IDEAA
perspectives
training
& consulting
IDEAA stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Anti-Racism
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Anti-Racism (IDEAA) creates environments where everyone feels welcome, respected, heard, and safe.
Embracing IDEAA principles in the workplace ensures that a variety of perspectives and experiences are represented, leading to more diverse work environments.
Why IDEAA?
“IDEAA work builds on the legacy of social justice and civil rights movements. It aims to create organizations and societies that populations perceive as trustworthy, safe, representative, respectful, and accountable, and it grounds itself in outcomes like success, stability, health, and general well-being… in the service of systematic change, IDEAA is trying to change not just the hearts and minds of individuals but also the structure, culture, strategy, policy, process, and practice of organizations.”
- Lily Zheng - DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing it Right.
“One of our greatest barriers to making progress when it comes to being more inclusive is we have a tendency to design and engineer things for ourselves.”
- The World Economic Forum
This quote reminds me that advancing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Anti-Racism (IDEAA) is not just my job, it is inherently embedded into all aspects of my life. Within equity-related work there will never be a one-size-fits-all approach but there are standardized best practices that recognize that everyone has different needs, strengths, and talents that should be celebrated.
MisSion
I use my understanding of the world, of organizations, systems, and people to support the creation, implementation, and sustainability of diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments.
Vision
The creation of a just and equitable world for all recognizes that there will never be a one-size-fits-all approach to any project, situation, or initiative.
Values
I work from an intersectional, anti-ableist, critical disability trans-inclusive feminist, anti-colonial, anti-racist perspective which reflects that everyone has different needs, strengths, and talents that should be celebrated.
What I’m working on within IDEAA
As an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Anti-Racism (IDEAA) consultant, research assisant, and health policy analyst who has worked on numerous task forces and executive committees focused on IDEAA
Most Recent Projects
Lived Experience Advisor for Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s ASD Kid Talk Peer Support Group (2024 - Present)
Advisor for Transportation Experiences of Autistic Young Adults in Toronto: a photo-voice study that aims to better understand the experiences of Autistic young adults taking transit in Toronto. More specifically, the goal is to understand which parts of taking public transit are easy and enjoyable, and which parts are difficult or uncomfortable. We hope that by listening to these experiences, we can bring these issues to the attention of decision-makers and find solutions together. (2024 - Present)
Joining the Board of Directors at ARCH Disability Law Centre (2023 - Present)
Advancing Equity in Childhood Disability Research Project - Research Advisor on a project that looks at the equitable inclusion of underrepresented groups involved in childhood disability research in partnership with CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research (2023 - Present) - Phoenix, M (PI), Micsinszki, S (coI), Collaborators: Wong, L, Knutson, M, Kakonge. Advancing Equity in Childhood Disability Research Partnerships. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Insight Development Grant. June 2023-May 2025. $73,599.
Understanding School-Based Rehabilitation Services Through the Eyes of Children and Youth with Disabilities Research Project - Principal Knowledge User of a research team investigating the barriers children and youth face when trying to receive essential school-based rehab services. In partnership with and funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research (2023 - Present)
Youth advisor on a project - "What decision-makers want: A CHILD-BRIGHT study of processes and criteria for adoption of psychosocial interventions for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their carers." is a two-year research project funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research), Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, and the IWK Health Foundation, through the CHILD-BRIGHT Network. In partnership with The Strongest Families Institute (Strongest Families Neurodevelopmental Program) (2023 - Present)