Women with disabilities still facing barriers as they seek relationships, motherhood

trevor.kenney — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 18:14:19 +0000

Eugenic sterilization is no longer legal in Alberta, but some people with disabilities continue to experience barriers when it comes to having children, says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge sociology researcher Dr. Claudia Malacrida.

Dr. Claudia Malacrida has been studying the history of the Michener Centre for the past 15 years.

Malacrida and her team of researchers are in the midst of a project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) that stems from her ongoing interest in questions about disability, reproductive rights and eugenics. Valued at $318,278, the five-year study is entitled, Disability, Sexuality, Relationships and Family: An Exploratory Study.

“Fifteen years ago, while researching the history of Michener Centre in Red Deer, I began collecting life histories from people who were sterilized under the Alberta Sexual Sterilization Act,” says Malacrida, in advance of International Day of People with Disabilities on Tuesday, Dec. 3. “I learned that the largest group of people involuntarily sterilized were women with disabilities, many of them residents of Michener Centre.”

Malacrida’s research group is seeking to interview two groups of women about their experiences. First, they seek women who were affected by Alberta’s eugenics era (1928 through 1972), who are primarily aged 50 to 70. They also wish to speak with younger disabled Albertan women about their hopes, experiences, challenges and successes in achieving relationships, sexual rights and, where desired, motherhood.

Red Deer's Michener Centre housed many women who were involuntarily sterilized during Alberta's eugenics era.

“In our interviews, young women with intellectual disabilities have described being placed on long-term birth control at extremely early ages, sometimes without their full consent or knowledge about side effects,” says Malacrida. “Women with physical disabilities have spoken about the lack of services available to them as mothers, something they see as a hidden message that disabled women should not be having children.”

The stories they collect will be played against policy and discourse historically and in the current context, to outline similarities and differences in law, practice and attitudes between Alberta’s eugenics age and the present.

The project has received ethical approval through the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and all information collected will be treated anonymously and in confidentiality. Interested people should contact research assistant Gillian Ayers (403-332-4591 or by e-mail at gillian.ayers2@uleth.ca) to arrange an interview.

Graduate students honoured with research awards

trevor.kenney — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:34:27 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge celebrated the achievements of 21 graduate students last night at the 2012 Graduate Student Research Awards reception.

"These graduate students are exemplars of academic achievement," says Dr. Robert Wood, dean of the School of Graduate Studies. "The exciting academic work that they do is advancing the frontiers of knowledge and creativity, and it cultivates and builds an essential foundation for our growing reputation as a comprehensive university. Indeed, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community is immensely proud of these accomplished graduate student scholars."

Following is a list of the 2012 award winners.

Alberta Innovates Health Solutions
Erin Zelinski
(Robert Sutherland)
Neuroscience

Corinne Sidler
(Olga Kovalchuk)
Biological Sciences

Alberta Innovates - Technology Futures
Aaron Mullin
(Craig Coburn)
Geography

Alberta Cancer Foundation
Lidiya Luzhna
(Olga Kovalchuk)
Biological Sciences

Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral (NSERC)
Patrick Barks
(Robert Laird)
Biological Sciences

Andrew Hudson
(Camron Goater & Tony Russell)
Biological Sciences

Jenni Karl
(Ian Whishaw)
Neuroscience

Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship Master (NSERC)
Kathryn Kuchapski
(Joseph Rasmussen)
Biological Sciences

Kirsten Rosler
(Hans-Joachim Wieden)
Chemistry and Biochemistry

Aaron Mullin
(Craig Coburn)
Geography

Natalie Freeman
(Louise Barrett & Peter Henzi)
Psychology

Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship Master's (SSHRC)
Gillian Ayers
(Claudia Malacrida)
Sociology

Leslie Bush
(Robbin Derry)
Management

Stacey Leavitt
(Michelle Helstein & Sean Brayton)
Kinesiology & Physical Education

Daniel Rutledge
(Sameer Deshpande)
Management

Rachel Shields
(Jason Laurendeau)
Sociology

Mark Bruce
(Dawn McBride)
Education

School of Graduate Studies Fellowship
Darcy Best
(Hadi Kharaghani)
Mathmatics & Computer Science

Health Quality Council of Alberta
Shannon Vandenberg
(Judith Kulig)
Health Sciences

endMS
Brietta Gerrard
(Artur Luczak)
Neuroscience

Alberta Gambling Research Institute
Scott Oberg
(Matthew Tata)
Neuroscience

UNews - Gillian Ayers

Women with disabilities still facing barriers as they seek relationships, motherhood

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Graduate students honoured with research awards

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