Reclaiming Gifts: Designing Disability-Positive and Culturally Relevant Supports - Workshop
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Hyflex: Online & In-Person (Ko’jua Okuom, Killam Library)
Link to register for the event
Building on Nicole Ineese-Nash’s keynote presentation at the University of King’s College on February 25, this interactive workshop invites participants to engage in hands-on learning to explore the intersections of Indigeneity, disability, and support systems through a culturally grounded and disability-positive lens. Participants will reflect on their personal "gifts" and "bundles"—the unique strengths they carry and the support they benefit from—to develop individualized support plans that embrace diversity and foster belonging.
Guided by universal design principles, disability justice, and Indigenous epistemologies, the session will focus on designing accommodations and supports that honor cultural identity, prioritize relationality, and celebrate difference. By centering culturally relevant approaches, participants will learn strategies to create inclusive, affirming, and strength-based environments for themselves and others. This workshop is ideal for educators, students, and service providers seeking practical tools to support diverse learners and communities.
Facilitator
Nicole Ineese-Nash
Nicole Ineese-Nash is an Indigenous researcher, educator, and community worker with over 15 years of experience working with Indigenous children, youth, and communities. Born and raised in Toronto, Nicole is a member of Constance Lake First Nation in Treaty 9 territory and holds relation to the lands, waters, and people along the English and Kabikagomi Rivers. With a PhD in Social Justice Education and a Master’s in Early Childhood studies, she is passionate about supporting Indigenous self-determination and cultural resurgence, particularly in the context of childhood and youth. Nicole’s various research and practice interests reflect her lived experience as an Indigenous person on a path of cultural reconnection and learning.
As an Assistant Professor cross-appointed between the schools of Early Childhood Studies and Child and Youth Care at Toronto Metropolitan University, Nicole leads innovative community-based research on the topics of Indigenous disability, early learning, land-based education and youth mental health. Her research with Indigenous young people spurred the foundation of her national charitable organisation called Finding Our Power Together, which offers mental health coaching, group psychoeducation, and cultural healing to Indigenous youth across Canada. Nicole’s skills in community-based research, social justice education, and Indigenous cultural practices have allowed her to work with Indigenous communities both in and out of the academy, informing her research, writing, teaching and practice.
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