Man lifting weights as part of adaptive exercise programWhat are the effects of adaptive exercise programs on the volunteers who help to offer them? A new study aims to find out.

Researchers to explore effects on volunteers of adaptive exercise programs

A study will explore the experiences of volunteers providing exercise programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, particularly during the pandemic and pre-pandemic times.

The project, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), expands on more than a decade of collaboration between the UWindsor Faculty of Human Kinetics and Community Living Essex County.

The team includes Sean Horton, Sara Scharoun Benson, Chad Sutherland, and Jordan Deneau of the Adapted Physical Exercise (APEX) research group, along with psychology professor Jonathan Weiss of York University.

Over the years the partnership between Community Living and APEX has centred around developing inclusive community-based exercise programs to help improve the mental and physical health and confidence of people with intellectual disabilities and help shift marginalizing attitudes through volunteering and building relationships.

Dr. Horton, principal investigator on the grant, noted feedback received from some of the 200 plus volunteers indicated they experienced an increase in comfort levels working with people with disabilities — in some cases, moving them toward a related career path.

“We were hearing these stories from our former volunteers and thought this is a whole untapped resource we haven’t looked at systematically,” he says. “We want to know how it has impacted their work aspirations and how it has changed their interactions with people with a disability. Understanding their experiences with APEX can help us to ensure that future volunteers will get the same kind of meaningful experience.”

The research team hopes to investigate these results and explore how this can benefit the support community for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Karen Bolger, executive director of Community Living, has been encouraged by the long-term relationship with the APEX researchers.

“The University has really embraced the importance of our work,” she says. “APEX has been a trailblazer in the area of adaptive exercise and it has helped promote a sense of well-being, self-confidence, and acceptance for people with disabilities.”

Each person has different kinds of needs, says Sutherland, director of the Centre for Human Performance and Health. It is important to learn how to communicate with them, engage with them, and understand their situation.

“We then began to wonder how APEX volunteers were integrating these experiences in their lives beyond their APEX experience and that is what spurred us on to investigate it.”

Throughout the pandemic, Community Living has faced challenges maintaining mental health and physical well-being programs. The resources provided by APEX helped to overcome some of the barriers and adapt programming to virtual platforms.

The research team and Community Living are excited about where their long-term collaboration will lead.

“Our relationship with the university has been mutually fruitful. We are both learning from each other and have helped to further our mutual goal of inclusive physical exercise,” says Lori Huson, manager of supports for Community Living. “We couldn’t think more highly of those who have been involved in these projects.”

For more information about APEX, or to download its free Adaptive Exercise Manual, visit www.uwindsor.ca/kinesiology/APEX.

linked handsA panel discussion June 23 will consider allyship for change across racialized groups.

Panel to discuss anti-racism allyship across racialized groups

There is tremendous diversity throughout racialized groups, with very different historical and current experiences of racism and colonialism.

A panel discussion June 23 will consider how to come together in allyship across racialized groups to bring to life voices, visions, and activism for change.

The online event is presented by the Windsor University Faculty Association’s Status of Women, Diversity, and Equity Action Committee and the UWindsor Office of Human Rights, Equity, and Accessibility in partnership with the Centre for Teaching and Learning.

It will run noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, with welcoming remarks by Kaye Johnson, and Karen Pillon moderating the panellists:

Jane KuJane Ku is an associate professor of women’s and gender studies and sociology. Her research includes racism, immigrant settlement, and postcolonial diasporic experiences of gender, with an emphasis on community activism, feminism, and antiracism.

Sylvia McAdamSylvia McAdam (Saysewahum) is an assistant professor of law. A member of the the nēhīyaw Nation, she is from Treaty 6 lands in what is now called “Canada,” and is co-founder of a global grassroots Indigenous-led movement called “Idle No More.”

Kevin MilneKevin Milne is the associate dean, academic programs, in the Faculty of Human Kinetics. His research includes the physiology of sex and sex hormones as they relate to physical exercise, elite sport performance, and health.

Lana ParkerLana Parker is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education. She has worked as an educator for more than 15 years with diverse communities across the greater Toronto area. Her research explores the intersection of education, ethics, and democracy.

The session is organized by Rita Haase, Johnson, Tranum Kaur, Erika Kustra, Vicki Jay Leung, and Peter Marval. Admission is free; registration is required through the workshop web page.

robot hand holding scales of justiceEfficacy should not be sacrificed for efficiency in the administration of justice, Community Legal Aid says in a submission to the Ontario government on the use of artificial intelligence.

Law clinic hoping to influence provincial framework on artificial intelligence

Community Legal Aid review counsel Lilian Bahgat warns that the development of a provincial framework to increase the use of artificial intelligence in government processes will impact access to justice for the clinic’s clients and practice.

The province of Ontario recently welcomed feedback from legal experts on the trustworthiness of artificial intelligence. Bahgat collaborated with the Law Commission of Ontario to discuss the use of artificial intelligence, automated decision-making, and algorithms in the Canadian justice system in particular.

She provided the government with submissions to emphasize the need to acknowledge the digital divide that exists between their low-income clients and other Ontarians.

“We provided feedback to the government calling for meaningful consultations that ensure vulnerable Ontarians can fully participate in this process,” she says. “The government’s push to move forward with digitalizing Ontario’s tribunals and courts has left a majority of our clients behind due to unstable data plans, a lack of digital literacy and access to technology.”

While Bahgat acknowledges the use of technology can help streamline processes, she notes that efficacy should not be sacrificed for efficiency.

Community Legal Aid has extensive experience advocating for access to justice. The team hopes that the government will take into consideration the issues that arise for vulnerable and marginalized Ontarians who will soon be expected to interact with artificial intelligence and automated decision making, regardless of access limitations.

For more information, visit the CLA website.