Journals @ Ontario Tech
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Reflection on Gender, Disability, Mainstreaming, and Support Systems
No full textOne Plus One (Beijing) Disabled Persons\u27 Cultural Development Center (OPO) was originally established in March 2006 as the One Plus One Cultural Exchange Center. OPO is managed entirely by people with disabilities and most of our staff are disabled. OPO is a home-grown Chinese, non-profit, disabled persons\u27 self-help organisation (DPO). Set up as an independent media organization working in the field of disability, OPO is committed to establishing and developing local organizations for disabled people and other self-help groups, and to protecting the rights of people with disabilities throughout China. One Plus One is one of China\u27s most mature indigenous DPOs. We have made significant breakthroughs in many areas, including services for disabled people, the media, the Internet and other non-profit activities. We established China\u27s first broadcasting production team run by visually impaired people, and our programs are broadcast to most regions of China. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Guangzhou Paralympics, OPO was the first disabled persons\u27 registered media organization in the history of the Olympics and the Asian Games. We set up China’s first online radio service specifically for people with disabilities. In 2009 OPO became a member of the Internet Society of China. We have won awards from One Foundation, the China Social Entrepreneur Foundation, the Narada Foundation, the ASIC World Public Service Award, and others
Inclusive by Design: A Case Study of Universal Fitness Facilities & Programming on Campus
No full textObjective Physical activity is crucial to overall human health, and many people with disabilities are not meeting general physical activity guidelines due to many barriers and inequities. Accessible fitness facilities, inclusive programming, and adaptive sports can increase physical activity rates in persons with disabilities. This project aimed to evaluate the accessibility of an existing university recreation center and fitness programming for people with disabilities. Methods Participants were recruited through voluntary registration using a recruitment flyer distributed across campus. The participant (n = 1) was interviewed to gather suggestions for inclusion in the recreation department on campus. The following research question was addressed: “What are suggestions and recommendations from college students and staff with disabilities when developing inclusive fitness programming and adaptive facilities in a university recreation center?”. The PI conducted an ADA accessibility review of the recreation center. Results The ADA review and participant interview revealed a need for improved accessibility in several categories. The predominant deficits were entrances, access to goods and services, signage, locker room/restroom, and exercise equipment. The prominent themes identified from the interview were personal experience, signage and tactile labeling, facilities and general access, equipment, and staff interactions. Discussion/Conclusion More research and evaluation is needed to reduce physical activity barriers and promote equity within the campus community
“A Revolution May Be in Order” : Disability Communities on Reddit React to Project 2025’s Implementation
No full textThis article examines how members of the disability community are responding to the implementation of Project 2025 policies during the first five months of the second Trump administration. Using qualitative content analysis of posts from two disability-focused subreddits, r/disability and r/disabled, I identify key themes in user discussions. The findings reveal widespread concern about the personal consequences of harmful Project 2025 policies, particularly threats to health care access, social safety net programs and benefits, and employment. Major discussion topics included a lack of empathy for Trump voters, debates over whether to leave the United States or specific states, comparisons to Nazism, expressions of fear, and preparations to fight back. By analyzing this online discourse, the study offers insight into the disability community’s most pressing fears and unanswered questions regarding the impact of Project 2025 policies. 
A Study on Disability-Inclusive Integration Practices from the Perspective of "Visibility": A Case Study of Leyi Theatre Troupe
No full textAs China\u27s first "pan-disability" theatre troupe with disability-inclusive integration as its core philosophy, Leyi Theatre Troupe has established a long-term and sustainable platform for public expression through organizing drama workshops and creating original theatrical productions. Using the practices of Leyi Theatre Troupe as a case study, this research explores how it leverages artistic forms to enhance the "visibility" of people with disabilities and promote disability-inclusive integration. Findings reveal that Leyi Theatre Troupe has broken through traditional narrative modes characterized by "inspirational" and "pity", instead using artistic innovation to present the diversity within the disability community. Simultaneously, by building social support networks and facilitating diverse expressions on public issues, the troupe has progressively rendered the needs and values of people with disabilities more visible within the public sphere. This research further discusses the significance of Leyi Theatre Troupe in disability advocacy and its implications for social inclusion. 
Legal Perspectives on Video Game Accessibility: Employing Precedent to Make Gaming More Inclusive
No full textOver the past three decades, the video game industry in the United States has seen significant economic growth, with over $50 billion dollars a year being spent on games and peripherals. Concurrent with this economic growth has been its dominance as an entertainment platform with significant cultural influence. Despite their economic and cultural influence, equitable access to their benefits through accessibility features has not kept pace. Though a considerable percentage of the U.S. population plays video games, disabled players face significant barriers to game entry and completion due to lack of customizable accessibility features. This article leverages current legal arguments for web content and mobile application accessibility to propose a new framework to mandate video games be made accessible to disabled people
Critical Analysis of Jane Philpott\u27s Health for All
No full textJane Philpott\u27s Health for All is the most recent contribution to policy discourse related to health care and social determinants of health. Unfortunately, the volume is sadly lacking in critical analysis of the current economic and political environment in which health policy is being made. 
Canada and the Three Public Policy Taboos: Promoting Health Equity in Difficult Times
No full textPolitical scientist Julia Lynch outlines three aspects of modern capitalist welfare states that determine the extent of health inequalities: redistribution (transfer of income and wealth from rich to poor); social spending (state expenditures on benefits and assistance as well as social infrastructure); and managing the market economy (legislating working conditions, benefits, and employment security). These processes mediate the contradictions inherent in capitalist societies between capital accumulation or profit making and social reproduction or the ongoing functioning of society. Increasingly, these three public policy directions are seen as taboos by governing authorities, that is, practices to be avoided, and this is especially the case in nations identified as liberal welfare states. In this paper, we explore how Canada – and other liberal welfare states – stand in relation to other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries in its willingness to violate these taboos, thereby reducing health inequalities. Reasons for Canada’s profile are presented as are means of overcoming these taboos in the service of promoting health equity
Impacts of Order of Selection on Adjustment to Blindness Training Programs
No full textPresident Donald Trump has announced his plans to dismantle the United States Department of Education, disrupting funding for public vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs. When VR agencies experience a conflict between the consumer demand for services and financial resources to provide services, they sometimes choose to close their orders of selection to restrict access to services to some or all prospective consumers. Adjustment-to-blindness training programs help blind people to achieve an emotional adjustment to blindness. This emotional adjustment comes with learning alternative techniques and problem-solving skills, but the emotional adjustment is the keystone of the rehabilitation process. Since adjustment-to-blindness training is ideally sought at the beginning of vocational rehabilitation, these programs often suffer when the stream of students feeding the program becomes restricted. This article discusses the importance of adjustment training occurring early in the VR process and discusses alternative means of funding adjustment training
Call Us Cassandra: A Marginalized Community’s Absolute Displeasure at Having Been Right (Again)
No full textThe Editorial Board is sorry to announce that things are much worse than we expected. 
The Accessibility Challenges that I Face as a Quadriplegic in China
No full textSun shares her experiences living and navigating the inaccessible built enviornment in different cities in China.