Conference Sessions

The Conference sessions are listed below in alphabetical order.  Use the search box above to find sessions by keyword. Additional events are being added and session information is subject to change.

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(DEV1) Development and Conflict: Towards Sustainable Futures, Social Justice, and Peace

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This session explores two major themes. The first is forces of resistance to neoliberalism at the social movement and state levels that point the way towards transformative change. The second theme is about how both, lack of development as well as neoliberal development create conditions conducive to violence.

Organizers: Jasmin Hristov, University of Guelph, Saidul Islam, Nanyang Technological University, Hassan Mahmud, Northwest University, Liam Swiss, Acadia University

(DEV2) Social Problems, Development, and Policy in Africa

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Across Africa, as elsewhere internationally, there have been renewed interests in addressing social issues such as corruption, environmental degradation, child malnutrition, gender inequality, and food, water, energy, and housing insecurity, which threaten social progress and human development. Although these issues have received considerable attention from development and academic communities, initiatives to address them have not only been an academic exercise. Local community stakeholders are working with national agencies and regional organizations to implement strategies and develop policies aimed at enhancing social protection, basic infrastructure, education, labour and employment, agriculture, health, environmental sustainability, climate governance, and other key aspects of human development. The overall goal of this session is to stimulate a critical discussion by academics and social researchers on case studies, approaches, and best practices related to the problems mentioned; examine the public policy implications of these challenges, and assess the effectiveness of initiatives that have been implemented. Particularly, this session will situate problems within the context of potential programmatic and policy intervention strategies. Papers are invited from individuals who are working on such initiatives, especially those that center on poverty reduction, resource insecurity, social development, health, policy issues, sustainable livelihood strategies, and other mechanisms that seek to improve the overall quality of life in African communities.

Organizers: Jonathan Amoyaw, Dalhousie University, Godfred Boateng, York University

(DIS1a) Breaking Barriers I: Health, Disability, and Sexuality

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This session will explore the intersections of sexual health, sexual education, disability and sexuality. This session will cover two literature reviews and two qualitative studies, shedding light on healthcare needs for disabled people. Presenters will navigate critical topics, such as endometriosis healthcare for individuals with intellectual disabilities, care pathways for autistic and non-autistic women in Alberta, unmet needs within sexual education for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, and the inclusion of pleasure in sex education for queer and disabled individuals. This session invites participants to think about how to mitigate barriers, foster inclusivity, and advocate for improved healthcare and sexual education practices that address the diverse and often overlooked needs of disabled people.

Organizers: Alan Santinele Martino, University of Calgary, Thomas Tri, University of Calgary, Eleni Moumos, University of Calgary

(DIS1b) Breaking Barriers II: Discourse and Representation of Sexuality and Disability

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This session will delve into how sexuality and disability are portrayed within broader discourse. By interrogating dominant narratives, this session will cover historical and contemporary portrayal of disability, sexualities, and queerness. Presenters will cover topics, such as shifting narratives by queer disabled Redditors, psychiatric discourses of queer identities in the twentieth-century, and AI representations of disability and sexuality. This session highlights how dominant narratives and societal constructions inform popular perceptions of disabled people.

Organizers: Alan Santinele Martino, University of Calgary, Thomas Tri, University of Calgary, Eleni Moumos, University of Calgary

(DIS2) Disabled Experiences in the University

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What does it mean to be disabled in and by the higher education system? Topics include but are not limited to: strategies and critiques by disabled undergraduates; teaching as a disabled educator; the politics of UDL; disability justice; situating the university in a disabling society; colonialism and education; the production of multiple axes of oppression; practices of EDI/DEI.

Organizers: Chris Churchill, University of Lethbridge, Yiyan Li, University of Toronto