University of Toronto: Journal Publishing Services
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Transgender Legal Issues within the Ontario Disability Support Program
No full textIn this article, I argue that there is a need for disability benefit programs to consider the unique challenges of transgender applicants. Relating to the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), I analyzed sixty-seven Social Benefits Tribunal appeal cases by transgender applicants. Spanning four years from 2020 to 2023, fifty-six appeals succeeded, and eleven cases did not. The tribunal accepted that the challenges of living as a transgender person could be factors for anxiety and depression. Despite hearing applicants’ testimonies of discrimination, loss of opportunities, and rejection from friends and family, the ODSP was not granted unless these experiences related to a substantially impairing medical condition. However, access-to-justice issues prevent many individuals from finding competent, inclusive medical care to provide them with evidence to use in their applications. ODSP decision-makers must take a holistic view of the barriers faced by transgender applicants. Based on a high risk of discrimination and marginalization, along with poor access to medical care, there are significant gaps in the ODSP process for transgender people. As such, I discuss recommendations and conclude that change must ameliorate both the substance and procedure of decision-making
Remembering our Dead: Physicalizing State-Level COVID-19 Mortality Data in Textile Form
No full textThis illustrated essay recounts one feminist scholar’s efforts to present state-level COVID-19 daily mortality data in textile form. It details how she turned data from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) public reports for the period February 2020 through January 2021 into knitted color-coded wall hangings for Maryland, Massachusetts, and Tennessee. Three-dimensional data physicalizations using humble, everyday materials have the potential to gather and invoke emotions and convey the magnitude of loss in ways conventional two-dimensional data visualizations do not
A Pedagogical Ecosystem: Building Connections In and Beyond the Classroom
No full textThis paper is a short reflection on the role of three Catalyst special issues in shaping the discussions and ethos of a class on Feminist science technologies studies that the author taught at her university’s Women’s Gender and Sexuality studies program. Together with six of her students, the author examines the pedagogical ecosystem that emerged through collaborative learning and collective intellectual development
Alt Text: Feminist Technoscience Meets Crip Authorship
No full textFrom the very beginning, questions of accessibility and disability authorship were imagined as integral to the journal that became Catalyst. On the occasion of Catalyst’s tenth anniversary, Mara Mills initiated a conversation between herself and two other members of the journal’s first editorial team, Louise Hickman and David Serlin, to reflect on the way that feminist disability studies, as an interdisciplinary field, and accessibility features, such as alt text, were incorporated into the journal’s emerging editorial ethos
Co-Developing and Validating the I-SPARX Wellness Questionnaire: A Community-Driven Psychometric Study with Inuit Youth in Nunavut
No full textInuit youth in Nunavut demonstrate resilience despite enduring inequities and unmet mental health needs shaped by colonial legacies. As Inuit communities prioritize youth mental wellness, actively engaging young people in research and developing culturally relevant assessment tools is critical. This study describes the collaborative process of designing an Inuit-specific well-being survey, the I-SPARX Wellness Questionnaire, and examines its psychometric properties. Eighteen Inuit youth council members and eight adult community members from five communities in Nunavut worked with a university-based research team to identify wellness themes essential for an outcome measure evaluating an online psychoeducational intervention. This collaboration resulted in a 39-item measure assessing the effectiveness of the I-SPARX serious game in supporting Inuit youth mental wellness. Data from 117 Inuit youth, ages 12–24, across Nunavut were analyzed to assess the measure’s reliability and factor structure. Results indicate strong psychometric properties, with high internal consistency and a three-factor model reflecting hope for the future, cognitive-behavioural strategies, and distress regulation. The I-SPARX Wellness Questionnaire, co-developed with Inuit youth, offers a culturally relevant, psychometrically sound tool for assessing mental wellness. This measure holds promise for future evaluations of cognitive-behavioural interventions and psycho-educational e-resources aimed at fostering the well-being of Inuit youth
Anti-Indigenous Racism and its Impacts in the Oral Health Care of Indigenous Women, Two-Spirit, Transgender, and Gender-Diverse Peoples in Canada
No full textOral health care is just one example of the pervasive impacts of Anti-Indigenous Racism (AIR) on various facets of Indigenous health, with Indigenous Peoples in Canada experiencing poorer oral health than their non-Indigenous counterparts. However, there is limited investigation into the specific oral health experiences of Indigenous Women, Two-Spirit, Transgender, and Gender Diverse (IW2STGD+) Peoples. To address this gap, a mixed-methods research study was conducted. The study engaged IW2STGD+ Peoples in exploring their oral health care experiences, focusing on racism and discrimination. Surveys, along with virtual and in-person Sharing Circles, were conducted with IW2STGD+ individuals and oral healthcare providers across Turtle Island and Inuit Nunangat. Engagements with IW2STGD+ Peoples and oral healthcare providers yielded insights into shortcomings, accessibility issues, and service needs related to oral health care. The research study resulted in the development of recommendations and potential metrics for success aimed at enhancing the overall experience of IW2STGD+ individuals with oral health care needs. Aligned with the Calls to Action outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, addressing AIR in oral health care education, access, and delivery remains a crucial component of advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
The Role of TRPV4 Channels in Neuronal Excitability and Plasticity Through a Calcium-Dependent Fashion.
No full textTransient receptor potential (TRP) channels play a critical role in sensing environmental stimuli and organizing cellular responses across different biological contexts. This study focuses on TRPV4 channels, one of the 28 TRP channels, which are nonselective cation channels permeable to calcium (Ca²⁺). TRPV4 channels are implicated in neuronal excitability and plasticity, suggesting a role in neuropathological states. This study explores TRPV4\u27s function in modulating neuronal activity within hippocampal cell cultures. The focus of this study is to optimize potassium chloride (KCl) concentrations to induce depolarization and examine the effects of TRPV4 antagonists on calcium signaling. Calcium imaging techniques were used to monitor intracellular Ca²⁺ responses during baseline, drug addition, and ionomycin treatment. Our findings suggest that TRPV4\u27s activation contributes to depolarization induced by KCl. Our findings show that applying TRPV4 antagonists RN9893 and HC067047 displays a reduction in Ca²⁺ influx compared to the KCl (depolarized) condition, suggesting that the TRPV’s blockage may mitigate the depolarization. The results provide insight into the modulation of calcium-dependent neuronal channels, advancing the understanding of their physiological roles in neuronal excitability. Through this the mechanisms by which calcium-dependent channels contribute to neuronal function is apparent, offering potential therapeutic targets
