IDE+A in Healthcare is designed and delivered by people with a diversity of intersectional lived experience across disabilities. We seek to help organizations and individuals working in healthcare in Ontario improve health care access for disabled people throughout Ontario. It is grounded in evidence-based practices, primary research, and the Independent Living philosophy, and applies a disability justice lens to access and inclusion in health care.
We offer live and on-demand training and practical tools for health care providers to:
- Better understand the barriers disabled and Deaf people face in health care settings
- Discover opportunities for improving access to health care for disabled people
- Gain skills and tools to go beyond minimal AODA compliance toward fostering a culture of true disability access inclusion, with the goal of creating better health outcomes for all
We do this through a toolkit, built around general best practices, and research with Ontario health care providers and disabled and Deaf people in Ontario that includes:
Access Healthcare: Beyond the AODA
A two-hour, live interactive workshop through Zoom free to all health care providers who participated in our research and free to other health care workers on a first-come, first serve basis until the end of November 2025.
- Understand how different systems of ableism impact health care practices and outcomes
- Develop your understanding of different models of disability and how to apply them to your work as a health care provider
- Learn how to implement solutions to common access and inclusion challenges for better outcomes for all
All participants will be given access to our set of companion tools, and our “Dear Healthcare Poetry Collection.”
Register: COMING SOON
The Patient Journey (coming soon)
A two-hour, self-directed “Patient Journey” learning experience, based on extensive research with health care providers and disabled and Deaf patients, and designed by a team of intersectionally diverse disabled people.
- Use the unique “Patient Journey” map to understand and begin to problem solve access and inclusion pain-points at various stages of the health care journey
- Listen to disabled and Deaf people sharing their experiences of health care through narrative storytelling that highlight (1) barriers we face, (2) inclusive practices we’ve experienced, and (3) tips we want all health care providers to know
- Use our reflective questions and companion tools to begin to identify
- The root cause of some of these pain points and challenges
- What aspects of this might be in your control or your sphere of influence
- What strategies can you implement to improve health access and, therefore, health outcomes, for all
Practical Tools (coming soon)
A companion set of practical, immediately useful tools and resources including:
- Audit checklists
- Scripts
- Templates
- Further resources
To stay connected and receive all updates about the practical tools, please consider joining our newsletter, a monthly offering of new IDE+A tools, workshops, and events; a place to share success stories and new ideas; and other disability access and inclusion tips and best practices.
If you have any questions about IDE+A in Healthcare or would like more information, please contact Amanda Dorter, Project Coordinator, by email at Amanda.Dorter@cilt.ca or call 416-599-2458 ext. 242.
