Partnership between Ontario University and Grandview Kids helping advance the field of childhood disability research

Research shows that children and youth from equity-deserving communities experience health care differently from their peers. Sometimes these experiences are affected by multiple identities, such as race, gender or disability. Longstanding community partners Ontario Tech University and Grandview Kids are hoping to better understand the barriers, biases and inequities faced by children and youth with developmental concerns when they are waiting for and accessing pediatric rehabilitation.

A recent $200,000 Partnership Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) will strengthen the ongoing Ontario Tech-Grandview Kids collaboration, which formalized a partnership in February 2023 to advance research, innovation and education in Durham Region.

The three-year SSHRC-funded project, entitled Building knowledge and understanding of the intersection of race and disability in accessing pediatric rehabilitation services, will enable the partners to conduct research that will help shape the future of culturally safe care at Grandview Kids and beyond.

Project Co-Directors

• Meghann Lloyd, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences (FHSc), Ontario Tech University; and Senior Research Associate, Grandview Kids
• Taryn Eickmeier, Executive Lead, Research, Innovation and Knowledge Mobilization, Grandview Kids; and Adjunct Professor, FHSc, Ontario Tech University

Project Co-Applicants

• Robert Balogh, Associate Professor, FHSc, Ontario Tech University
• Les Jacobs, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Ontario Tech University
• Janicka Auguste, Research Assistant, Grandview Kids
• Maritza Basaran, Research Co-ordinator and Knowledge Broker, Grandview Kids
• Yvonne Mais, Data Analysis Co-ordinator, Regional Municipality of Durham

Since the project’s launch, Ontario Tech graduate student Alissa Latiff (Master of Health Sciences candidate) is now working directly on the project, with Co-Director Dr. Lloyd as her faculty supervisor.

This research study is the next focus for Grandview Kids and Ontario Tech University’s formal partnership, amplifying the organizations’ shared objective to co-create ethical, sound research that is clinically relevant and community-informed.

The partnership also enables further exploration of experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, joint research activities across different faculties, academic and non-academic programming. It also supports innovation, and entrepreneurship that connects students and faculty with the community, and builds new engagement and outreach across Durham Region and beyond.

Quotes

“Grandview Kids is dedicated to providing culturally safer care to all children, youth and caregivers. Through this investigative research, we will advance our work, alongside our Family Advocates, to find a way to better understand the communities we serve. This is an exciting next step in our ongoing partnership with Ontario Tech University.”
-Tom McHugh, Chief Executive Officer, Grandview Kids

“This grant demonstrates the strength of the partnership between Grandview Kids and Ontario Tech University. It provides the resources to ask some critical and timely research questions related to the intersection of race and disability when accessing pediatric rehabilitation services. The grant will provide numerous opportunities for students to get involved in meaningful research, while also enabling us to uncover how best to deliver culturally safe care to children, youth and their families.”
-Dr. Meghann Lloyd, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University; and Senior Research Associate at Grandview Kids

Media contact
Bryan Oliver
Communications and Marketing
Ontario Tech University
289.928.3653 (mobile)
bryan.oliver@ontariotechu.ca