Media

NEADS Disability in Graduate Studies Panel, June 10 from 12 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Join the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) on June 10th at 12pm EDT as we host disabled graduate students across Canada to discuss disability in graduate studies! We'll be joined by Margaret Megitt (University of Windsor) Calvin Prowse (McMaster University) and Karen Tang (Dalhousie University) to discuss lived experiences and available supports for disabled graduate students, and Dr. Kathleen Clarke will give a brief presentation on their Social Sciences and Human Research Council (SSHRC) funded research on disability in graduate studies in post-secondary institutions across Canada.
 
Closed captioning and simultaneous interpretation will be provided. Registration is required - please register here. This event is a feature of our Virtual Access for All webinar series, generously supported by Employment and Social Development Canada.

More About The Panelists

Margaret Megitt, University of Windsor

Margaret Megitt (she/her) is in the final year of her Master of Social Work Program at the University of Windsor.  Margaret holds a diploma in Early Childhood Education from George Brown College and an undergraduate degree in Women/Gender Studies and Equity Studies from the University of Toronto. For the past 10 years, Margaret has been working in a family support program in the Toronto District School Board supporting young children (0-6 years old) and their families. Margaret also works as workshop and group facilitator leading various workshops on parenting and infant and children’s mental health. At home, Margaret enjoys reading, being outdoors and is a mother to three three-year-old twin girls.

Calvin Prowse, McMaster University

Calvin Prowse (they/them) is a Master of Social Work (MSW) student at McMaster University, where they use perspectives from critical disability studies, Mad studies, the Disability Justice movement, and the psychiatric consumer/survivor movement to inform their work. They are passionate about the power of disability & Mad communities, and how our experiences can be a source of strength which allow us to support one another as peers, develop critical consciousness & co-created community knowledges, and work toward social change. Their MSW research uses the methodology of Institutional Ethnography to explore the impacts of professionalization on mental health & substance peer support workers. Some of Calvin’s other interests include critical pedagogy, anti-carceral suicide response strategies, raccoons, and triangles. Calvin is a co-founder of “Push Back on Mac” – an informal coalition of McMaster students and staff resisting an unsafe and inaccessible mandatory return to campus during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Karen Tang, Dalhousie University

Karen Tang (she/her) is a PhD Clinical Psychology student at Dalhousie University studying addictive behaviors, mental health, and sociocultural factors. Karen is currently pursuing her career goal of working as a clinical psychologist specializing in diverse populations, including individuals from the disabled community, by bringing her lived experience with disability into her clinical approach. Her advocacy in STEM involves fostering a more inclusive and diverse community, such as mentoring underrepresented applicants applying to STEM graduate programs. Her advocacy and promotion of STEM has been recognized; she has been invited to sit on various panels including the Disabled in STEM Panel at the 3rd Annual Reclaiming STEM Conference hosted by the University of California, and the Mental health - INternationally Delivering Support (MINDS) Conference in Toronto. You can find her on Twitter: @KarenTang_

Kathleen Clarke, Wilfrid Laurier University

Dr. Kathleen Clarke is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University, where she mainly teaches in the Master of Education – Student Affairs Field of Study. Her research program focuses on understanding the challenges that specific populations (e.g., students with disabilities, graduate students, international students) of postsecondary students experience and how support can be tailored to meet their needs. Dr. Clarke’s research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and eCampus Ontario.

Dr. Clarke received a Partnership Engage Grant (PEG) from SSHRC to partner with NEADS and conduct a study on the experiences of graduate students with disabilities throughout the pandemic. The objectives of the project are to identify how graduate students have been faring throughout the pandemic and to also determine how students perceive the effectiveness of shifting services and accommodations. The project involves a national survey as well as follow-up interviews.

About NEADS’ Virtual Access for All Project

NEADS' Virtual Access for All Project provides educational support and awareness aimed at students with disabilities transitioning into post-secondary education. Accessibility and accommodations resources are provided through our quarterly State of the Schools publications, while our regular webinar series addresses topics such as self-advocacy, accessing accommodations at work and school, and transitioning into the workforce. Further, financial support is available through NEADS' Student Awards Program and Accessibility Resilience Program. Virtual Access for All is generously supported by Employment and Social Development Canada's Goal Getters Program, and has recently received an upward amendment in response to positive reception.

Carly Fox (she/her/elle), Researcher and Communications Officer, National Educational Association of Disabled Students, carly.fox@neads.ca

For further information:

National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS), Rm. 514 Unicentre, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, tel. (613) 380-8065, ext. 201

NEADS Social Media

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn

NEADS Websites

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