Welcome to Eviance
Founded in 1995 by disabilities trailblazer Henry Enns, Eviance—formerly known as the Canadian Centre for Disability Studies—has been helping people with disabilities in Canada and their allies advance human rights through intersectional, community-based research committed to sustainable solutions rooted in action.
Our mission.
As a hub of knowledge on local, national, and global cross-disability issues, we seek to realize behavioural and system level change.
Our vision.
An inclusive, equitable and accessible society that is sustainable for all.
Our impact.
We enhance intersectional action-based solutions that advance human rights and equity-focused decision making in Canada.
Creating lasting
change together
A 27-year legacy of values-driven knowledge creation on cross-disability issues, working with people with disabilities and allies in Canada to explore and challenge issues.
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LATEST
PROJECTS
Innovating for Inclusive and Equitable Post-Secondary Education: A Pathway to Realizing the SDGs
Funded by the Government of Canada's Sustainable Development Goals Program, this project focuses on the intersection of universal design in post-secondary education and decent work, as informed by the experiences of diverse students with disabilities. To date, we have completed an analysis of the Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) to explore the indicators of success for graduates with disabilities who gain meaningful employment. We also completed a literature review on the transition between postsecondary education and decent work, and another one about understanding the benefits of inclusive design. We are currently working on developing a survey for students with disabilities and organizing social lab dialogues, where a variety of stakeholders will meet to discuss key elements essential to realizing inclusive design in post-secondary education and decent work.
Building a Stronger Foundation for Leadership of Youth with Disabilities Project
Building a Stronger Foundation for Leadership of Youth with Disabilities project is funded by the Government of Canada's Social Development Project Partnership Program-Disability (SDPP-D) fund and includes partnerships with the University of Toronto and. This four-year project aims to develop the leadership capacity of youth in cross-disability movements. The current cohort, The Youth Leadership Climate Action Fellowship (YLCAF), is focused on the connections between climate action and cross-disability movements. Our original Youth Leadership Fellow (YLF) is also working on community-based research focused on 2SLGBTQ+ people with disabilities. Youth have been developing skills, internal capacities, and the relationships needed to further their own leadership potential.
Realizing Human Rights and Social Justice in Mental Health
Realizing Human Rights and Social Justice in Mental Health is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and is led by Professor Marina Morrow of York University. Eviance is collaborator on this project as a user-led organization, providing support to the research and knowledge exchange. This is a four-year, multinational project in partnership with user-led organizations in Canada, Kenya and Australia. This project will investigate service-user experiences of coercive practices in the mental health care system and the role of social justice oriented organizations in enhancing equity. The project aims to advance human rights and align mental health services with the UN convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Communication Tools Project
Communication Tools: A User-friendly Guide of Tools in Winnipeg that Can Help People Communicate with First Responders in Emergencies. This project was funded through the Winnipeg Foundation and the Thomas Sill Foundation and done in collaboration with Inclusion Winnipeg. This multi-year project featured a robust engagement process with surveys of over 100 First Responders, a literature review and environmental scan, focus groups, and interviews. During the third phase of the project, we are working on a communication tool guide for persons with disabilities and developing training workshops for stakeholders.