Cumulative and Cascading Impacts of Invisibility: An Intersectional Approach to Understanding the Housing Experiences of Canadians With Disabilities During COVID-19

A collaborative chapter examining the unique and heightened negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for disabled people and housing in Canada. This chapter illustrates the impacts housing choices have on how disabled people lived, lived well, and how they faced barriers to living well during the COVID-19 pandemic. Available here. 

Women, Girls, and Non-binary people with Disabilities and the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence

DAWN Canada has released its comprehensive report "Women, Girls, and Non-binary people with Disabilities and the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence" which seeks to inform Canada's National Action Plan to end gender-based violence. I was the lead researcher in this report which seeks to address gaps related to disabled women, girls, and non-binary people and suggests policies to fill these gaps as well as the need for systemic change. 

A Qualitative Look at Serious Legal Problems for People with Disabilities in Central Canada

The Department of Justice has juts released this report in partnership with DAWN Canada researchers (myself and Sonia Alimi). The report is available in both English and French on the Justice Canada website. 

Highlights from this important research include that persons with disabilities in Canada regularly encounter serious legal issues and that the system remains full of barriers for individuals. The report explores the most prevalent legal issues participants shared, how they navigated the system and the supports they required, and the impacts of these systemic barriers on individuals. 

New Canadian Research on COVID-19, Disability, and Policy Responses

 The University of Guelph's Live Work Well Research Centre  has just released a new research report. 

'Disability Inclusion Analysis of Lessons Learned and Best Practices of the Government of Canada’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic' can be accessed here. 

I am lucky to have been a part of such an amazing research team. 

 

Normalizing death in the age of 

COVID-19

This piece, co-authored with Michael Orsini, explores COVID-19 deaths and the collective forgetting of these lives. We explore what communities have been hit the hardest by COVID-19 and question what needs to happen so we see all lives as worth living. 

Resetting Normal: Systemic Gender-Based Violence and the Pandemic 

The Canadian Women's Foundation recently released a series of reports exploring gender equality and the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. I was honoured to work with DAWN Canada on their contribution to the third report in this series, which can be found here. 

 

Rooting Resilience – Peer support for women with disabilities in Canada: A Needs Assessment

DAWN Canada  has an exciting new project examining the potential for peer support in supporting women with disabilities around GBV. You can learn more about their work here. You can also read the needs assessment that helped shape project activities here. 

Covid19, Our Brothers, and the New Reminders That Only Certain Lives Matter

Note: The following collaboration between Helen Ries (@helenries) and I (@JihanAbbas) was originally published at https://helenries.ca/covid19/.

 

It will be about six weeks since we have been at home. Soon it will be six weeks since our illusions of Canada moving towards being a more fair society have been shredded and are now lying in tatters on the floor. As we survey the escalating devastation to the disabled because of Covid19, none of the progress we thought we had made seems relevant anymore. 

Covid19 has shown us that Canada has two classes of people, those that are expendable and those that aren’t. While many talk of Covid19 being the great equalizer, it is not. Early data indicates disabled people, racialized bodies, older adults, the incarcerated, the homeless and others who are marginalized are bearing the brunt of this devastation. 

On our own again

Our brothers, two middle-aged men with Down syndrome, are unfortunately among those considered expendable. Paul and Brian live around the corner from each other. They are friends and they used to go to the same high school. Most importantly, both of them are well-loved, especially by us, their sisters. 

When Covid19 hit, we as sisters and family caregivers felt powerless and terrorized. We spent time on the phone comparing notes. We tried to anticipate and plan how to mitigate its impact on our brothers. What are you doing about your brother’s home supports? Are you going to pause support? How did you explain the virus to him? Did he understand? What are you going to do if he gets sick? If he gets sick will we be allowed into the hospitals to support him or will he be alone? What if he needs a ventilator? Would he even be given the same access to one as others? Thankfully we had each other to consult and console because at first there was nothing available to advise or inform us. 

While this may sound unusual to some, if you have or love someone with compromised health, the practice of social distancing and guarding against infection is not new. We may not have had a collective name for these things, but we’ve taken similar measures in the past. Covid19 is unique though because all those same measures we take to protect our brothers every time there is an aggressive virus (e.g. H1N1) are the same measures that everyone is now taking (staying in, limiting exposure, wearing masks, hand-washing etc.). 

Just an afterthought

The fear we felt leading up to Covid19 reaching a pandemic level was rooted in our collective experiences trying to advocate for a good life for our brothers. People with intellectual disabilities are an afterthought on a good day, except perhaps with token measures aimed at scoring political points by short-sighted governments who chip away at shrinking and meagre support to please populists agendas.  Our brothers are rarely considered in planning, never-mind a crisis plan. The rapidly evolving nature of Covid19 left many disabled people on their own, many suddenly separated from their families, without support, and like our families alone in determining what to do. 

People with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities are disproportionately impacted by Covid19. It is not just underlying medical conditions that put them at a greater risk of serious complications. As the pandemic unfolded the world over we saw how disabled people were being sacrificed on all fronts (access to health care, policies to support those in need of food and shelter etc.). For disabled people there is a pervasive perception that they have little to no social and economic value. This comes from deep-seated and systemic forms of ableism that reinforce the idea that these are lives not worth living. 

As people wring their hands with worry for the folks stuck on cruise ships, staff working at a group home for adults with disabilities in Markham Ontario were dealing with an evolving and dangerous situation as Covid19 rapidly spread throughout the residence.  For years we have been warning that this would happen – underfunded care and support labour, mass facilities that continue long after the promise of deinstitutionalization, a lack of basic and needed materials for front-line workers were a recipe for disaster. While we warned of this, cuts continued to chip away things like health, housing, inspections etc. People were already dying because of these conditions, Covid19 created the perfect storm. Both in Markham and across the globe disabled people, unpaid caregivers, underpaid support and care staff, and family members have been left to navigate life and death decisions alone. It has always been like that, and it is not different in the era of Covid19.

The one difference this time is that people are openly considered expendable, making the sometimes thinly veiled rhetoric of ableism and the canyon of inequity suddenly obvious. The elderly left to suffer through Covid19 in private long-term care facilities built for profit, prisoners locked inside correctional facilities, those living in the shelter system, and let’s not forget the minimum wage workers, many new to Canada, serving on the front lines for barely livable wages. 

We can’t afford to go back to normal

Like many other siblings, we have dedicated our lives to ensuring our brothers could have the crumbs of a good life. Those include things many non-disabled people now mourn, the things they regret taking for granted. Our brothers never had access to those things. If you cannot imagine weeks or even months living like this, imagine what it is like to live with stress, uncertainty, communication challenges, unemployment, social isolation, and lack of access over the course of a lifetime? We are frustrated that we find ourselves worrying once again for access to basic things like health care for our brothers against a backdrop of public discourse debating a premature return to their sense of ‘normal’ and restoring the economy at the expense of those who are vulnerable. 

So as business, government and institutions engage in the self-congratulatory grandstanding over the services, plans and economic stimulus they have cobbled together under duress, our brothers and many like them, are once again reminded that their rights are not absolute, but rather a byproduct of the generosity and mood of the non-disabled world. 

As others pine to return to their “normal” we are begging for this collective spirit of solidarity to continue and extend to those among us who have been left behind. Covid19 has revealed the many cracks that have made this virus so devastating. We can no longer afford to limit our collective action to glossy and performative campaigns – the mismatched socks you wore on World Down syndrome day did not facilitate the policies and supports our brothers need to live good and valued lives. Simply put, our brothers and many others cannot afford to go back to “normal.” Our new “normal” must include our brothers and others in tangible ways. Vote for policy and leaders that value their lives and invest in the support we all need (health care, affordable and accessible housing, community supports so people can age in place, living wages, poverty reduction etc.). Reject populist agendas that falsely and divisively pit our brothers’ needs against your immediate wants. We should forever be ashamed that in our last provincial election we voted on the promise of buck-a-beer and supported a political party that reduced the necessary inspections of our now ravaged long-term care facilities. We simply cannot afford to prioritize our wants at the ballot box and instead must collectively hold our leaders accountable and ensure that each and every one of us has their needs met. Anything short of this is a collective admission that we are ok with the expendable nature of some lives for our own profit.

Jihan Abbas PhD can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JihanAbbas

Helen Ries can also be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/helenries

 

Beijing +25 Report: Executive Summary 

 

You can now access the executive summary of DAWN Canada's report on the situation facing disabled women and girls in North America. The report includes insights and research examining critical areas like education, employment and economic security, access to childcare, healthcare, power and decision-making. The report is intersectional and includes information about the experiences of women and girls who are Indigenous, racialized, immigrant or refugee, and/or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex or two-spirited. 

DAWN felt the need to prepare this report because the lack of an intersectional approach in the process and preparation of civil society reports on Beijing +25. DAWN's work here is also a reminder that the process itself failed to recognize that without the relentless advocacy and labour of women with disabilities, much gender-based analysis would continue without the critical understanding of which women are experiencing the

most discrimination in all the key areas that the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform

for Action is intended to measure. 

I was honored to work with DAWN on this report and look forward to the release of the full document. 

DAWN Canada Hosts Intersectional Human Rights Forum

Please consider attending this important event that will explore intersectional human rights. This event, and the project supporting it, is aimed at meaningful, equitable, and intersectional human rights practices for disabled and Deaf women. 

I'll be speaking on a panel in the morning sharing the results of ongoing project research. This includes existing barriers, findings, and promising practices in human rights and equity education and programming.  

 

More Than A Footnote: A Research Report on Women and Girls with Disabilities in Canada

Released to coincide with International Women's Day, More Than A Footnote: A Research Report on Women and Girls with Disabilities in Canada, examines the critical barriers women and girls with disabilities continue to face in Canada. 

The report covers a number of issues through an intersectional lens including: high rates of violence and victimization, poverty, homelessness, barriers to education, employments etc. 

Be sure to read more about the report and learn more about DAWN Canada's important work in this area. 

SEPTEMBER 20 - Book Launch - Disability Politics in a Global Economy: Essays in Honour of Marta Russell

Check out the paperback book launch for Disability Politics in a Global Economy: Essays in Honour of Marta Russell (Routledge) edited by Ravi Malhotra. 

Panel discussion with speakers from the United States and Canada including Dr. Jihan Abbas (independent scholar), David Connor (Professor, Hunter College), Matthew Smith (Associate, Low Murchison Radnoff LLP), and Ravi Malhotra (Full Professor, Faculty of Law, Common Law Section, and Vice Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa). 

The book features contributions by Richard Jochelson and Michelle Bertrand, Jihan Abbas, Matthew Smith, Mark Weber, Nirmala Erevelles, Anne Finger, David Connor and April Coughlin, Liat Ben-Moshe and Jean Stewart, Suzanne Stolz, Emily Perkins and Zahari Richter (writing as Zach Richter). Preface by Samuel R. Bagenstos (Michigan Law School). 

Perceptions of Our Childhood: Confronting Social Constructions of Care, Disability, and Childhood

The Sociology of Childhood and Youth Studies in Canada is finally out! 

This is a great edited collection exploring Canadian scholarship about young lives from a sociological perspective. 

I'm honoured to have a chapter in this collection examining our own experiences around disability and sibling relationships titled Perceptions of Our Childhood: Confronting Social Constructions of Care, Disability, and Childhood. Most importantly, I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to expand on aspects of my doctoral research that push back against negative notions about disability and childhood. 

How ODSP Regulations Trap Recipients in Poverty

Recently I had the opportunity to collaborate with Helen Ries on a piece in the Toronto Star about ODSP regulations and poverty. 

It's important that we continue to advocate for change in Ontario to ensure disabled persons are not experiencing poverty. To support these efforts you can do the following: 

1. Share this article with your networks. 

2. Join the coalition (and check out the great work coalition members are doing to alleviate poverty).  

3. Consider reaching out to your local representative to ensure poverty and disability are priority issues for all parties.

Strategies for Competent and Ethical Disability Law Advocacy

Wednesday, November 30, 2016 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM (EST) is the 2nd annual Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) Conference Fundraiser. 

Please join myself, and others, as we discuss issues related to disability advocacy and the law. 

Consultations of interest to Disability Community

There are currently a number of consultations with the federal government that are of interest to the disability community. Details and links to participate are listed below: 

1. From now until February 2017 the government is consulting with Canadians around planned accessibility legislation. To find background information on this process as well options for participating, Canadians can visit the website. 

2. Public consultations are also underway to help shape a national strategy on housing. Canadians can share ideas, take a survey, and submit their ideas in writing prior to October 21, 2016. 

3. Between October 6th and November 4th 2016 the government is gathering feedback about changes to Employment insurance (EI) and caregiving benefits. 

4. In advance of the next federal budget the government is consulting Canadians about budget priorities. To take part, visit the #Budget2017 website. 

5. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is consulting with Canadians around efforts to modernize rules that govern the charitable sector. Of specific interest for the non-profit sector are rules that govern political activities. To learn more about this and to be part of this important process visit the CRA website. 

6. The government is also set to consult Canadians about poverty reduction strategies (in 2017). For the time being, Canadians can access background and related information on this issue and the upcoming process. 

Coalition for Change Nominated for Ottawa Social Impact Award!

The work of the Coalition driving the movement to change the gift and asset limits for ODSP recipients in Ontario has been nominated for an Ottawa Social Impact Award! 

The Ottawa Social Impact Awards are a partnership between the City of Ottawa and Impact Hub Ottawa to highlight Ottawa-based initiatives that have the potential for lasting impact, emphasize the power of collective action, and recognize social innovation aimed at shaking up the status quo. 

For more on the work of the gifts and assets collation please visit the website, and to vote for this initiative please visit the Ottawa Social Impact Award website. 

Ottawa Book Launch! Disability Politics in a Global Economy: Essays in Honour of Marta Russell

Please join us Thursday October 20th from 4 to 6 PM at the University of Ottawa (Fauteux Hall, FTX570) for the launch of Disability Politics in a Global Economy. 

Please RSVP: HRREC@uOttawa.ca

Public Consultations on the future of the Huronia Regional Centre

From now until September 20, 2016 we have the opportunity to share feedback on what the province of Ontario should do with the 175 acres of land that were once the Huronia Regional Centre. 

Ontario officially closed the last of its institutions for individuals with intellectual disabilities in 2009. Since this time, the province has quietly rid itself of many of these sites. 

For example, all 354 acres of Rideau Regional Centre (in Smiths Falls) were sold through the Ontario Realty Corporation in 2011 for $100,000. With the private buyer planning to build a residential seniors complex. While South Western Regional Centre (in Chatham) was sold for a reported $150,000 and recently demolished with plans to develop separate parcels of land for hobby farms. 

Yet the sale of these sites leaves activists and survivors with questions about how the redevelopment of these sites, particularly to private buyers, erases histories of abuse and the lived experiences of inmates. Given how private buyers have trivialized and exploited the history of these spaces south of the boarder, there are serious concerns the province needs to address. 

There is no question these sites were oppressive and abusive. While there has been a successful class action lawsuit on behalf of survivors and the province has apologized, the province's redevelopment of these sites has helped erase these spaces and what survivors endured within them. More on the complexities of the redevelopment process can be found in a chapter I co-authored with Jijian Voronka in the book Disability Incarcerated. 

These sites, while horrific, are an important part of the history of disability in this province, and speak to one of the many ways incarceration has been packaged and sold as a policy solution (a practice that continues today through various policy responses to disability). Please take a moment and take advantage of this opportunity to let the province know that respecting and preserving this history is important. 

Lights... Camera... Attitude!

If you're interested in disability, arts, and culture, check out Lights... Camera... Attitude! Funded by the RBC Foundation and out of Ryerson's Institute for Disability Studies Research and Education, this research explores a wide range of issues including disability representation, the role of arts and culture in political change, and the role of audience members in this process. 

This is a great foundational piece for those interested in disability arts and representation, disability studies, activism, and disability culture.