Participate in the Commission on Racism in Quebec!
We are excited to announce that the Centre for Community Organizations (COCo) and the Disabled Women’s Network Canada (DAWN) have been accepted to host 3 consultations as part of Quebec’s inquiry into Systemic Discrimination and Racism, focusing particularly on discrimination in the workplace in the nonprofit and public sector. We are seeking people who have worked, or having been trying to access work, in the public or nonprofit sector in the past 3 years to contribute to our research.
These consultations are specifically meant for women who are racialized, who are Deaf and/or live with disability– a term we use broadly and define further below. Our consultations will take the form of small discussion groups. The confidentiality and privacy of the participants will be protected.
Our understanding of disability is broad. Here, we mean people who are living with learning difficulties (dyslexia, aphasia, dyscalculia, etc), loss of vision, reduced mobility, mental health issues (anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, etc), intellectual/developmental disabilities, autism, speech impediments, chronic illness and chronic pain, environmental sensitivities, brain damage, and others. While we recognize that many Deaf people don’t identify as having a disability, we are also encouraging Deaf and hard of hearing people to take part.
The term racialized refers to anyone who identifies as Indigenous, Black, Arab, Asian, Latinx, mixed race, a visible minority, a person of colour, etc. This does not include people who are White. The Commission on Racism and Systemic Discrimination is using “racialized people” as a substitute for “visible minority”, in order to emphasize that race is a social, not scientific, reality.
We mean women to include anyone who identifies as a woman. We welcome trans and cis women to those discussion groups.
Our consultations will be held on the following dates:
- Saturday, October 21st, from 1pm-4pm. This session will be held in French with interpretation to Langue des signes Québécois (LSQ).
- Thursday, November 2nd, 2017, from 6pm-9pm. This session will be held bilingually in French and in English, with translation between each.
- Tuesday, November 14, from 6pm-9pm. This session will be held in English with interpretation into American Sign Language (ASL).
People who are interested in applying can fill out our registration form, here. We will confirm your attendance by email and provide additional details on the location consultation.
The location is wheelchair accessible. The closest metro is Place des Arts, and can also be reached on the 80 or 144 buses. The room has non-fluorescent lighting.
Vegetarian, gluten-free food will be provided, and we will do our best to accommodate other dietary restrictions. There will be métro / bus tickets available for people who need them. If you have any questions, please contact info@coco-net.org.
