Announcement: DJNO receives a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant

The word announcement is written in bold red text. A red circle outline is around the word announcement.

The Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO) is thrilled to announce that we have been accepted for a Partnership Engage Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), in support of our research project in partnership with Dr. Ameil Joseph from the McMaster University School of Social Work. 

Our research will use Canadian census data to complete an intersectional analysis of the unique socioeconomic impacts on disabled youth across a variety of factors (wealth, education, employment, and housing). This research aims to explore how ableism and ageism intersect to create unique barriers for disabled youth. Our hope is that this research will contribute to an increased understanding of the effects of systemic ableism on youth. This research will also allow DJNO to better target our campaigns and advocacy efforts to meet the needs of disabled youth. 

This research project is estimated to take 1-2 years to complete, and will be followed by a public report on our findings.

We're Hiring a Project Coordinator!

Navy blue image with bold white text that reads "DJNO IS HIRING!". Over the D in DJNO there are 7 petals that are varying shades of yellow and blue that make up the DJNO logo.

Position Title:

Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO) Project Coordinator

Term of Position:

October 31st 2020 to October 1st 2021

Supervisor:

DJNO Steering Committee

Location:

Hamilton-based

Hours of Work:

12 Hours a Week

Wages

$20.00/Hr

General Scope of Duties:

The role of the Project Coordinator will be focused on Project Delivery, Policy, Development/Reform, Research, Advocacy, and Public Education/Communications, and will also spend some time learning about Management and Governance. More specifically, they will:

• Provide support to the Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO) Steering Committee as needed.

• Run one monthly online event.

• Create and post social media content for all DJNO platforms.

• Critique policy as it relates to Disability Justice.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Advertising and Promoting Function: 40%

• Updating all public facing platforms such as: Twitter, Instagram Facebook, and the DJNO website.

• Curating and sharing monthly online events

• Manage Eventbrite links and other promotional outreach tools.

Policy/Research Function: 40%

• Keeping up to date on latest policy information as it relates to people with disabilities in Ontario and sharing this information through our social media and website

• Critiquing policy as needed

Other: 20%

• Duties as directed by the members of the Steering Committee and DAWN Canada on a weekly basis.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Proven experience as a Project Coordinator, for a non profit.

• Knowledge of office management systems and procedures.

• Advocacy and policy experience as it relates to disability justice.

• Working knowledge of office equipment, like printers and fax machines.

• Proficiency in MS Office (MS Excel and MS PowerPoint, in particular).

• Excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritize work.

• Attention to detail and problem solving skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to multitask.

• High School degree; additional qualification as an Administrative Assistant or Secretary will be a plus.

Other information:

The Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO) is committed to the core principles of Disability Justice. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive staff, and we especially encourage applications from Indigenous, Black, and people of colour candidates, as well as candidates with disabilities and people who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, working class community, or any and all of the aforementioned intersecting identity groups.

To apply, please submit a resume and a cover letter to info@djno.ca by October 7th 2020. If you require accommodations at any point of the application process, please email info@djno.ca.

To view this application as a Google Doc, please click this link:

Recording of Conversation with Alice Wong and Leah Piepzna Samarasinha now live!

On August 20th, DJNO hosted Alice Wong and Leah Piepzna Samarasinha to discuss Alice's new book, Disability Visibility: 1st Person Stories from the 21st Century!

Ruby and Layla, two youth from the Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO) facilitated an online conversation with Alice Wong and Leah Piepzna Samarasinha to talk about Alice's new book, Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the 21st Century. This conversation took place on Zoom, was about an hour. The audience had the chance to ask questions at the end of the facilitated discussion.

Featured Guests:

Alice Wong:

(Image description: Photo of an Asian American woman in a power chair. She is wearing an orange-red jacket and black pants. She is wearing a mask over her nose attached to a gray tube and bright red lip color. Her hands are resting over her joystick. Photo credit: Eddie Hernandez Photography)

Alice Wong (she/her) is a disabled activist, media maker, and consultant. She is the Founder and Director of the Disability Visibility Project® (DVP), an online community dedicated to creating, sharing and amplifying disability media and culture created in 2014. Currently, Alice is the Editor of Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century, an anthology of essays by disabled people, available now (June 30, 2020) by Vintage Books.

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha:

(Image description: Photo of a brown femme smiling toothily at the camera. She is wearing a black muscle tee with an image of a shark in water and a ship in the background under purple storm clouds. She is wearing fuschia lipstick, green shimmery eye shadow, and has a nose piercing. Her hair is dyed green and pushed to the left. She's standing in front of a leafy green bush with white flower blossoms.) Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha was born in Sri Lanka, raised in the United States, and now resides in Toronto, Ontario. Her ethnic heritage is Burgher/Tamil Sri Lankan and Irish/Roma. In addition to writing, teaching and cultural work, she is a spoken-word artist who has performed throughout Canada and the United States. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. In the fall of 2018, Piepzna-Samarasinha published a collection of essays entitled Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice. She is the 2020 winner of the Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction from the Lambda Literary organization.