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Autistic people are everywhere and not limited by any intersection including race, religion, country or culture. Many of us experience social oppression and disadvantage. In this autoethnography, I explore some of my experiences navigating being “different”, even in today’s culture. This analysis highlights key areas where culture can have a negative impact on autistic people. From a transfeminist disability studies framework, utilizing queer theory and the neurodiversity paradigm, I explore the positive impacts of queering autism within my own life. Through personal accounts of queering, I highlight how some heteronormative barriers can be reduced in one’s personal life, with the potential also to be applied more broadly within culture. Implications of queering autism broadly include an application within the medical and psychological fields and government autism program changes. Utilizing autoethnographic accounts and stories from within my community, I discuss the barriers to autism identification among those with numerous identities that do not align with stereotypical white cis male-centred autism concepts within culture that have also had impacted me throughout my lifespan. The stories told advocate for inclusive research and increased funding to share the stories of marginalized voices, policy changes and community education initiatives. I conclude with the importance of queering autism to increase access to autism self-identity, particularly among autistic people who are not cisgender males.

Physical environments, whether purposefully built or naturally existing, present significant challenges to those with Parkinson’s. The relationship between Parkinson’s Disease and interior design is an area of study that requires increasing attention due to the physical challenges and environmental risks associated with the surrounding environment. Examining this subject further can foster a better understanding of how interior design can be leveraged to support individuals with Parkinson’s and how it can be used to create safer and more accessible spaces. The practicum project took a comprehensive approach to analyzing the practical implications of intrinsic and extrinsic factors associated with interior hazards. It examines the relation of these hazards with Parkinson’s Disease and its effect on individuals’ ability to interact with their environment. Current theories and literature are applied to a hypothetical project highlighting accessible design that optimizes movement control and user well-being for those with Parkinson’s while potentially minimizing fall-related injuries among these individuals.

This study utilizes the autoethnographic method of research to examine and reflect on dating and disability while focusing on themes of sexuality, body image, and masculinity. Dating with a disability is sometimes deemed controversial or even inappropriate, and there is a slight societal awkwardness and discomfort when the topic arises. This research intends to act as a first step in breaking this awkwardness and shall act as a catalyst in helping to dismantle ableist attitudes surrounding in-person/online dating. Since research is rarely done on such an intimate field as dating, this study aims to give a unique insight into the struggles and successes of the joint topics of dating and disability. Through this autoethnography readers shall have the opportunity to reflect on their own dating experiences and will be given the chance to challenge their own ableist attitudes. Lastly, I hope that this study inspires more research into dating and disability, particularly research focused on themes of sexuality, masculinity, and body image.

Background: People with stroke-related communication disabilities often have challenges participating in social environments, which might include challenges in financial environments. Despite the importance of financial participation of people with stroke-related communication disabilities, this topic has not yet been studied. Understanding the experiences of this group of people in financial environments can improve their financial activities and participation. Objectives: This research study explores the experiences of people with stroke-related communication disabilities in financial environments with two main objectives: 1. to examine challenges experienced by adults living with stroke-related communication disabilities in financial environments; and 2. to identify strategies for improving financial inclusion for this group. Methods: I conducted a qualitative descriptive research study and recruited four adults (18+; three women, one man) who self-identified with stroke-related speech and language disabilities in Manitoba. I used semi-structured individual interviews with open-ended questions to explore their experiences in financial environments and analyzed the data using the thematic analysis approach. Results: The four themes and four subthemes that I developed highlight that stroke-related communication disabilities made financial participation more challenging and led to financial exclusion. Most of these challenges were associated with institutional structures and the social environment. Ableism, represented by others' attitudes and reactions, affected participants’ mental well-being and financial inclusion. However, participants also identified individual and environmental strategies to improve financial inclusion. One individual strategy is practicing and being prepared in a financial environment. An environmental strategy is raising staff’s awareness about stroke-related communication disabilities. Conclusion: The findings of this research study highli

This thesis is written in the form of an autoethnography. The author explores the journey of finding Dwarf Pride despite having a complicated relationship with herself. The researcher discusses how loving yourself and being comfortable with who you are is not always easy when the world attempts to put boundaries on who you should be. The researcher discusses her journey in finding Dwarf Pride beginning with a discussion on the history of Little People, the impact that history has on today, the current state and what is needed for future change. This autoethnography is written sharing lived experiences and theory and answers the questions, how does one find pride within themselves when society views you with curiosity and disregard? Why is it appropriate for society to ridicule someone strictly based on their looks? How do we, as a society, change to truly be inclusive of all?

People with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) are overrepresented in the Canadian carceral system (Flannigan et al., 2018a; Flannigan et al., 2018b; MacPherson et al., 2011; McLachlan, 2017). Reports indicate that their experiences in custody tend to be marked by higher rates of trauma, violence, and institutional struggles, contributing to continued contact with the carceral system over their lifetimes (Baldry, 2018; Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights, 2020). Despite this adversity, a review of the existing literature indicates that research about FASD and contact with the carceral system has not adequately critiqued the legitimacy of the carceral system itself. Exploration of possible alternatives to imprisonment for people with FASD has been limited. The experiences of people with FASD in the carceral system underscore the need for prison abolition and the development of robust alternatives to incarceration. Research demonstrates that community-based alternatives, such as restorative justice, can be successfully adapted to meet the needs of people with FASD (Blagg et al., 2019; Evans & Bourgon, 2020; Flannigan et al., 2022). Furthermore, these alternative justice strategies are a meaningful step toward achieving both prison abolition and disability justice.

Disability is socially constructed through constraints and challenges in the society that disabled people encountered in an effort to live an independent life. In recent years, university campuses have witnessed more disabled students been enrolled in and graduated from post-secondary schools. Despite the increase, most students with disabilities hardly have access to support services. In Ghana, disability is generally perceived as exceptional medical condition that requires special support services and intervention in the society. This current study examines the situation of disabled students in the University of Cape Coast. I share my stories on how students with disabilities in the University of Cape Coast utilize the available support services. I adopted an autoethnography to share the imbalance between the support services claimed by university authorities to be available for students with disabilities and the accessibility support services utilized by students with disabilities. My stories confirmed the daily experiences and persistent practices of oppression, stigma, and social exclusion where disabled students are denied access to the right to benefit from post-secondary institutions in Ghana. I conclude by offering some recommendations that can help resolve the identified challenges encountered by disabled students in utilizing the available support services. The current study provides recommendations on the need to provide inclusive and transformed physical environments to enhance collaborative online learning on university campuses in Ghana. It also encourages university authorities to increase education and skills training for disabled students to enhance their employability skills.

Sexual violence against students with disabilities is like a submerged iceberg hiding beneath the surface of educational settings, unnoticed and ignored. On college campuses, students with disabilities experience more sexual assaults on campus than their peers without disabilities, yet there is a noticeable lack of discourse on prevention strategies and the potential benefits of increased accessibility (Burczycka, 2020; Busby K. & Birenbaum J., 2020). Most Canadian universities fail to provide accommodation for disclosure and policy implementation, which are their legal duty to ensure trauma-informed services for the students (Chugani et al., 2021; Fread, 2021). This denial of accommodation to people with disabilities disregards not only constitutes a violation of legal obligation but also infringes upon their inherent human rights. This barrier to justice has been a product of long-standing systemic oppression of one of the largest minority groups – people with disabilities. Research demonstrates that, instituting inclusive policy, accommodation and accessible services can eliminate the sexual violence incidents on campus (Chugani et al., 2021; Findley et al., 2016; Holloway, 2019). Moreover, these steps towards inclusivity would be meaningful to change social attitude towards people with disabilities.

Stimulus preference assessments are important procedures for identifying preferences with people diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and/or autism who are nonverbal. Research has shown that video modeling plus instruction was effective in teaching mediators to conduct preference assessment. The purpose of this study was to compare two ways to embed instructions into video modeling, namely, on-screen caption and voice-over instructions. Sixteen undergraduate university students participated. Participants were randomly assigned to view videos to teach paired-stimulus procedure with either on-screen or voice-over instructions and videos to teach multiple-stimulus-without-replacement procedure with either on-screen or voice-over instructions. All sessions were conducted online without in-person contact due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants’ performance was measured during baseline, at post-training, and at a one-week follow-up. During each phase, participants were shown a video of the experimenter conducting a preference assessment with a confederate, with procedural errors deliberately built into the videos, and participants were asked to identify as many procedural errors as possible. Analysis of variance at post-training showed that the difference between the on-screen and voice-over instruction groups was not statistically significant. Analysis of covariance was also not statistically significant when baseline performance was controlled. However, there was a statistically significant gain in performance between baseline and post-training, and between baseline and follow-up in both voice-over groups and on-screen groups. In a post-study feedback survey, participants felt that the goal of the study was important and felt that the videos were easy to follow but overestimated the effectiveness of the videos. Factors influencing the effectiveness of the intervention in the present study are discussed.

This study utilizes the autoethnographic method of research to examine and reflect on dating and disability while focusing on themes of sexuality, body image, and masculinity. Dating with a disability is sometimes deemed controversial or even inappropriate, and there is a slight societal awkwardness and discomfort when the topic arises. This research intends to act as a first step in breaking this awkwardness and shall act as a catalyst in helping to dismantle ableist attitudes surrounding in-person/online dating. Since research is rarely done on such an intimate field as dating, this study aims to give a unique insight into the struggles and successes of the joint topics of dating and disability. Through this autoethnography readers shall have the opportunity to reflect on their own dating experiences and will be given the chance to challenge their own ableist attitudes. Lastly, I hope that this study inspires more research into dating and disability, particularly research focused on themes of sexuality, masculinity, and body image.

Disability is socially constructed through constraints and challenges in the society that disabled people encountered in an effort to live an independent life. In recent years, university campuses have witnessed more disabled students been enrolled in and graduated from post-secondary schools. Despite the increase, most students with disabilities hardly have access to support services. In Ghana, disability is generally perceived as exceptional medical condition that requires special support services and intervention in the society. This current study examines the situation of disabled students in the University of Cape Coast. I share my stories on how students with disabilities in the University of Cape Coast utilize the available support services. I adopted an autoethnography to share the imbalance between the support services claimed by university authorities to be available for students with disabilities and the accessibility support services utilized by students with disabilities. My stories confirmed the daily experiences and persistent practices of oppression, stigma, and social exclusion where disabled students are denied access to the right to benefit from post-secondary institutions in Ghana. I conclude by offering some recommendations that can help resolve the identified challenges encountered by disabled students in utilizing the available support services. The current study provides recommendations on the need to provide inclusive and transformed physical environments to enhance collaborative online learning on university campuses in Ghana. It also encourages university authorities to increase education and skills training for disabled students to enhance their employability skills.

This study utilizes the autoethnographic method of research to examine and reflect on dating and disability while focusing on themes of sexuality, body image, and masculinity. Dating with a disability is sometimes deemed controversial or even inappropriate, and there is a slight societal awkwardness and discomfort when the topic arises. This research intends to act as a first step in breaking this awkwardness and shall act as a catalyst in helping to dismantle ableist attitudes surrounding in-person/online dating. Since research is rarely done on such an intimate field as dating, this study aims to give a unique insight into the struggles and successes of the joint topics of dating and disability. Through this autoethnography readers shall have the opportunity to reflect on their own dating experiences and will be given the chance to challenge their own ableist attitudes. Lastly, I hope that this study inspires more research into dating and disability, particularly research focused on themes of sexuality, masculinity, and body image.

Stimulus preference assessments are important procedures for identifying preferences with people diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and/or autism who are nonverbal. Research has shown that video modeling plus instruction was effective in teaching mediators to conduct preference assessment. The purpose of this study was to compare two ways to embed instructions into video modeling, namely, on-screen caption and voice-over instructions. Sixteen undergraduate university students participated. Participants were randomly assigned to view videos to teach paired-stimulus procedure with either on-screen or voice-over instructions and videos to teach multiple-stimulus-without-replacement procedure with either on-screen or voice-over instructions. All sessions were conducted online without in-person contact due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants’ performance was measured during baseline, at post-training, and at a one-week follow-up. During each phase, participants were shown a video of the experimenter conducting a preference assessment with a confederate, with procedural errors deliberately built into the videos, and participants were asked to identify as many procedural errors as possible. Analysis of variance at post-training showed that the difference between the on-screen and voice-over instruction groups was not statistically significant. Analysis of covariance was also not statistically significant when baseline performance was controlled. However, there was a statistically significant gain in performance between baseline and post-training, and between baseline and follow-up in both voice-over groups and on-screen groups. In a post-study feedback survey, participants felt that the goal of the study was important and felt that the videos were easy to follow but overestimated the effectiveness of the videos. Factors influencing the effectiveness of the intervention in the present study are discussed.

People with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) are overrepresented in the Canadian carceral system (Flannigan et al., 2018a; Flannigan et al., 2018b; MacPherson et al., 2011; McLachlan, 2017). Reports indicate that their experiences in custody tend to be marked by higher rates of trauma, violence, and institutional struggles, contributing to continued contact with the carceral system over their lifetimes (Baldry, 2018; Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights, 2020). Despite this adversity, a review of the existing literature indicates that research about FASD and contact with the carceral system has not adequately critiqued the legitimacy of the carceral system itself. Exploration of possible alternatives to imprisonment for people with FASD has been limited. The experiences of people with FASD in the carceral system underscore the need for prison abolition and the development of robust alternatives to incarceration. Research demonstrates that community-based alternatives, such as restorative justice, can be successfully adapted to meet the needs of people with FASD (Blagg et al., 2019; Evans & Bourgon, 2020; Flannigan et al., 2022). Furthermore, these alternative justice strategies are a meaningful step toward achieving both prison abolition and disability justice.

Background: People with stroke-related communication disabilities often have challenges participating in social environments, which might include challenges in financial environments. Despite the importance of financial participation of people with stroke-related communication disabilities, this topic has not yet been studied. Understanding the experiences of this group of people in financial environments can improve their financial activities and participation. Objectives: This research study explores the experiences of people with stroke-related communication disabilities in financial environments with two main objectives: 1. to examine challenges experienced by adults living with stroke-related communication disabilities in financial environments; and 2. to identify strategies for improving financial inclusion for this group. Methods: I conducted a qualitative descriptive research study and recruited four adults (18+; three women, one man) who self-identified with stroke-related speech and language disabilities in Manitoba. I used semi-structured individual interviews with open-ended questions to explore their experiences in financial environments and analyzed the data using the thematic analysis approach. Results: The four themes and four subthemes that I developed highlight that stroke-related communication disabilities made financial participation more challenging and led to financial exclusion. Most of these challenges were associated with institutional structures and the social environment. Ableism, represented by others' attitudes and reactions, affected participants’ mental well-being and financial inclusion. However, participants also identified individual and environmental strategies to improve financial inclusion. One individual strategy is practicing and being prepared in a financial environment. An environmental strategy is raising staff’s awareness about stroke-related communication disabilities. Conclusion: The findings of this research study highli

This study utilizes the autoethnographic method of research to examine and reflect on dating and disability while focusing on themes of sexuality, body image, and masculinity. Dating with a disability is sometimes deemed controversial or even inappropriate, and there is a slight societal awkwardness and discomfort when the topic arises. This research intends to act as a first step in breaking this awkwardness and shall act as a catalyst in helping to dismantle ableist attitudes surrounding in-person/online dating. Since research is rarely done on such an intimate field as dating, this study aims to give a unique insight into the struggles and successes of the joint topics of dating and disability. Through this autoethnography readers shall have the opportunity to reflect on their own dating experiences and will be given the chance to challenge their own ableist attitudes. Lastly, I hope that this study inspires more research into dating and disability, particularly research focused on themes of sexuality, masculinity, and body image.

This thesis examines the potential of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) as a new peace method. Using an autoethnographic approach informed by Ganz's (2015) 3-level storytelling method and Haven's (2015) core story components, this exploratory research grounds D&D in PACS literature and theory. While sharing compelling examples of how critical peace skills and critical consciousness development can be facilitated by playing a game of imaginative worldbuilding and creative conflict simulation. This thesis probes D&D's PACS relevance through cultural, educational, play, and identity lenses and explores how D&D can deploy theoretical PACS principles as active, positive peace training. The significance of this study is twofold. First, it lays the groundwork for further research into the positive peace potential of D&D while simultaneously contributing utopian storytelling experiential knowledge to the growing field of PACS literature. Second, it challenges the traditional hegemony of patient hope-sustaining banking education systems of knowledge replication.

According to the United Nations, health is a fundamental right of all individuals. It has been studied that people with disabilities have higher needs for healthcare as compared to people without disabilities. As of 2021, India reports having 26.8 million people with a disability of some form. With the increasing number of populations with disabilities, there is an increased need for healthcare professionals that can cater to the disability requirements of these individuals. However, there is a huge gap in terms of health services offered to disabled and non-disabled people in India. This autoethnographic study describes my disability perception as shaped through my childhood with having a refractive disorder to becoming a physician and finally taking the Disability Studies Master’s Program. Through personal experience of medical practice as a healthcare professional, I have observed barriers to full utilization of healthcare services by people with disabilities varying from inaccessible infrastructure and diagnostic equipment, the stereotypical approach of healthcare providers or their ignorance, lack of training to communicate with people with disabilities, inaccessible transport to reach the health facilities and massive expense of treatment/rehabilitation. With the growing population of people with disabilities, it is inevitable to have disability sensitization and education of the medical staff to provide inclusive healthcare services to people with disabilities. Medical students must be thoroughly trained with disability competencies and have high clinical exposure to people with disabilities so that effective health care can be provided by young doctors without propagating stigma and by instilling hope. Pragmatic changes must be adopted at the level of governance to reduce discrimination towards people with disabilities while accessing healthcare through the alteration of state policies and the creation of public awareness.

This thesis is an autoethnographic examination of my understanding of disability and the disability community as a non-disabled person growing up in Iran. This understanding is in two phases: before enrolling in the Disability Studies program at the University of Manitoba and after completing my studies. It demonstrates how my perceptions of disability have evolved and critically examines all my disability-related experiences as a child, as a university student, and later as an art therapist and Disability Studies student. With this thesis, I hope to raise public awareness about the disability situation in Iran and initiate a socio-cultural shift in my country. Disability Studies enabled me to better understand disability issues and urged me to question everything I had previously believed. It assisted me in observing the barriers, challenges, and stigmatization that people with disabilities face daily that non-disabled people are unaware of. My overarching goal is to raise awareness of the challenges that the disability community faces so that we can move closer to removing all barriers and creating a barrier-free and inclusive society for all, especially in my home country, Iran.

This qualitative study explores the experiences, understandings, and perspectives of Cyprus grassroots Non-Governmental Organizations' (NGOs) peacebuilding practitioners about the impact of their diverse peacebuilding strategies on local emancipation and empowerment, and to what extent these local practices make ordinary citizens self-aware of their role to break the ethnic divide and transform conflict. It is based on the data collected from semi-structured interviews with 10 peacebuilders working with Cypriot grassroots NGOs and explores how they make sense of their everyday lives within a divided Cyprus, examining their experiences and perceptions of strategies that affect a varied target audience comprised of members of vulnerable, minority, and marginalized groups of North and South Cyprus societies. Informed by the emancipatory peace, the local turn, local ownership, and conflict transformation theories, the findings point out the relevance of bicommunal peacebuilding practices to progressively change intergroup attitudes and people’s mindsets, facilitating new relationships that can transform the Cyprus conflict. Those activities are carried out by grassroots peacebuilding organizations, which play a critical role in empowering people and creating channels to give a voice to Cypriot people, especially the unheard, invisible, and marginalized, and raising awareness about their rights. In addition, the study indicates that empathy, intelligible communication, and conveying of information make these organizations more approachable and attractive to local citizens. They maximize their influence on people paving the way for reconciliation between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and their common wish for a united Cyprus.

Background: Existing literature on motherhood and disabilities shows that mothers with mobility impairments are discriminated against based on their disabilities and motherhood status. This has resulted in several untold barriers encountered by this population. Purpose: This thesis attempts to give insight into the real-life experiences of mothers with mobility impairments in Nigeria and demonstrate how culture, level of education, and religion influence how motherhood and disabilities are perceived, and how this leads to the barriers encountered by mothers with mobility impairments. Method: This study utilizes a qualitative descriptive approach and a semi-structured interview method to obtain adequate data on the reality of being a mother with mobility impairments in Ibadan Nigeria. The participants comprised of seven mothers with mobility impairments aged 18-45, single or married mothers, who live in Ibadan Nigeria. Findings: The findings of this study show that deep-rooted cultural beliefs, level of education, and religion influence the misconceptions and negative attitudes encountered by mothers with mobility impairments in Nigeria. This has resulted in their discrimination and marginalization. Family support was found to be the best way mothers cope. Conclusions: Motherhood and disability would be so much easier if people were more aware and more educated about the presence of motherhood and disabilities, as well as related discrimination, negative attitudes, cultural and religious influence.

This thesis examines the potential of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) as a new peace method. Using an autoethnographic approach informed by Ganz's (2015) 3-level storytelling method and Haven's (2015) core story components, this exploratory research grounds D&D in PACS literature and theory. While sharing compelling examples of how critical peace skills and critical consciousness development can be facilitated by playing a game of imaginative worldbuilding and creative conflict simulation. This thesis probes D&D's PACS relevance through cultural, educational, play, and identity lenses and explores how D&D can deploy theoretical PACS principles as active, positive peace training. The significance of this study is twofold. First, it lays the groundwork for further research into the positive peace potential of D&D while simultaneously contributing utopian storytelling experiential knowledge to the growing field of PACS literature. Second, it challenges the traditional hegemony of patient hope-sustaining banking education systems of knowledge replication.

This thesis is an autoethnographic examination of my understanding of disability and the disability community as a non-disabled person growing up in Iran. This understanding is in two phases: before enrolling in the Disability Studies program at the University of Manitoba and after completing my studies. It demonstrates how my perceptions of disability have evolved and critically examines all my disability-related experiences as a child, as a university student, and later as an art therapist and Disability Studies student. With this thesis, I hope to raise public awareness about the disability situation in Iran and initiate a socio-cultural shift in my country. Disability Studies enabled me to better understand disability issues and urged me to question everything I had previously believed. It assisted me in observing the barriers, challenges, and stigmatization that people with disabilities face daily that non-disabled people are unaware of. My overarching goal is to raise awareness of the challenges that the disability community faces so that we can move closer to removing all barriers and creating a barrier-free and inclusive society for all, especially in my home country, Iran.

This qualitative study explores the experiences, understandings, and perspectives of Cyprus grassroots Non-Governmental Organizations' (NGOs) peacebuilding practitioners about the impact of their diverse peacebuilding strategies on local emancipation and empowerment, and to what extent these local practices make ordinary citizens self-aware of their role to break the ethnic divide and transform conflict. It is based on the data collected from semi-structured interviews with 10 peacebuilders working with Cypriot grassroots NGOs and explores how they make sense of their everyday lives within a divided Cyprus, examining their experiences and perceptions of strategies that affect a varied target audience comprised of members of vulnerable, minority, and marginalized groups of North and South Cyprus societies. Informed by the emancipatory peace, the local turn, local ownership, and conflict transformation theories, the findings point out the relevance of bicommunal peacebuilding practices to progressively change intergroup attitudes and people’s mindsets, facilitating new relationships that can transform the Cyprus conflict. Those activities are carried out by grassroots peacebuilding organizations, which play a critical role in empowering people and creating channels to give a voice to Cypriot people, especially the unheard, invisible, and marginalized, and raising awareness about their rights. In addition, the study indicates that empathy, intelligible communication, and conveying of information make these organizations more approachable and attractive to local citizens. They maximize their influence on people paving the way for reconciliation between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and their common wish for a united Cyprus.

Background: Existing literature on motherhood and disabilities shows that mothers with mobility impairments are discriminated against based on their disabilities and motherhood status. This has resulted in several untold barriers encountered by this population. Purpose: This thesis attempts to give insight into the real-life experiences of mothers with mobility impairments in Nigeria and demonstrate how culture, level of education, and religion influence how motherhood and disabilities are perceived, and how this leads to the barriers encountered by mothers with mobility impairments. Method: This study utilizes a qualitative descriptive approach and a semi-structured interview method to obtain adequate data on the reality of being a mother with mobility impairments in Ibadan Nigeria. The participants comprised of seven mothers with mobility impairments aged 18-45, single or married mothers, who live in Ibadan Nigeria. Findings: The findings of this study show that deep-rooted cultural beliefs, level of education, and religion influence the misconceptions and negative attitudes encountered by mothers with mobility impairments in Nigeria. This has resulted in their discrimination and marginalization. Family support was found to be the best way mothers cope. Conclusions: Motherhood and disability would be so much easier if people were more aware and more educated about the presence of motherhood and disabilities, as well as related discrimination, negative attitudes, cultural and religious influence.

According to the United Nations, health is a fundamental right of all individuals. It has been studied that people with disabilities have higher needs for healthcare as compared to people without disabilities. As of 2021, India reports having 26.8 million people with a disability of some form. With the increasing number of populations with disabilities, there is an increased need for healthcare professionals that can cater to the disability requirements of these individuals. However, there is a huge gap in terms of health services offered to disabled and non-disabled people in India. This autoethnographic study describes my disability perception as shaped through my childhood with having a refractive disorder to becoming a physician and finally taking the Disability Studies Master’s Program. Through personal experience of medical practice as a healthcare professional, I have observed barriers to full utilization of healthcare services by people with disabilities varying from inaccessible infrastructure and diagnostic equipment, the stereotypical approach of healthcare providers or their ignorance, lack of training to communicate with people with disabilities, inaccessible transport to reach the health facilities and massive expense of treatment/rehabilitation. With the growing population of people with disabilities, it is inevitable to have disability sensitization and education of the medical staff to provide inclusive healthcare services to people with disabilities. Medical students must be thoroughly trained with disability competencies and have high clinical exposure to people with disabilities so that effective health care can be provided by young doctors without propagating stigma and by instilling hope. Pragmatic changes must be adopted at the level of governance to reduce discrimination towards people with disabilities while accessing healthcare through the alteration of state policies and the creation of public awareness.

In this study, I have solicited the perspectives of teachers about their students who are characterized as misbehaving. These perspectives influenced how these teachers saw and interacted with the students. I present three approaches that provide a method for dealing with student behaviour: transactional, relationship-based, and behaviourism, and relate these to the perspectives held by study participants. Analysis of the data indicates that teachers who reported having respectful relationships with their own parents growing up viewed positive relationships as necessary when working with students who misbehave. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and future research are presented.

I have been working as a professional support for people labelled with intellectual disabilities for many years. While there has been research done about support work from multiple perspectives, it is my impression that the lived experience of being a support worker for adults labelled with an intellectual disability is largely missing from the literature. Utilizing an autoethnographic methodology, I provide the perspective of a direct support professional through a disability studies lens. In this writing, I will contextualize the role of the support worker within contemporary society. This includes historical framing, policy and theory influencing the field, as well as the dilemmas inherent in supporting a marginalized population. Through engaging in a reflexive examination of my professional experience, I will provide a picture for the reader of the complexities involved in trying to enact meaningful supports for people labelled with intellectual disabilities. I identify the priorities support workers should focus on to generate best practices and examine the aspects of the work that are under their direct control. All this is done in the hope that we can create a more inclusive society for all people.

In the 1980s, the Karen people began arriving on the Thai-Myanmar border as they fled the ongoing ethnopolitical conflict in Myanmar. Since then, the refugee situation in the border region has become one of the most protracted refugee situations in the world. As there was no clear indication of if and/or when the Karen people could return to the Kayin State, their home state in Myanmar, they began to resettle in third countries. In the mid-2000s, Canada began resettling Karen refugees from the Thai-Myanmar border across the country. This qualitative study explores the experiences of Karen refugee women living on the Thai-Myanmar border and in Canada. The study analyzes how gender impacted the lived experiences of three Karen refugees and their families. This research is concerned with shedding light on the stories, lived experiences, and resiliency of Karen refugee women on the Thai- Myanmar border and in resettling in Canada. Karen women are not simply passive victims of violence and conflict but are actors for change and peace.

2 2 Abstract Metis people live with disability and chronic illness which is largely under reported and undocumented in Canada. In an age of Truth and Reconciliation, this thesis demonstrates the lived experience of the same Metis and appeals to all Canadians to understand Metis life as unique and deserving of culturally relevant support and health services in order to allow for Metis self- actualization. By sharing beadwork sewn by the author and their late mother, this thesis demonstrates wealth of knowledge available within the Metis embodied experience with chronic illness and disability. Feminist disability theory and Manitoba Metis Federation’s (MMF) Wellness Models are an excellent way to explore the theoretical undertones of the family’s beadwork completed while living with disability and chronic illness. Through storytelling and beading this thesis utilizes MMF’s Wellness Models to highlight the importance of dialogue with disabled Metis people. Non-Indigenous people can use this knowledge sharing to understand how Canada should meet Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action for Indigenous health.

This thesis is an autoethnographic reflection of my inclusive practices during the fifteen years of my teaching experience as a teacher while an elementary teacher trainer. By reflecting and analysing through my critical incidents in the chapter “My Classroom Journeys” I tried to explore my differentiated strategies that I chose to support disabled children in order to reduce their learning barriers. In this study, I explored my attitudinal changes from a regular teacher to more an inclusive teacher. My attitude changed into an inclusive teacher. I noted my struggles in the classroom and the way I overcame them in the form of anecdotes. These anecdotes helped to solidify my ideas. My incidents most often were concerned with students’ understanding, classroom management, assessment, student behaviour, relationships with students, and student motivation. Real classrooms are no longer a homogeneous group because every child is different. Disability studies empowered me to have more awareness about the ideological aspects of inclusive pedagogy which I described in chapter 6. In this chapter I added the ‘Realities of My Inclusive Pedagogy’. Here I tried to uncover the genuineness of my classroom environment in the form of barriers that I experienced as an inclusive teacher while implementing my differentiated strategies. I hope that this study can increase our knowledge and understanding of the realities of inclusive pedagogy in the Indian context and it revealed the barriers that are affecting disabled children and their supports when they are in inclusive classrooms. I also hope that by telling my stories, the readers of this autoethnography, particularly the teaching community, can connect and slowly change their perceptions towards disabled children more positively in the inclusive classroom with the overall goal of removing existing barriers.

Disability interpretations of fitness are rare. Ideals of athleticism, aesthetics, and the body often reside at the extreme opposite end of the disability continuum, as far from impairment as possible. But being disabled does not necessarily make one unfit, just as it does not necessarily make one unhealthy. As a person with Cerebral Palsy (CP) I have found fitness pursuits alluring, especially once I started receiving messages that I was presumed not to belong in most considerations of fitness due to my disability. My engagement with others in fitness contexts is rife with politics of disability, namely, where I do and do not belong spatially, contextually, and conceptually with regard to fitness. My presence in fitness facilities has been regarded between provisional, spectacular, and worrying. It became clear these incidents had value to lend to discussions of disability’s intersection with fitness, exemplifying foundational theory and begging new questions. Perhaps more importantly, relating politically charged narratives stood to raise awareness of the unacknowledged and unquestioned politics of fitness and the discussions which still need to take place.

In this study, I have solicited the perspectives of teachers about their students who are characterized as misbehaving. These perspectives influenced how these teachers saw and interacted with the students. I present three approaches that provide a method for dealing with student behaviour: transactional, relationship-based, and behaviourism, and relate these to the perspectives held by study participants. Analysis of the data indicates that teachers who reported having respectful relationships with their own parents growing up viewed positive relationships as necessary when working with students who misbehave. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and future research are presented.

I have been working as a professional support for people labelled with intellectual disabilities for many years. While there has been research done about support work from multiple perspectives, it is my impression that the lived experience of being a support worker for adults labelled with an intellectual disability is largely missing from the literature. Utilizing an autoethnographic methodology, I provide the perspective of a direct support professional through a disability studies lens. In this writing, I will contextualize the role of the support worker within contemporary society. This includes historical framing, policy and theory influencing the field, as well as the dilemmas inherent in supporting a marginalized population. Through engaging in a reflexive examination of my professional experience, I will provide a picture for the reader of the complexities involved in trying to enact meaningful supports for people labelled with intellectual disabilities. I identify the priorities support workers should focus on to generate best practices and examine the aspects of the work that are under their direct control. All this is done in the hope that we can create a more inclusive society for all people.

2 2 Abstract Metis people live with disability and chronic illness which is largely under reported and undocumented in Canada. In an age of Truth and Reconciliation, this thesis demonstrates the lived experience of the same Metis and appeals to all Canadians to understand Metis life as unique and deserving of culturally relevant support and health services in order to allow for Metis self- actualization. By sharing beadwork sewn by the author and their late mother, this thesis demonstrates wealth of knowledge available within the Metis embodied experience with chronic illness and disability. Feminist disability theory and Manitoba Metis Federation’s (MMF) Wellness Models are an excellent way to explore the theoretical undertones of the family’s beadwork completed while living with disability and chronic illness. Through storytelling and beading this thesis utilizes MMF’s Wellness Models to highlight the importance of dialogue with disabled Metis people. Non-Indigenous people can use this knowledge sharing to understand how Canada should meet Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action for Indigenous health.

This thesis is an autoethnographic reflection of my inclusive practices during the fifteen years of my teaching experience as a teacher while an elementary teacher trainer. By reflecting and analysing through my critical incidents in the chapter “My Classroom Journeys” I tried to explore my differentiated strategies that I chose to support disabled children in order to reduce their learning barriers. In this study, I explored my attitudinal changes from a regular teacher to more an inclusive teacher. My attitude changed into an inclusive teacher. I noted my struggles in the classroom and the way I overcame them in the form of anecdotes. These anecdotes helped to solidify my ideas. My incidents most often were concerned with students’ understanding, classroom management, assessment, student behaviour, relationships with students, and student motivation. Real classrooms are no longer a homogeneous group because every child is different. Disability studies empowered me to have more awareness about the ideological aspects of inclusive pedagogy which I described in chapter 6. In this chapter I added the ‘Realities of My Inclusive Pedagogy’. Here I tried to uncover the genuineness of my classroom environment in the form of barriers that I experienced as an inclusive teacher while implementing my differentiated strategies. I hope that this study can increase our knowledge and understanding of the realities of inclusive pedagogy in the Indian context and it revealed the barriers that are affecting disabled children and their supports when they are in inclusive classrooms. I also hope that by telling my stories, the readers of this autoethnography, particularly the teaching community, can connect and slowly change their perceptions towards disabled children more positively in the inclusive classroom with the overall goal of removing existing barriers.

I have been working as a professional support for people labelled with intellectual disabilities for many years. While there has been research done about support work from multiple perspectives, it is my impression that the lived experience of being a support worker for adults labelled with an intellectual disability is largely missing from the literature. Utilizing an autoethnographic methodology, I provide the perspective of a direct support professional through a disability studies lens. In this writing, I will contextualize the role of the support worker within contemporary society. This includes historical framing, policy and theory influencing the field, as well as the dilemmas inherent in supporting a marginalized population. Through engaging in a reflexive examination of my professional experience, I will provide a picture for the reader of the complexities involved in trying to enact meaningful supports for people labelled with intellectual disabilities. I identify the priorities support workers should focus on to generate best practices and examine the aspects of the work that are under their direct control. All this is done in the hope that we can create a more inclusive society for all people.

Disability interpretations of fitness are rare. Ideals of athleticism, aesthetics, and the body often reside at the extreme opposite end of the disability continuum, as far from impairment as possible. But being disabled does not necessarily make one unfit, just as it does not necessarily make one unhealthy. As a person with Cerebral Palsy (CP) I have found fitness pursuits alluring, especially once I started receiving messages that I was presumed not to belong in most considerations of fitness due to my disability. My engagement with others in fitness contexts is rife with politics of disability, namely, where I do and do not belong spatially, contextually, and conceptually with regard to fitness. My presence in fitness facilities has been regarded between provisional, spectacular, and worrying. It became clear these incidents had value to lend to discussions of disability’s intersection with fitness, exemplifying foundational theory and begging new questions. Perhaps more importantly, relating politically charged narratives stood to raise awareness of the unacknowledged and unquestioned politics of fitness and the discussions which still need to take place.

In this study, I have solicited the perspectives of teachers about their students who are characterized as misbehaving. These perspectives influenced how these teachers saw and interacted with the students. I present three approaches that provide a method for dealing with student behaviour: transactional, relationship-based, and behaviourism, and relate these to the perspectives held by study participants. Analysis of the data indicates that teachers who reported having respectful relationships with their own parents growing up viewed positive relationships as necessary when working with students who misbehave. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and future research are presented.

In the 1980s, the Karen people began arriving on the Thai-Myanmar border as they fled the ongoing ethnopolitical conflict in Myanmar. Since then, the refugee situation in the border region has become one of the most protracted refugee situations in the world. As there was no clear indication of if and/or when the Karen people could return to the Kayin State, their home state in Myanmar, they began to resettle in third countries. In the mid-2000s, Canada began resettling Karen refugees from the Thai-Myanmar border across the country. This qualitative study explores the experiences of Karen refugee women living on the Thai-Myanmar border and in Canada. The study analyzes how gender impacted the lived experiences of three Karen refugees and their families. This research is concerned with shedding light on the stories, lived experiences, and resiliency of Karen refugee women on the Thai- Myanmar border and in resettling in Canada. Karen women are not simply passive victims of violence and conflict but are actors for change and peace.

I have been working as a professional support for people labelled with intellectual disabilities for many years. While there has been research done about support work from multiple perspectives, it is my impression that the lived experience of being a support worker for adults labelled with an intellectual disability is largely missing from the literature. Utilizing an autoethnographic methodology, I provide the perspective of a direct support professional through a disability studies lens. In this writing, I will contextualize the role of the support worker within contemporary society. This includes historical framing, policy and theory influencing the field, as well as the dilemmas inherent in supporting a marginalized population. Through engaging in a reflexive examination of my professional experience, I will provide a picture for the reader of the complexities involved in trying to enact meaningful supports for people labelled with intellectual disabilities. I identify the priorities support workers should focus on to generate best practices and examine the aspects of the work that are under their direct control. All this is done in the hope that we can create a more inclusive society for all people.

In this study, I have solicited the perspectives of teachers about their students who are characterized as misbehaving. These perspectives influenced how these teachers saw and interacted with the students. I present three approaches that provide a method for dealing with student behaviour: transactional, relationship-based, and behaviourism, and relate these to the perspectives held by study participants. Analysis of the data indicates that teachers who reported having respectful relationships with their own parents growing up viewed positive relationships as necessary when working with students who misbehave. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and future research are presented.

The study aimed at exploring the experiences of African immigrants with disabilities in Winnipeg, Canada. It focused on how cultural beliefs and personal perceptions about disability shape such experiences. The social model of disability studies was employed since the model describes disability and associated issues within a social and attitudinal context. It holds that societal structure and characteristics, particularly attitude, often present significant barriers and challenges that militate against the complete integration of persons with disabilities (PWDs) into society. Through consultations with the disability groups in Winnipeg (e.g., Society for Manitobans with Disabilities, six (6) African immigrants living with disabilities were selected and interviewed. All research protocols were observed to ensure originality and reliability of data. Findings revealed that various beliefs about disabilities exist among African countries, which are not necessarily different from society to society. Core among them is the attribution of disabilities to curses from gods and ancestral spirits. Disability is overwhelmingly seen as punitive in the African society, accounting for the stigmatization and discrimination of PWDs. Sometimes, persons with disabilities (PWDs) are sent to native doctors and witch camps in an attempt to “cure” them; others are abandoned to die in forests after some rituals. The study showed that PWDs do not accept their labeling as “disabled or incapacitated”. To them impairments do not imply incapacitation. There exist wide gaps between the manner in which PWDs are treated in Canada and African countries. Comparison of these experiences proved that their present society, has achieved a lot regarding their comfort, although a few challenges still prevail. The Canadian society is welcoming and inclusive. It tends to seek the social integration of all persons; inclusion runs through employment, education and healthcare. The study further revealed that s

The Far-off Edge of Things is a full-length postmodern stage work for voice and multi-media which exists in a liminal space between Realism, Magical Realism, and The Absurd. This is a story about barriers to relationships, paralleling a story about barriers to accessibility, juxtaposed with a devolving story in which the non-disabled are disabled by environmental events. The vortex of the narrative challenges socio-political concepts and psycho-myths which continue to misinform ableist constructions of disability. Further, the play confronts the intersection of disability and climate change, a connection which may seem surprising until one realizes that persons with disabilities are disproportionately and adversely affected by climatic events as a result of their systemic exclusion from disaster planning. To that end, the setting is a catastrophic climatic event; rising water from sea ice melt in Hudson’s Bay causes a reversal of the Red River and creates a giant tidal bore which will imminently flood Manitoba. The play imagines this large-scale climatic event set against the small-scale human narrative of the protagonist, Morgan, a person with disability, and Giles, her partner and caregiver, who struggle, both literally and metaphorically, to keep their heads above water. Morgan, trapped in a malfunctioning lift while the flood waters rise, enters an Absurdist world when the crossed wires of the lift emergency phone connect her to an emergency measures conference room in which the attendees are focused upon building a ramp at ‘The Far-off Edge of Things’ for her, while saving themselves at ‘The Centre of Things.’ The play is followed by an informal critical essay explicating The Far-off Edge of Things and its construction, as well as the defence presentation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of language, power relations, and constructions of knowledge in shaping the experiences of acquired brain injury (ABI) survivors when accessing care. Using a critical qualitative inquiry, specifically the Foucauldian perspective, an in-depth semi-structured interview was conducted among 15 ABI survivors in Manitoba. The framework provided by Andersen’s behavioural model of care (2008) was used to determine how ABI survivors experience access to care. Data were interpreted and discussed using deductive thematic analysis. The findings from this analysis illustrate the role of power, knowledge, and language concerning disability related to the participants’ access to care. In particular, the five interconnected themes (1) contextual characteristics domain, (2) individual characteristics domain, (3) perceived need, (4) power and knowledge nexus, and (5) language and power nexus in combination with the quantitative results of the pre-interview survey described the impact of the medicalization of brain injury on access to care. ABI survivors often face difficulties in meeting eligibility criteria owing to the invisible nature of the disability. This study’s participants’ unmet needs include access to community-based specialized services, quicker access to specialists/resources, service navigation support, and mental health services. Furthermore, this study showed that healthcare and social service systems’ multifaceted nature affected how ABI survivors perceived their disability, how the dominant discourses of ABI influenced the knowledge that is privileged, and how power was exercised within service navigation and service user-service provider interactions. This thesis concluded that access to care should be informed by shared knowledge construction between the service provider and service user.

The Far-off Edge of Things is a full-length postmodern stage work for voice and multi-media which exists in a liminal space between Realism, Magical Realism, and The Absurd. This is a story about barriers to relationships, paralleling a story about barriers to accessibility, juxtaposed with a devolving story in which the non-disabled are disabled by environmental events. The vortex of the narrative challenges socio-political concepts and psycho-myths which continue to misinform ableist constructions of disability. Further, the play confronts the intersection of disability and climate change, a connection which may seem surprising until one realizes that persons with disabilities are disproportionately and adversely affected by climatic events as a result of their systemic exclusion from disaster planning. To that end, the setting is a catastrophic climatic event; rising water from sea ice melt in Hudson’s Bay causes a reversal of the Red River and creates a giant tidal bore which will imminently flood Manitoba. The play imagines this large-scale climatic event set against the small-scale human narrative of the protagonist, Morgan, a person with disability, and Giles, her partner and caregiver, who struggle, both literally and metaphorically, to keep their heads above water. Morgan, trapped in a malfunctioning lift while the flood waters rise, enters an Absurdist world when the crossed wires of the lift emergency phone connect her to an emergency measures conference room in which the attendees are focused upon building a ramp at ‘The Far-off Edge of Things’ for her, while saving themselves at ‘The Centre of Things.’ The play is followed by an informal critical essay explicating The Far-off Edge of Things and its construction, as well as the defence presentation.

The issue of employment is critical to the survival of every human being. However, the employment of women with vision impairment and their integration into the formal sector of the labour market is low. This is especially true in Ghana where policies such as the Ghana Disability Act 715, which was passed in 2006 and meant to target the removal of barriers in the socioeconomic participation of persons with disabilities has produced no significant results. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of women with vision impairment seeking employment by focusing on their lived experiences and the barriers they face when seeking employment. By using interpretive description, ten purposefully selected women with vision impairment in Kumasi, Ghana shared their experiences through semi-structured interviews. By employing thematic analysis, data obtained was coded and categorized to identify themes. Four themes were developed using thematic analysis: 1) Treated like we are not human, 2) Limited opportunities and support for workforce participation, 3) Expected to fulfill gender roles and 4) Valued social supports. At the end of the study, it was found that the Ghanaian culture exerted an enormous influence on society’s attitude towards the employment of women with vision impairment. Areas such as preparation, training and accommodation were identified as limiting factors in the employment participation of women with vision impairment in Ghana. Therefore, to mitigate these barriers there is the need for continuous public education on disability and the provision of incentives to organizations and establishments that employ women with vision impairment.

Depictions of a mass onset of sensory disability have become a recent trend in popular apocalyptic narratives. Bird Box (2018), directed by Susanne Bier, Blindness (2008), directed by Fernando Meirelles, and Perfect Sense (2011), directed by David Mackenzie, all portray an apocalypse of disability. Likewise, H.G. Wells’ story “The Country of the Blind” and the television show See (2019), directed by Francis Lawrence, depict post-apocalyptic societies of disability. These narratives amplify fears of the body: bodily vulnerability and bodily inadequacy, as well as fears of disability: of gaining a disability and of proximity to disability. Narratives that depict the onset of disability as a catastrophic, apocalyptic event rely on, and generate, fears of becoming disabled. A critical lens of disability theory offers a way to study fears of disability and to recognize the social repercussions of these narratives.

The study aimed at exploring the experiences of African immigrants with disabilities in Winnipeg, Canada. It focused on how cultural beliefs and personal perceptions about disability shape such experiences. The social model of disability studies was employed since the model describes disability and associated issues within a social and attitudinal context. It holds that societal structure and characteristics, particularly attitude, often present significant barriers and challenges that militate against the complete integration of persons with disabilities (PWDs) into society. Through consultations with the disability groups in Winnipeg (e.g., Society for Manitobans with Disabilities, six (6) African immigrants living with disabilities were selected and interviewed. All research protocols were observed to ensure originality and reliability of data. Findings revealed that various beliefs about disabilities exist among African countries, which are not necessarily different from society to society. Core among them is the attribution of disabilities to curses from gods and ancestral spirits. Disability is overwhelmingly seen as punitive in the African society, accounting for the stigmatization and discrimination of PWDs. Sometimes, persons with disabilities (PWDs) are sent to native doctors and witch camps in an attempt to “cure” them; others are abandoned to die in forests after some rituals. The study showed that PWDs do not accept their labeling as “disabled or incapacitated”. To them impairments do not imply incapacitation. There exist wide gaps between the manner in which PWDs are treated in Canada and African countries. Comparison of these experiences proved that their present society, has achieved a lot regarding their comfort, although a few challenges still prevail. The Canadian society is welcoming and inclusive. It tends to seek the social integration of all persons; inclusion runs through employment, education and healthcare. The study further revealed that s

Background: The literature on inclusive education shows that teachers greatly influence experiences education outcomes of people with disabilities and that support is needed from the government in order for them to be better able to do this. Purpose: This thesis seeks to investigate how the experiences of teachers and the culture of the Ghanaian society enhance disabling conditions regarding the education of citizens with disabilities. Method: This study utilized a qualitative approach and a review of existing literature on the history and culture of Ghana and the Ashanti Region. Six participants were employed in both private and government educational institutions in this study. Data analysis was performed manually by the researcher regarding influences on the parameters of education for people with disabilities and this group experience disablement in schools. Education was found to be a protective factor of persons with disabilities. Findings: The results of this study show that cultures of Ghana, attitudes and experiences of teachers have major influences on the parameters of education for people with disabilities. Conclusion: By fighting disabling cultural beliefs, discrimination and lack of accessibility within the society, individuals with disabilities may have the advantage to contribute significantly to society through their education.