Sponsor
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
For More Information
See the full action plan on CIHR's website.
Description
This plan adds to CIHR's commitments in the CIHR Accessibility Plan 2023-2026 by going beyond accessibility to address ableism at CIHR.
Background: The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is committed to addressing barriers to accessibility and removing ableism in our funding system. That is why we worked with the External Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Systemic Ableism to co-develop "From Intention to Impact: CIHR Anti-Ableism Action Plan".
We co-developed this action plan using the principles of respect, power-sharing, and collaboration. We also used information from an environmental scan, virtual discussion sessions, surveys, and a review of our policies and practices.
The Action Plan: The goal of this action plan is for CIHR and the health research community to be safer and more welcoming places for persons with disabilities. This plan commits CIHR to actions that address barriers experienced by persons with disabilities who interact with CIHR.
The actions are divided into four sections:
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Who CIHR funds
- The aim of these actions is to make participation in CIHR funding opportunities equitable for persons with disabilities.
- Actions in this section focus on strengthening our communications, investing in training, and removing barriers when applying to CIHR programs.
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What CIHR funds
- The aim of these actions is to increase disability-focused research and anti-ableist approaches to research funded by CIHR.
- Actions in this section focus on increasing the capacity of health researchers to conduct disability-focused research.
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How CIHR funds
- The aim of these actions is to use anti-ableist approaches across all CIHR funding programs.
- Actions in this section focus on updating CIHR policies and processes to eliminate barriers and ableism.
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Organizational Culture
- The aim of these actions is to improve knowledge and awareness of disability and ableism at CIHR and beyond.
- Actions in this section focus on training, knowledge sharing, and using practical tools in our day-to-day business and in decision-making.
Next steps: CIHR will publish a high-level implementation plan including details related to when the work will be done, how progress will be measured and reported, and how actions will be adjusted, if needed.
Special Notes
Feedback
CIHR would like to receive feedback on this plan, and the ways in which we are implementing this plan.
You may send your feedback by email, telephone, or mail.
If you wish your feedback to remain anonymous, please complete the online form.
Feedback will be collected, processed and addressed by a member of the Contact Centre with guidance from appropriate internal subject matter experts. Feedback will remain confidential. We will acknowledge receiving the feedback in the way it was received, unless the feedback was received anonymously.