Embracing Inclusion: Fostering Acceptance and Support for People with Disabilities in Asian-Canadian Communities
Embracing Inclusion: Fostering Acceptance and Support for People with Disabilities in Asian-Canadian Communities
Lead Agency: NorthStar Special Needs Society
Participants: 6,500+ participants and 50+ disability-serving and community organizations engaged nationally
Funding Approved: $99,766
Funder: Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) – National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) Funding Program
Project Period: February 2025 – January 2027
Academic Partner: York University – Asian Business and Management Program (ABMP)
Overview
Embracing Inclusion is a two-year national awareness and community engagement initiative designed to address deep-rooted stigma, attitudinal barriers, and exclusion experienced by people with disabilities within Asian-Canadian communities. Drawing on culturally informed education, public dialogue, and inclusive community activities, the project aims to foster measurable shifts in understanding, attitudes, and behaviours related to disability inclusion.
The initiative is structured around National AccessAbility Week programming in 2025 and 2026, combining in-person, hybrid, and virtual delivery to ensure national reach. While NorthStar Special Needs Society’s core programming focuses on children with autism and their families, the project is intentionally designed to be relevant across disability types and age groups, with an emphasis on families, youth, caregivers, and community organizations.
Program Scope
- Delivery of university-led educational workshops addressing disability awareness, stigma, and inclusion
- Panel discussions and forums amplifying the voices of people with disabilities, families, and advocates
- Community-based events during National AccessAbility Week, including arts, sports, and cultural programming
- Hybrid and virtual programming to enable participation across multiple provinces and territories
- Development of recorded educational resources to support ongoing learning and knowledge sharing
- Ontario-focused delivery in Year One, with national expansion in Year Two
Impact
- Reduce stigmatizing attitudes and discriminatory behaviours toward people with disabilities
- Increase awareness of disability inclusion within Asian-Canadian communities
- Greater participation of individuals with disabilities in community, cultural, and recreational life
- Strengthened capacity of families and caregivers to advocate and engage inclusively
- Creation of accessible, culturally relevant educational resources with national reach
- Establishment of a scalable model for culturally responsive disability awareness initiatives
Our Contribution
- Aligned project objectives with ESDC National AccessAbility Week priorities and outcomes
- Synthesized community, academic, and practitioner perspectives into a cohesive program model
- Designed a culturally responsive outreach/marketing framework tailored to Asian-Canadian communities
- Coordinated multi-partner collaboration between a community-based nonprofit and an academic unit
- Integrated evaluation methods, including pre- and post-event surveys, to measure attitudinal change