“Canada is propping up its disability system on the unpaid labour of siblings, and pretending this is not a crisis.”
“As people with intellectual disabilities and autism live longer, families are expected to absorb the gap between need and support.”
www.sasktoday.ca/opinion/opin...
To listen past the obvious and let people tell us who they are and not just what happened to them.
Digby was a person living in deeply challenging circumstances, but he was also a father who danced at his daughter’s wedding.
You’d be surprised what you learn when you make space for that. /4
That’s a whole life in two sentences.
This is what we miss when we don’t take the time to actually sit with people. When we treat lived experience as a checkbox rather than a conversation.
Engaging people in research doesn’t have to be complicated. It asks us to meet someone where they are.
/3
Building genuine, relational partnerships in research is hard work. It doesn’t always go as planned. And yet, it’s still good work.
/2
The table doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth gathering around. It just has to be honest, looked after, and maintained.
I’ve been writing something for the FER Training Program (ferprogram.ca) for everyone who knows that feeling shared below and keeps showing up anyway. Stay tuned. 🌈
I’ve been thinking a lot about #patientengagement and #familyengagement and where a desire for perfection can seep in.
/1
New publication alert!
“Does the healthcare system support family-centred service?: linking structural issues in healthcare service delivery to parents’ relational experiences of care”
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Canada has a seat at the UN table but do disabled Canadians know what it’s about and why it matters?
COSP19 is the biggest international meeting on disability rights and it’s happening June 2026.
#cdnpolitics
#COSP19 #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #CripLeVote
substack.com/home/post/p-...
But that’s a gap we can close. We can organize and anplify.
Let’s bring the movement north. Let’s make it ours.
#CripLeVote 🍁 (Because we’re bilingual babes.)/5
Then there is just community and culture built under solidarity and collective bargaining influence.
Hard to argue with that.
Right now, Canada doesn’t have a visible culture of disability voters as a community of influence. /4
sure that’s the best use of this thread. But let’s summarize some key points.
There’s precedent for higher voter turnout from the disability community.
Policy visibility. You can find a number of policy makers engaging community under that hashtag.
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The U.S. has one example under the hastag #CripTheVote where there are clear examples of a community wide claim to voting power.
Honestly what’s been generated from the effort is a pretty rad energy that we could use up here too.
I could share a bunch of citations here but I’m not /2
Hey Canada! Let’s talk about disability and voting power.
On the heels of Alberta voting down a potential accessibility legislation, it gets me thinking about where there has been precedent for community action.
/1
If you need support to participate in the public review, email us at asc.standards-normes.asc@asc-nac.gc.ca. /10
Help us spread the word
Please share this opportunity within your networks and encourage others to participate in the public review. Your feedback will help strengthen this draft standard and ensure it meets the needs of people and communities across Canada.
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Children can participate fully in play, learning, and daily routines, giving them an equal start to learn and grow.
Families and caregivers with disabilities can access childcare services more easily.
Employees with disabilities can work in welcoming, inclusive childcare environments.
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workforce participation, and equitable access to essential services. They benefit everyone who use them.
Features designed for children and staff with disabilities also support parents, guardians, and visitors with disabilities.
When childcare centres are designed to be accessible:
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inclusive play areas,
sensory-friendly spaces,
safe building navigation, and
communication and wayfinding.
Why accessible childcare centres matter
Accessible childcare centres strengthen communities by supporting inclusive early learning, /6
early learning opportunities for children with disabilities,
childcare access for parents and guardians with disabilities, and
equitable employment and care delivery for employees.
The draft standard outlines best practices and requirements for things like:
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It describes how barriers can be removed so children, families, and staff can participate fully in these spaces.
It proposes requirements to help childcare providers, designers, and planners remove barriers to:
/4
Share your comments before May 18, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time).
About the standard
The CAN-ASC-2.9 – Accessible Childcare Centres draft standard aims to create safe, inclusive, and welcoming childcare environments. /3
We invite you to review the draft standard and share your feedback.
Read the draft standard here: accessible.canada.ca/creating-acc...
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Public review now open: Help shape Canada’s standard for accessible childcare centres
Today, Accessibility Standards Canada is launching the public review of its draft standard on Accessible Childcare Centres.
/1
Canada's wheelchair curling team completes perfect Paralympic campaign, claiming 1st gold since 2014
Canadians dethrone defending champion China 4-3, were 1st team to go 9-0 in prelims
www.cbc.ca/sports/paral...
Let’s go! Fingers crossed this keeps moving forward. Bill S-212, An Act respecting a national strategy for children and youth in Canada, has now reached 2nd reading in the House of Commons, after having been adopted by the Senate of Canada.
Canada is subject to a four year reporting cycle with UN Conventions like the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. There is a lot of misunderstanding of what it is, but it’s a culture of accountability. Rights frameworks don’t create change by themselves.
People using them do.
16 years since Canada ratified the UN CRPD.
Today marks 16 years since Canada ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Inclusion Canada will continue to work to ensure that Canada fully implements the #CRPD and delivers on equality and inclusion. It requires sustained leadership, accountability and action.
FDA declines to endorse leucovorin for autism after Trump administration touted the drug as a potential treatment.
www.cnn.com/2026/03/10/h...
phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Caregivers who fared better tended to have flexible home care choices, supportive family adaptations, positive coping orientations, and adaptable employment, while financial strain was strongly linked with poorer mental health.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/...
Effect of Isolation On Mental Health Profiles of Caregivers of Children with Medical Complexity: A Mixed Methods Embedded Case Study
This mixed-methods study of caregivers of children with medical complexity found that over 70% experienced below-average mental health during the early /1
