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Unlearning Ableism: Creating New Knowledges, Nurturing Self-Advocacy

OCTOBER 21, 2024

FREE WEBINAR SERIES

Unlearning Ableism: Creating New Knowledges, Nurturing Self-Advocacy

November 14, 2024
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Join us for an insightful session led by Zahra, a Black woman living with disabilities who has successfully navigated postsecondary education while embracing multiple intersectional identities. In this important discussion about self-advocacy, Zahra’s academic work and personal journey will guide participants through the challenges of ableism and emphasize the need for organizations and stakeholders to adopt practices that empower and uplift people with disabilities.

Whether you’re a high school or postsecondary student with disabilities, a parent looking to nurture your child’s self-advocacy skills, an educator seeking to eliminate ableist teaching methods or part of an organization aiming to create inclusive environments, this session will provide practical tools to support change. Participants will learn to reject traditional, harmful understandings—whether racist, ableist, homophobic or transphobic—that dehumanize individuals with intersecting identities. They will explore new and empowering ways to create change and promote well-being, gain critical self-advocacy skills to thrive in various contexts, and identify, rethink and reframe everyday ableist practices that threaten well-being.

Don’t miss this opportunity to challenge ableist practices and foster meaningful change in your daily life and professional environment. Register now to secure your spot.

REGISTER

Presenter

Zahra

Zahra (B.A., M.A.) is a Jamaican-Canadian citizen with multiple overlapping identities. She is a Black, lesbian, cisgender woman who is often misgendered due to her gender expression. Zahra is also hard of hearing and has mild cerebral palsy.

A graduate of York University, Zahra earned a B.A. in Women’s Studies and an M.A. in Critical Disability Studies. Her thesis, titled “Ableism, Intersectionality, Power and Knowledge: The Complexities of Navigating Accommodations in Postsecondary Institutions,” is available for download on York University’s YorkSpace.

Zahra has a passion for public speaking and advocates for social justice. Her interests include mental health, accessibility, human rights, disability, race, gender and sexuality. Through her critical thinking and feminist perspectives, Zahra has had the opportunity to train, reflect and present on social media, as well as in colleges, universities, nonprofit organizations, conferences and church youth gatherings.

From 2016 to 2019, Zahra worked at Humber College, where she gained invaluable experience co-facilitating various human rights training sessions for work-study students. During this time, she established herself as a respected public speaker.

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By 2 months

Has your baby had their hearing screened? YES NO

By 6 months

Does the child?

Startle in response to loud noises? YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from? YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)? YES NO
Watch your face as you talk? YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs? YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh YES NO

By 9 months

Does the child?

Respond to their name? YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door? YES NO
Understand being told no? YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)? YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)? YES NO
Enjoy being around people? YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh? YES NO

By 12 months

Does the child?

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)? YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it? YES NO
Consistently use three to five words? YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)? YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes? YES NO
Bring you toys to show you? YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise? YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)? YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books? YES NO

By 18 months

Does the child?

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on? YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked? YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently? YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)? YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)? YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)? YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you? YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger? YES NO

By 2 years

Does the child?

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)? YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words? YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)? YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)? YES NO
Enjoy being around other children? YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words? YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time? YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort? YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 30 months

Does the child?

Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)? YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)? YES NO
Use over 350 words? YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall? YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys? YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad? YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)? YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words? YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)? YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)? YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories? YES NO

By 3 years

Does the child?

Understand who, what, where and why questions? YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words? YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)? YES NO
Tell simple stories? YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates? YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)? YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time? YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)? YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 4 years

Does the child?

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)? YES NO
Use adult type grammar? YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end? YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children? YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play? YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time? YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)? YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)? YES NO