Valeria Kuri, a second-year Windsor Law student enrolled in the joint JD/MSW program, produced a video for Community Living Cambridge featuring interviews with the agency’s members, staff, and support workers who outline their experiences amid the COVID-19 pandemic and address the unique barriers these agencies face.

The video, viewable on Community Living Cambridge’s YouTube channel, suggests agencies providing services to individuals with developmental and cognitive disabilities have not been adequately supported since the coronavirus outbreak. Having a personal connection with Community Living Cambridge herself, Kuri felt it was her duty to communicate the agency’s struggle, so she put her video production skills to use.

“My hope for this video is for the agency to get recognition and to have the voices of the individuals they support and employ heard by key stakeholders,” says Kuri. “But I also want to showcase the agency’s dedication and commitment to advocating for a better, more inclusive world. People with disabilities are citizens with rights who deserve to have the freedom and safety to realize and live their dreams and be included just like everybody else.”

Before Kuri and her family immigrated to Canada, her mother was a doctor in Mexico. Once they arrived in Canada, however, she was not able to practice medicine due to governmental restrictions, so she began working for Community Living Cambridge in order to support her family.

“Over the years, my mom worked her way up in the agency,” explains Kuri. “She currently holds the position of director of program development and residential services.”

Kuri herself has held volunteer and paid positions with the agency while pursuing her education.

Laverne Jacobs, Windsor Law associate dean for research and graduate studies and director of the Law, Disability and Social Change project, which conducts research into current legal and policy issues with a focus on listening to, incorporating, and respecting the voices of people with disabilities.

She praises Kuri’s commitment: “In unprecedented times, it is reassuring to see such dedicated work bringing the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, along with their support workers, into view.”

For more information on Community Living Cambridge and the Canadian Association for Community Living, visit https://communitylivingcambridge.ca/ and https://cacl.ca/.

—Rachelle Prince

UWindsor alumnus David Bergeron (BMus 2015, MFA 2018) will host a concert of electronic music through Facebook tonight — Wednesday, June 17.

“Program Nexus: Virtual 1” will feature Bergeron’s solo act Qwiet Eye, which explores ambiance, texture, noise, melody, loops, and sonic figure-ground relationships. He will be joined for the event by fellow music grad Ted Hogan (BMus 2014) on ambient electronic music, electronics, and saxophone.

Also on the program are:

• Junkbird, which combines live synthesizers with hip-hop and electronic beats; and
• the Montreal-based experimental group ARC: Annabelle Brault (BMT 2015), analog synths, granular synthesis, sequencers, and samples; Stephen Venkatarangam, guitar, synths, granular samplers, flute, sitar, guitar, and voice; and Adrian Aitken on digital drums.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. Find more detail and the link to watch on Facebook.

—Susan McKee

All grantees holding an active Discovery Grant as of April 2020 can elect to receive a one-year extension with funds at their current funding level.

Extensions will be offered only during the final year of a grant and all eligible grant holders will be contacted directly by NSERC at time of renewal with further instructions. The Office of Research and Innovation Services will receive notification of all applicants electing to receive an extension.

Note: accepting this funded extension will disqualify grantees from that year’s Discovery Grants competition.

For more information, consult the webpage regarding this funded extension.

If you require further information, contact NSERC at resgrant@nserc-crsng.gc.ca or your ORIS co-ordinator: Michelle Nevett for science and business or Sara Kenno for engineering and human kinetics.

As a native of Liberia who studied abroad for both secondary and post-secondary schooling, Jaydee Tarpeh developed a keen sense of how to make the international education experience great.

He and his fellow UWindsor grad Nyasha Kapfumvuti are putting that knowledge to work as the founders of Xenia Education, creating immersive simulations to develop non-academic skills.

The company is one of seven startups participating in weekly webinars and mentoring sessions through the RBC EPIC Founders program.

Tarpeh made the most of his time at the University, working as resident assistant, starting a club, and serving a term as president of the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance.

“I founded Xenia to transform my experiences and knowledge into a packaged solution for other international students,” he says.

Kapfumvuti adds technical expertise, with a background in computer engineering and instructional design.

Learn more about their business venture on the EPICentre website.

Eating healthy is one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health, according to the June 2020 edition of Workplace Wellness E-Digest.

Published by the Department of Human Resources’ Office of Employee Engagement and Development, the newsletter offers information on nutrition and mental health, suggestions of healthy food options, ways to eat healthy, foods to limit, and sample menus.

It also touts the benefits of self-compassion and provides guidance on how to support a loved one with mental health needs. Read the Workplace Wellness E-Digest.