Building Equity, Diversity and Inclusion through an Anti-Oppressive, Human Rights Framework

These workshops aim to explore the complex nature of oppression and support the creation of anti-oppressive strategies in contexts. Organizations can either select several sessions to inform and guide the building of an anti-oppressive strategic plan, or one or a few sessions that help them increase awareness and understanding, incorporate changes in their practices, and introduce a human rights culture for individual and organizational growth.

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Fundamentals of Anti-Oppression

This session uses Canadian history to deepen understanding of the layered nature of oppression.

It explores various forms of solidarity and practical ways to recognize privilege when supporting marginalized communities, aiming to shift participants from guilt to action.

Anti-Racism—Learning to Confront the Uncomfortable

This session supports participants in unpeeling the complexities, misunderstandings, and intersections of racism by confronting the foundation and dichotomies of our ideas.

It is meant to be a reflective session where participants are invited to be critical of what they know or “think” they know using a critical social justice framework.

The Not So “MICRO” Aggressions

Microaggressions are the most common and challenging forms of oppression due to their social acceptance, brief occurrence, and invisibility.

This session provides insights into these seemingly minor slights, their historical roots, and their effects on individuals and communities. Facilitators will offer a framework to understand microaggressions, their impacts, and how to navigate them when witnessing or experiencing such scenarios.

Building a Rights-Based Organization

In this session, participants will explore the central pillars of building a rights-based organization that centres on strengthening inclusion, equity, diversity, and accountability.

Participants will strengthen awareness of rights as principles; assess the alignment of the organization with rights-based principles; and craft strategies and ideas to strengthen internally and ensure commitment to embedding a culture of peace and human rights where all thrive and are valued.

This training aims to involve participants in building concrete and attainable rights based strategies around inclusion, participation, accountability, protection and collaboration that foster diversity and inclusion in the organization. This workshop is effective when delivered to groups that work together in the same department, area or team.

True Colors Personal Development

Each of us has our own style, preferences and ways of operating. How can we all work together?

This interactive, information-packed Personal Awareness and Success Workshop helps participants explore their distinctive personality strengths and stressors, and learn to respect and appreciate differences in the way people function and process information and learning. The session lays the foundation for relationship building, effective communication and team building. True Colors is an excellent addition to building your organization to be inclusive and play to the strengths of your entire team.

Understanding the ‘-isms’ and learning how to respond

This session explores human rights principles and their role as a framework for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within organizations.

It addresses systemic and individual dimensions of exclusion and marginalization, including their historical contexts and normalization. The session emphasizes moving beyond personal guilt to embrace personal responsibility, identifies common practices that perpetuate exclusion and conflict in the workplace, and offers strategies for fostering collaboration and leveraging the strengths of diverse teams.

Confronting Ableism: Developing a Culture of Inclusion

The following is a series of workshops for professionals to meaningfully create strategies to radically include and engage people living with disabilities in their working environment. This workshops are all designed and delivered by people living with disabilities.

	Employment Inclusion Participants learn from people living with disabilities how ableism manifests in systemic, relational and internalized ways in workplaces. Facilitators discuss shortcomings of hiring practices and assumptions frequently made relating to applicants who live with disabilities. Approaches to accommodations in the workplace as well as the importance of planning for visible and invisible disabilities, will be discussed using real life examples.
	The Roots of Ableism This workshop aims to increase understanding of the roots and impacts of systemic discrimination by shining light on historical moments and ideas in the history of Canada that have justified lack of access and exclusion and that continue to slow progress in inclusivity, belonging and well-being of people living with disabilities.
	Disability Awareness This session equips adults with the tools to understand youth's online activities, engage in meaningful conversations about discrimination, and navigate mechanisms for reporting online hate in games and social media.
	Developing a Culture of Inclusion and Confronting Ableism This workshop aims to explore what a culture of inclusion looks like and how to confront ableist attitudes engrained in all areas of society. People living with disabilities are frequently fighting battles to have their rights acknowledged and to be included - the same rights every human being is entitled to. Facilitators will guide participants in engaging with the normalization and inclusion of people living with disabilities in different contexts.
	Ableism in Education This workshop is directed to decision-makers, government officials, board members, educators, parents and all others involved in school operations, and who are responsible for ensuring student and employee inclusion and fostering generational change. Facilitators delve into classroom practices after giving an overview of ableist practices in schools that affect students and employees with disabilities. The classroom is where many of us get some of our first chances to succeed, take risks safely, and build confidence and self-esteem, outside of our family. This workshop explores ways in which ableist attitudes isolate students with disabilities in classroom activities and share strategies that ensure inclusion.
	Ableism in Language Many of the societal assumptions about people with disabilities are embedded and normalized through language and policy. By carefully reviewing historical moments in which Canadian policy has integrated ableist language, participants will be invited to examine the roots and consolidation of ableism. This exercise is intended to move people away from shame and into understanding that we all have been educated in ableist structures and ideas that need to be transformed. Several scenarios will be studied to discuss the impact of ableist language on people living with physical and mental disabilities.
	Ableism in Health In spite of the importance of health care in the lives of People With Disabilities (PWD), there is a common story of traumatic experiences, imposed practices on their bodies and the lack of participation in decisions made over our health and well-being. Through art and storytelling, participants will unveil ways healthcare provision is inaccessible; lacking spaces and medical practitioners educated in disability rights. Some medical professionals lack the knowledge and ability to assist and accommodate, thus resulting in discrimination due to unconscious bias and prejudice. The session will explore assumptions, microaggressions, and the lack of engagement of PWD’s voices in the health care system, especially in concerns about “the office special topic.”
	Engaging and Consulting People Living with Disabilities Participation is one of the foundational pillars of human rights. To make a process fully participatory, organizations and governments should consider ways to make engagement sessions accessible, relevant, safe and transparent to the people they want to consult. JHC and the Action on Ableism team will work with this small group of policy analysts to identify principles of engagement regarding people living with disabilities and explore ways of putting those principles into practice.