New fellowship to explore intersection of gender and disability
Student award recipients pose for a photograph at an event celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the School of Disability Studies at Ryerson University. Photo credit: Clifton Li.
Thanks to a generous gift of $500,000 from the P. and L. Odette Foundation, a first-of-its-kind fellowship has been established to explore the intersection between gender and disability.
The Tanis Doe Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Gender, Disability and Social Justice was spearheaded by Fran Odette, an inaugural and longstanding member of Ryerson’s Disability Studies Advisory Council, and former president of the Canadian Disability Studies Association.
Tanis Doe, the fellowship’s namesake, was a Fulbright Scholar and a disability studies and social work professor at universities across Canada and the United States. As a Métis deaf woman with other disabilities, Doe was a widely respected disability rights advocate and active in local and international disability, queer and feminist movements.
“Dr. Doe held spaces between academia and community, recognizing that each contribute to ensuring that our histories and the complexities of our lives are not forgotten,” says Odette, adding that she believes this fellowship allows for research that engages and demonstrates innovation and creativity.
Support from the P. and L. Odette Foundation will help Ryerson attract exceptional researchers who will explore the intersection of gender and disability, engage with students in the school, faculty and university, and serve as guest lecturers and public speakers. Fellows will build on the school’s research program, feed its growth into graduate studies, and support its commitment to creating a socially just world for people with disabilities. Their focus on calling attention to, and stimulating disability movements in Canada and globally through social action, will amplify the school’s and the university’s commitment to equity and inclusion.
Additional support for the fellowship through Ryerson’s Office of Research and Innovation will extend its impact over the next 15 years. The first two-year fellowship will be awarded July 2020.
To support students in the School of Disability Studies, please visit the Faculty of Community Services giving page.