by Tamara Angeline Medford-Williams Black is what they use to qualify me, but I am more than a colour.  Black has become our cultural identity, but for me it is also a reminder of an unknown ances... Continue reading

I remember very well the first time I had this booklet in my hands, modestly bound, but full of treasures to achieve real solidarity between women with multiple identities. Maria Barile, an immigr... Continue reading

Maria Barile was one of our Founders and a feminist who had a strong intersectional understanding of the barriers faced by women with disabilities before the rest of us had caught up with Kimberlé... Continue reading

As a disabled woman living with cerebral palsy who was born in the 1980s, it is likely that I avoided institutionalization and also benefited from integrated schooling. I was also able to find rol... Continue reading

The theme of International Women’s Day 2022 is to Break the Bias. “Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclus... Continue reading

  Bonnie Brayton   For this holiday season, DAWN Canada wants to share our message of hope. Bonnie Brayton, our national executive Director, had William Parker’s song of hope in mind while sharing ... Continue reading

Judi Johnny Portrait by Pavlina Sudrich Sister Judi Johnny of the Gwa’Sala Nakwaxda’Xw First Nation. Judi was from the Port Alberni region and was born on November 2nd, 1949. Her great spirit left... Continue reading

  Reimagining Care and Healing by Larissa Crawford     Tawnshi, Larissa Crawford dishinikaashoon. I am a young Afro-Indigenous woman and mother living with a chronic pain disability, and the follo... Continue reading

Indigenous Women and Girls with Disabilities are Targets of Sexual Violenceby Lynn Gehl, PhD, Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe   When I think about why I am so forthcoming about my vision disability I re... Continue reading

Coping with disability by connecting to culture by Deseray Rich   My name is Deseray, and I am Innu and Inuk. I grew up in a small town in Labrador. I wasn’t raised by my parents, I was taken as a... Continue reading

Indigenous and Disability Blog by Melanie Marsden     As I was reflecting on this blog it occurred to me that I feel it would be important for the readers to understand the context of disability a... Continue reading

Intersections of disability, community and finding self sufficiency by Michelle Beauséjour     My experiences with chronic pain started in my mid teens. Due to an over active childhood I developed... Continue reading

  Nelly Bassily, our Director of the Youth Initiatives and International Relationships and project lead of the Girls Without Barriers Research Report took some time to write this piece about the re... Continue reading

Joan Meister, Shirley Masuda, Eileen O’Brien, Claudette Perron, Maria Barile, E.J. Miller-Towle, Sue Leon, Maxine Thomas, Margo Massie, Pam Horton, Barb Goode, Kathy Hawkins, Linda Brown, Bonnie S... Continue reading

Kathy Hawkins is the Manager of InclusionNL: Employer Support Services. As Manager, Kathy provide supports and services to employers interested in creating more inclusive workplace environments fo... Continue reading

  In 1995, DAWN Canada was amicus curiae in the case of A. (L.L.) v. B (A). This means we were asked to assist the court by lending our expertise and insight around sexual violence against women w... Continue reading

By Zaya Solange CW: drugs and alcohol mention, medical system mention -- Lavender essential oils filigree puffs over my head as I lay in bed. Spa music plays in the background. My eyes squint at ... Continue reading

By Evangelia Kambites CW: medical system mention -- There’s a thing that happens when you’re born a black womxn in this world. Before you’ve even emerged from the womb, before you’ve even taken yo... Continue reading

By Willow Cioppa CW: Alcohol mention -- I realized I should give up tequila shots when I was sitting outside of the club on a Thursday, crying about a DJ. My eyes burned and I don’t know if it was... Continue reading

By Hermanie Desrosiers CW: Mention of the medical system, unsupportive parents, cr*zy slur -- “Due to employee vacations, you will only be able to meet with a social worker in the fall,” the admin... Continue reading

  By Sophia Sahrane * Content warning: Hospitalization, institutionalized racism, violence against Black women. When I was nine years old, I experienced a hypoglycemic crisis in the middle of my g... Continue reading

  There are currently NO services focused on women & girls with disabilities in Canada. Instead, they’re an afterthought when creating programs, and are footnoted at the end of Canadian policy rep... Continue reading

    Disability Rights are Human Rights: Bonnie Brayton on the Accessible Canada Act for The Montreal Gazette: https://buff.ly/2FZSTnh  "It is historic not only for its focus on disability rights —... Continue reading

  During National AccessAbility week 2019, we are organizing a blogathon:daily blogs/vlogs on topics of accessibility. Check out this vlog by Youth The future program Managers on the Youth The Futu... Continue reading

During National AccessAbility week 2019, we are organizing a blogathon:daily blogs/vlogs on topics of accessibility. Check out this blog by Marlihan Lopez on what it means to parent a Black child w... Continue reading

  During National AccessAbility week 2019, we are organizing a blogathon:daily blogs/vlogs on topics of accessibility. Check out this blog by Bára Hladík on physical, financial and bureaucratic ina... Continue reading

During National AccessAbility week 2019, we are organizing a blogathon:daily blogs/vlogs on topics of accessibility. Check out this vlog by Seeley Quest on issues of medical malpractice and the urg... Continue reading

  During National AccessAbility week 2019, we are organizing a blogathon:daily blogs/vlogs on topics of accessibility. Check out this blog by Renée Yoxon on being loud and proud at the intersection... Continue reading

Click here to read Carmela Hutchison's blog on Huffington Post. She shares her point of view on why pardoning Robert Latimer legitimizes violence against women with disabilities & sets dangerous pr... Continue reading

Click here to read Carmela Hutchison's blog on Rabble. The blog points out how ableism and violence against women and girls led to Tracy's murder by her father, and how it informs the public's view... Continue reading

On behalf of DAWN Canada’s staff, board, and members, we would like to wish the entire country a very happy birthday! We would like to acknowledge that Canada is built on unceded Indigenous lands. ... Continue reading

Canada is ‘celebrating’ 150 years in 2017. But where are we really as a country at 150 years? Depends who you are. With the highest rates of sexual violence and unemployment and a complete void i... Continue reading

World Cancer Day takes place every year on the 4th February to unite the world’s population in the fight against cancer. In addition to our annual Breast Cancer Awareness campaign we continue to a... Continue reading

Canada’s record on human rights, particularly reports and findings that have been released this past year all have one common thread: each of them points to the fact that women and girls with dis... Continue reading

  June 21st, 2016 will mark the 20th anniversary of Aboriginal Day in Canada. National Aboriginal Day is a time for all people to come together to learn about, celebrate and recognize the culture... Continue reading

For ten years we have been marking June 15th World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) as a day to raise awareness of elder abuse. Today, as we contemplate WEAAD and what it means in Canada, I find... Continue reading

Bonnie Brayton’s International Women’s Day blog was published on Huff Post Canada. In this piece, Bonnie discusses the difference between equity and equality for women with disabilities. “Women w... Continue reading

Bonnie Brayton (far right) participates in Gender and Disability Forum with Naomi Navoce (Pacific Disability Forum, Fiji); Jhelena Chacon (Costa Rica) and Silvia Quan (CRPD Committee member & Tech... Continue reading

CLICK to view infographic This year on Mother’s Day DAWN-RAFH Canada, in collaboration with Guelph University’s Centre for Families, Work and Well Being released Fast Facts on Mothering and DisAb... Continue reading

      Mental health is invisible. In fact, mental health symptoms are rarely obvious.   The Montreal Guided Tour organized by Action Autonomie is a good opportunity to meet people dealing with me... Continue reading

The theme for the United Nations International Human Rights Day 2014 is “Human Rights 365”, reflecting the idea that human rights matter every day of the year. With this in mind, it is worth remem... Continue reading

I Got Screened! Our Health Matters PSAYouTube Video : The following content comes from an external source and might use unaccessible elements. Skip this content.   A Message from the National E... Continue reading

Fran Odette, Senior Research and Development Consultant, DAWN-RAFH Canada My first mammogram experience was relatively flawless. But it’s hard to say whether it was because practitioners are more ... Continue reading

Like many women, I took the idea of cancer screening a little lightly. Even before my accident which rendered me quadriplegic, my appointments with my gynecologist were often very far apart becau... Continue reading

This is the way DAWN-RAFH Canada’s “leadership, partnership, and networking” mantra plays out like a 100 yard touchdown … to be where we are today, working alongside organizations like the Canadi... Continue reading