Research Interests
My program of research focuses on understanding and improving opportunities for participation, inclusion, and *voice for children who experience disability and their families. This program is informed by clinical experience working with children experiencing disability in schools and communities, and a trajectory of research in childhood disability. Within my program I have three main objectives: 1) to re-envision inclusion in the context of child culture and childhood disability; 2) to develop methodological expertise and innovative methods to engage children’s voices in research; and 3) to contribute to theoretical advancements in childhood disability and inclusion by drawing upon critical social theory. Insights garnered from my research program will make a novel contribution to the field of childhood disability and inclusion by using critical disability studies, the new sociology of childhood, and child culture theoretical foundations to re-envision current conceptions of inclusion.
*note that voice in this context represents children’s perspectives and agency in research.
Current Research Initiatives
- ReEnvisioning inclusion: Exploring child culture with children with disabilities (SSHRC, PI)
- ReEnvisioning Inclusion: Exploring the (re)production of child culture with children labelled with Autism (WCHRI, PI)
- The loneliness crisis and the decline of free play: Pathways and effects (SSHRC, Co-I)
- Disclosing their child’s diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder to others: Family processes and perceived outcomes (WCHRI, Co-PI)
RESEARCH TEAM
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Kassi Boyd, MA
PhD student Rehabilitation Medicine, Research Assistant
Research: Finding where I fit: An exploration of inclusion child-driven culture
Contact: boyd@ualberta.ca
Erin Duebel, MSc OT
PhD student Rehabilitation Medicine, Research Assistant
Research: Cultural memory and disability: The case of Eugenics in Alberta
Contact: eduebel@ualberta.ca
Linda Osae, MSW, RN
PhD student Rehabilitation Medicine, Research Assistant
Research Interests: social determinants of health, health systems and services, sociocultural perspectives, qualitative research
Contact: lacheamp@ualberta.ca
Paige Reeves, MSc OT
PhD student Rehabilitation Medicine, Research Assistant
Research: On the Margins: How adults with intellectual disability negotiate belonging in ableist community spaces
Contact: preeves@ualberta.ca
Alex Jackman, MD, FRCPC, General Pediatrics
Subspecialty Resident, Developmental Pediatrics
Research: Understanding the family experience of an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnostic conference: A systematic review of qualitative evidence
Contact: alexandra.jackman@ualberta.ca
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Meghan Harris, MSc OT
Research Assistant
Research Interests: school-based practice, social inclusion, inclusive education, qualitative research with children and families
Contact: meghan2@ualberta.ca