Thematic and comparative initiatives examine in-depth issues and questions separate from the country partnership research projects.
We invite EDID-GHDI members (researchers, civil society organizations, and students) to propose thematic studies or activities that address emerging topics or cross-cutting themes. Those interested in doing thematic research with EDID-GHDI can apply for a thematic initiatives grant.
Following are thematic initiatives that are underway.
Project Team
- Karen Soldatić, Toronto Metropolitan University (Co-Lead)
- Bonnie Brayton, DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (DAWN Canada) (Co-Lead)
- Valérie Grand’Maison, University of Guelph
Description
Women and girls with disabilities globally are more likely to experience violence, and more types of violence, than women and girls without disabilities. The forms of violence they experience include sexual, physical, financial, and psychological violence, reproductive control, as well as deliberate neglect, medical control, and institutional abuse. Experiences of violence are unique and heightened for women and girls with disabilities who are further marginalized and made invisible by systems of oppression, such as Indigenous, Black, and racialized women with disabilities, women with lived experiences of institutionalization, and women who live with poverty.
Testimonies of diverse women and girls with disabilities illustrate that they recognize, survive, and resist the forms of violence in their lives. Many women with disabilities have shared their stories of abuse and trauma to not only expose the systemic nature of violence, but also to highlight the skills and knowledges that they developed to survive and thrive. Very little academic research exists on the ways in which diverse women and girls with disabilities survive and resist the different forms of violence in their lives and this research will address this gap.
The Engendering Disability Inclusive Development (EDID-GHDI) partnership (2020-2027) brings together researchers, decision-makers and civil society organizations from Haiti, South Africa, Vietnam, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uganda, Australia, and Malta. EDID-GHDI aims to: a) uncover, create, and share knowledge about women and girls’ struggles for and progress toward disability-inclusive development, and ask how women and girls with disabilities contribute to discussions of rights and justice; and b) engender disability-inclusive development policies to remove barriers and enable inclusion and participation.
As part of the EDID-GHDI partnership, this collaborative and community-engaged research project will identify common threads in the experiences of violence and resistance for women and girls in the 4 country studies. The study will identify transnational efforts related to resistance and building skills and knowledge.
Project Team
- Stephen Baranyi, University of Ottawa
- Axel Pueugue Simo, University of Ottawa
Description
This thematic study explored the activism of persons with disabilities, and debates within the movement including organizations of women with disabilities, regarding the utility of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 16 on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. We documented why and how the International Disability Alliance and its partners lobbied for the integration of disability rights in the SDGs, what they gained, and debates within the movement about SDG implementation as it relates to the rights of persons with disabilities. Then, we compared the extent to which the SDGs are used by organizations of persons with disabilities to advance their rights in Canada and Haiti, two contexts selected for their differences. We concluded that, despite important advances at the international level, SDG 16 and other SDGs are rarely used by DPOs and organizations of women with disabilities to advance their rights nationally, but for distinct reasons. In Canada, there are stronger legislative and other levers to advance disability rights at the federal level. In Haiti, where the multidimensional crisis has dramatically constrained DPOs’ ability to do any advocacy since 2021, the SDGs have almost entirely dropped off the national agenda.
Read their analysis in:
Baranyi, S. (2023). Disabled persons organisations’ advocacy for SDG 16+: Levers for change and/or drops in a neo-liberal bucket? In T. Donais, A.D. Edgar, & K. Van Houten (Eds.), Sustainable Development Goal 16 and the Global Governance of Violence: Critical Reflections on the Uncertain Future of Peace (1st ed., pp. 83-100). London: Routledge. (EDID partnership members can request access)
Project Team
- Erin Baines, University of British Columbia (Lead)
- Liliane Pari Umuhoza and Khayria Mansouri, Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs (MPPGA) RA
- Fatuma Abiya and Alice Kathleen Lakwech, Law RA
- Docus Atyeno, Ugandan team leader
Description
This EDID-GHDI thematic study examines the unique experiences and challenges faced by women and girls with disabilities in post-conflict contexts and reconstruction in Uganda.
The findings are to inform policymaking, advocate for policies that improve the lives of women with disabilities, raise public awareness, as well as advocate for their increased inclusion in the United Nations Women, Peace and Security Agenda (UNSCR 1325).
The research was carried out in Gulu City, Acholi subregion in northern Uganda between April 2023 and March 2024 by a team of Ugandan and Canadian student researchers in collaboration with the Women’s Advocacy Network: Fatuma Abiya, Docus Atyeno, Liliane Pari Umuhoza, Alice Kathleen Lakwech, and Khayria Mansouri—under the guidance of Professor Erin Baines at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, and Evelyn Amony, Chairperson of the Women’s Advocacy Network in Uganda. The team worked closely with local communities, drawing on the rich knowledge and lived experiences of women with disabilities, to shed light on the continuing impacts of the conflict and their navigation of post-war environments.
According to student researcher Liliane, “We can testify that, despite facing profound hardships, they demonstrate immense resilience. Their courage and strength should inspire all of us to advocate for a more inclusive world where no one is left behind. We hope this research serves as a call to action, highlighting the urgent need for improved policies and greater community awareness around gender, disability, and post-conflict recovery. By providing better support systems, access to services, and opportunities for women with disabilities, we can contribute to their continued empowerment and ensure they thrive in post-war settings.”
As a recent graduate from the Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs program, Liliane presented findings at the Research Network for Women, Peace and Security Symposium in Ottawa, Ontario, in 2023. There, she shared insights from working on this project in Uganda, highlighting effective strategies for engaging with communities in post-conflict settings. The Symposium allowed her to connect with other women researchers, activists, and grassroots organizers, creating a space for shared learning and collective empowerment. Alice Kathleen Lakwech, a recent graduate from law school in Uganda, represented the team at the Engendering Disability-Inclusive Development (EDID) conference in South Africa in 2024, where she discussed disability-related challenges based on our research. This experience for her as a young researcher broadened her understanding of disability studies from different global perspectives.
The research and report were made possible with the support of the SSHRC PG partnership Engendering Disability-Inclusive Development-Genre, handicap et développement inclusif (EDID-GHDI); the Research Network on Women, Peace and Security (RN-WPS); the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) Uganda; and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, UBC.
Read the EDID-GHDI Research/Thematic Report:
Lakwech, A. K., Fatuma, A., Docus, A., Umuhoza, L. P., Mansouri, K., & Baines, E. (2026). Disability and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda: Learning from experiences in post-conflict northern Uganda. [Report]. EDID-GHDI, University of Guelph.
Read the blog describing Erin Baines’ 2023 research project:
‘I am like a garden that flourishes and grows’: Women with disabilities in conflict and post-conflict settings.
Project Team
- Deborah Stienstra, University of Guelph (Lead)
- Valérie Grand’Maison, University of Guelph
- Laura Pin, University of Guelph
- Erin Rodenburg, University of Guelph
- Kim Garwood, University of Guelph
- Kathryn Reinders, University of Guelph
- Victoria Watt, University of Guelph
- Juliana Luiker, University of Guelph
- Leah Levac, University of Guelph
- Steve Estey, Steve Estey, International disability policy expert and Independent consultant
- Jihan Abbas, DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (DAWN Canada)
- Sonia Alimi, DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (DAWN Canada)
- Benedicta Hughes, University of Guelph
- Bonnie Brayton, DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (DAWN Canada)
- Kate Ducak, University of Guelph
Description
The first EDID thematic study examined the impact of COVID-19 and related policies on people with disabilities in Canada, and it explored good or best practices in Canada and internationally. Access the final report and fact sheets.
Thematic and comparative research will examine in-depth issues and questions separate from the country partnership research projects. Partner organizations lead these studies that are closely aligned with their work.
Project Team
- Karen Soldatić, Toronto Metropolitan University (Co-Lead)
- Bonnie Brayton, DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (DAWN Canada) (Co-Lead)
- Valérie Grand’Maison, University of Guelph
Description
Women and girls with disabilities globally are more likely to experience violence, and more types of violence, than women and girls without disabilities. The forms of violence they experience include sexual, physical, financial, and psychological violence, reproductive control, as well as deliberate neglect, medical control, and institutional abuse. Experiences of violence are unique and heightened for women and girls with disabilities who are further marginalized and made invisible by systems of oppression, such as Indigenous, Black, and racialized women with disabilities, women with lived experiences of institutionalization, and women who live with poverty.
Testimonies of diverse women and girls with disabilities illustrate that they recognize, survive, and resist the forms of violence in their lives. Many women with disabilities have shared their stories of abuse and trauma to not only expose the systemic nature of violence, but also to highlight the skills and knowledges that they developed to survive and thrive. Very little academic research exists on the ways in which diverse women and girls with disabilities survive and resist the different forms of violence in their lives and this research will address this gap.
The Engendering Disability Inclusive Development (EDID-GHDI) partnership (2020-2027) brings together researchers, decision-makers and civil society organizations from Haiti, South Africa, Vietnam, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uganda, Australia, and Malta. EDID-GHDI aims to: a) uncover, create, and share knowledge about women and girls’ struggles for and progress toward disability-inclusive development, and ask how women and girls with disabilities contribute to discussions of rights and justice; and b) engender disability-inclusive development policies to remove barriers and enable inclusion and participation.
As part of the EDID-GHDI partnership, this collaborative and community-engaged research project will identify common threads in the experiences of violence and resistance for women and girls in the 4 country studies. The study will identify transnational efforts related to resistance and building skills and knowledge.
Project Team
- Erin Baines, University of British Columbia (Lead)
Description
This EDID thematic study will examine the experiences of women and girls with disabilities in post-conflict contexts and reconstruction in Uganda.
Project Team
- Deborah Stienstra, University of Guelph (Lead)
- Valérie Grand’Maison, University of Guelph
- Laura Pin, University of Guelph
- Erin Rodenburg, University of Guelph
- Kim Garwood, University of Guelph
- Kathryn Reinders, University of Guelph
- Victoria Watt, University of Guelph
- Juliana Luiker, University of Guelph
- Leah Levac, University of Guelph
- Steve Estey, Steve Estey, International disability policy expert and Independent consultant
- Jihan Abbas, DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (DAWN Canada)
- Sonia Alimi, DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (DAWN Canada)
- Benedicta Hughes, University of Guelph
- Bonnie Brayton, DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (DAWN Canada)
- Kate Ducak, University of Guelph
Description
The first EDID thematic study examined the impact of COVID-19 and related policies on people with disabilities in Canada, and it explored good or best practices in Canada and internationally. Access the final report and fact sheets.
Connect with us!
EMAIL: edid-ghdi@uoguelph.ca
X/TWITTER: @edid_ghdi
BLUESKY: @edid-ghdi.bsky.social
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edid-ghdi
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@EDID-GHDI
BLOG: https://liveworkwell.ca/category/edid-ghdi
INSTAGRAM: Coming Soon!
MAIL: Live Work Well Research Centre, University of Guelph, Attention: EDID-GHDI, 501 MacKinnon Building, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
Connect with us!
EMAIL: edid-ghdi@uoguelph.ca
TWITTER: @edid-ghdi
INSTAGRAM: @edid_ghdi
MAIL: Live Work Well Research Centre, University of Guelph, Attention: EDID-GHDI, 501 MacKinnon Building, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1