive.

I have found all this all very hard to believe in this day and age, but know it to be true given my trying experiences just trying to find someone to give me an annual pap smear. When I have enough info, I plan on submitting my article to Ms. magazine and also several disability magazines. It would greatly help to have anonymous personal anecdotal experiences of a wide cross-section of disabled Women in all socio-economic and ethnic groups.

Any help you can give me in this area would be much appreciated.

Regards,

Joyce M. Faust
mailto:joymarie@snet.net
October 27, 1997

Website designed & maintained courtesy of Barbara Anello