Dr. Sean Horton is the 2026 recipient of the Mary Lou Dietz Equity Leadership Award (MICHAEL WILKINS/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
From academic advocacy to community engagement, Dr. Sean Horton’s work is consistently imbued with a focus on equity and inclusivity.
These efforts will be recognized by the Windsor University Faculty Association’s (WUFA) Status of Women, Diversity and Equity Action Committee as Horton is awarded the 2026 Mary Lou Dietz Equity Leadership Award at an award celebration on May 27.
Named for the late Mary Lou Dietz, former head of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology, and her commitment to the advancement of women in Canadian post-secondary institutions, the award recognizes one faculty member each year who demonstrates leadership in advancing a culture of equity on campus.
Horton’s contributions in this area are wide-ranging, including his work co-developing the Adapted Physical Exercise (APEX) program, which partners with Community Living Essex County to provide exercise programming for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Established in 2010, APEX has engaged nearly 300 student and alumni volunteers and has recently expanded into local school boards, bringing adapted exercise programming to students with disabilities through programs like STEPS.
WUFA also cites Horton’s scholarly work related to APEX as advancing inclusive practice, including the creation of an APEX exercise manual accessible to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities around the world and centred on the experiences of these individuals.
Horton also conducts research related to age-based inequities, disability and gender in sport and health, in addition to collaborating on health research, including related to improving quality of life for those living with Parkinson’s disease or who have experienced a stroke.
The award committee notes that, “By foregrounding voice, dignity, and agency, his scholarship advances more inclusive representations of aging and informs community programming designed to reduce barriers to participation.”
The committee highlights the ways in which Horton’s scholarship does not stay on the page or screen but makes a meaningful difference in practice with the public, mobilizing knowledge for broad audiences and supporting community participation.
In the classroom and as a mentor, Horton has been recognized with the 2020 Wayne Marino Faculty of Human Kinetics Teaching Excellence Award for his teaching and mentorship practices, which reinforce the inclusive values of his research through differentiated and authentic pedagogical practices.
As the nominating committee writes, “Through sustained partnership-building, innovative program design, inclusive pedagogy and multifaceted community-engaged scholarship, Dr. Horton has helped embed inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility into the fabric of campus culture in tangible, lasting ways. He has contributed to positive, long-term transformative change across our region, nationally and internationally.”