Media

Workplaces REVAMPED: Seeking Racialized Post-Secondary Students with Episodic Disabilities for Paid Community-Based Research Opportunity

In collaboration with Realize Canada’s Workplaces REVAMPED project, the National Educational Association of Disabled Students is looking for racialized post-secondary students with episodic disabilities to participate in a virtual focus group on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Leading to Belonging (IDEAL) on August 3rd from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. ET.

This focus group aims to provide a meaningful forum for students to share their lived experience to further understanding of the barriers racialized post-secondary students face in working, studying, and living with episodic disabilities, as well as navigating community organizations’ available supports.

Participants will participate in one 90-minute focus group and complete a brief follow-up survey, and will be provided with a $100 honorarium to acknowledge their critical contributions.

We ask that anyone interested please register here. Closed captioning will be provided – please share any additional accessibility needs through the registration form, or contact focus group facilitator Chloée C. Godin-Jacques at chloee.godinjacques@neads.ca Focus group questions will be made available prior to August 3rd to allow for adequate preparation.

Eligibility

    Currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a recognized post-secondary program (ie. college, university, CEGEP, apprenticeship)
    Identifies as a racialized individual
    Identifies as a person with an episodic disability (read more on episodic disabilities below)

About the Research

Findings from this focus group will be compiled by NEADS into an internal report to inform Realize’s IDEAL project – a community-based inquiry to guide their work serving the episodic disability community and improving relevant information available to inform the public. All identifying information will be anonymized, meaning all participants’ identities will be kept confidential. The focus group will be recorded purely for research purposes, and the recording and transcript will be deleted within 90 days.

About Episodic Disabilities

Episodic disabilities are chronic health conditions characterized by fluctuating periods and degrees of illness/wellness that are often unpredictable in duration, frequency of recurrence, and types of symptoms. The unpredictable nature of episodic disabilities results in many challenges for those living with them, particularly around employment, social inclusion, and access to care.

An estimated 2 million people in Canada alone have ongoing episodic disabilities, with numbers consistently increasing. These include disabilities related to long-COVID, arthritis, autoimmune disorders, HIV, diabetes, mental health conditions, and more.

About Realize

Realize is the leading national charitable organization in Canada working to improve the health and wellbeing of people living with HIV and other episodic disabilities across the lifespan through integrated research, education, policy, and practice. Realize has been undertaking targeted projects on episodic disabilities and employment for the past 15 years and for those targeted in this work, knowledge of episodic disabilities has increased significantly - however, the sheer numbers of people living with episodic disabilities requires expansion of this work.

About NEADS

The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) is a by-and-for, cross-disability, cross-Canada charitable organization supporting full access to education and employment for disabled post-secondary students and graduates.

Working across three strategic areas of debt reduction, experience in-class and on-campus, and employment, NEADS offers a variety of events, resources, reports, financial assistance programs, and opportunities for disabled students and graduates.

Carly Fox (she/her/elle)
Communications & Partnerships Director
Carly.Fox@neads.ca

NEADS Social Media

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn

NEADS Websites

Main Site | Scholarships | Employment | Rights | Mailing List Sign-Up