Ep. 29: Intersectionality Part 2 — Disability in the First Nations and Inuit Communities

2024-11-05

You can't explore intersectionality without talking about disability among Canada's Aboriginal people — the Inuit and First Nations. An estimated 30% of Canada’s Indigenous population, or 420,000 people, live with a disability or functional limitation. So just what is the perception and definition of disability in the Inuit and First Nation cultures and communities? How much of a role does the British colonial history of Canada play in the intersectionality of disability in Indigenous communities and cultures? What challenges around emp...

You can't explore intersectionality without talking about disability among Canada's Aboriginal people — the Inuit and First Nations.

An estimated 30% of Canada’s Indigenous population, or 420,000 people, live with a disability or functional limitation.

So just what is the perception and definition of disability in the Inuit and First Nation cultures and communities? How much of a role does the British colonial history of Canada play in the intersectionality of disability in Indigenous communities and cultures? What challenges around employment barriers and disability inclusion are unique?

All of this is a complex, sometimes sensitive topic with many nuances.

To help us better understand disability in the First Nations and Inuit communities, our two guests provide some deep insights into all of this:

Romaine Peters, a Family Disability Support Worker on Walpole Island First Nation, in Southwestern Ontario
Lisa Spencer, the Communications Manager for the NDMS, the only cross-disability society in Nunavut, in Canada’s Far North

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