Disability in the Workplace! Interactive workshop
Are you ready to deepen your understanding of disability awareness and inclusion in the workplace? We are excited to announce an online workshop developed for faculty, staff, and learners at the Faculty of Medicine, led by Dr. Jon Breen, Equity Advisor with the Dean’s Office.
“Building our awareness and understanding of disability and inclusion within the Faculty of Medicine community is essential to creating respectful and equitable learning and work environments that are free of discrimination, where all people are accepted, valued and empowered to thrive.”
- Dr. Dermot Kelleher, Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Vice-President, Health, University of British Columbia
Workshop Details
🎓 Facilitator: Dr. Jon Breen, Equity Advisor, Dean’s Office, FoM
🗓️ Dates: Register below for any of the following sessions. (Each session offers a repeat of the workshop.)
- February 25, 2025: Tuesday – 9:00 am – 11:00 am
- March 13, 2025: Thursday – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
- April 16, 2025: Wednesday – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
- May 6, 2025: Tuesday – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
- May 23, 2025: Friday – 9:00 am – 11:00 am
- June 11, 2025: Wednesday – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
- June 18, 2025: Wednesday – 9:00 am – 11:00 am
🕒 Duration: Two hours per session
📌 Platform: Live via Zoom
👥 Capacity: Limited to 25 participants per session
Workshop Facilitator
Dr. Breen boasts a wealth of experience within the realm of disability and employment. With a career spanning both private and public sectors, he has served as a practitioner, researcher, and author. Dr. Breen’s expertise promises an engaging and enlightening workshop experience.
Read Dr. Breen’s bio
Dr. Jonathon S. Breen, PhD, MSW, BA, is an Equity Advisor with the Dean’s Office and an Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, UBC.
His research interests focus on the theoretical and practical understandings of disability, particularly as these apply in the workplace. Included in this work has been the development of a self-report questionnaire designed to measure workplace attitudes toward people with disabilities (PWDs) and a new model of disability that supports organizational reform regarding disabled job seekers and employees.
Dr. Breen’s academic work follows an extensive career in both the public and private sectors. He has served as the Executive Director of a supported employment agency, as the Yukon Government manager of disability employment services, and as the principal of an ongoing consultancy within the field of employment and disability. He began his career in Winnipeg as the owner and operator of a healthcare manufacturing and export company, within which he implemented a policy of hiring only individuals who identified as PWDs.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Breen has served as the chair of a number of boards of directors within the non-profit sector. These have included the Yukon Health and Social Services Council, the Yukon Council on Disability, and Options for Independence (a housing project serving adults living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). He has also served as the chair of the Yukon Human Rights Commission. In 2013, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his community service work.
View Dr. Breen’s publications
Breen, J., Shiffman, V., & Forwell, S. (2024). Disability, pity, and the workplace. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-024-10247-2
Breen, J., & Forwell, S. (2023). Disability and the workplace: The politics of difference. New York, NY: Routledge.
Breen, J., & Forwell, S. (2021). The difference model of disability: A focus on employment. In N. Ferreira, I. Potgieter, & M. Coetzee (Eds.), Agile coping in the digital era: Emerging issues for research and practice. (pp. 275-298). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Breen, J., & Forwell, S. (2020). The Difference Model of disability: A change in direction for vocational rehabilitation practice. Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 26(1), 12-17.
Breen, J. (2019). Developing the Co-Worker Acceptance of Disabled Employees (CADE) Scale. Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 25(1), 1-14.
Breen, J., Havaei, F., & Pitassi, C. (2019). Employer attitudes toward hiring persons with disabilities in Armenia. Disability and Rehabilitation, 41(18), 2135-2142. Published online (2018) at doi:10.1080/09638288.2018.1459882
Breen, J. (2018). Attitudes toward employees with disabilities: A systematic review of self-report measures. Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 24(2), 67-87.
Breen, J. (2018). The co-worker acceptance of disabled employees (CADE) scale: A study to gather evidence of content validity. (PhD dissertation) http://hdl.handle.net/2429/67749
Breen, J. (2017). Disability as difference – a fictional representation. The Qualitative Report, 22(10), 2722-2741.
Breen, J. (2015). The exoskeleton generation – disability redux. Disability and Society, 30(10), 1568-1572.
Breen, J. (2015). On-demand American Sign Language interpreting services: Creating social policy in the Yukon. Sign Language Studies, 15(3), 348-362.
Workshop Highlights
- Interactive discussions with fellow participants
- Insightful interviews with researchers and individuals with disabilities
- Key resources for inclusive workspaces
- Exploring the concept of disability
- Analyzing workplace realities related to disabilities
- Addressing the impact of low self-report rates on performance and morale
- Navigating challenges of disability disclosure
- Identifying structural and procedural barriers
- Exploring solutions and organizational strategies
- Discussions on integration at individual, departmental, and faculty levels within the FoM
Active Participation Required
Come prepared to contribute your thoughts, insights, and recommendations to enrich our discussions.
Registration & Additional Information
Upon successful registration, you will receive a confirmation email and a link to a brief questionnaire ahead of each session.
Accessibility Needs
If you have any accessibility requirements for these sessions, please contact the Centre for Workplace Accessibility at 604.822.8139 or workplace.accessibility@ubc.ca.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your awareness, understanding, and commitment to disability inclusion in the workplace. Join us on this enlightening journey towards a more inclusive FoM community.
REDI’s Book & Media List on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People
In recognition of Red Dress Day on May 5, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the disproportionately high rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people in Canada, we invite you to explore our curated selection of books, media, and resources. Engaging with these resources is a step toward acknowledging the injustices faced by Indigenous communities and supporting the ongoing efforts for justice and reconciliation.
Content about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People can be deeply emotional. If you find yourself overwhelmed, please refer to this comprehensive list of healing and wellness resources for Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals, including learners, staff, and faculty.
Books
Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls
by Angela Sterritt
Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
by Jessica McDiarmid
My Privilege, My Responsibility: A Memoir
by Sheila North
Stolen Sisters: The Story of Two Missing Girls, Their Families, and How Canada Has Failed Indigenous Women
by Emmanuelle Walter
Rematriating Justice: Honouring the Lives of Our Sisters in Spirit
by Jennifer Brant & Dawn Memee Lavell Harvard
Becoming a Matriarch: A Memoir
by Helen Knott
Podcasts
Stolen: The Search for Jermain
In 2018, a young Indigenous mother named Jermain Charlo left a bar in Missoula, Montana, and was never seen again. After two years and thousands of hours of investigative work, police believe they are close to solving the mystery of what happened to her. We go inside the investigation, tracking down leads and joining search parties through the dense mountains of the Flathead Reservation. As we unravel this mystery, Stolen: The Search for Jermain examines what it means to be an Indigenous woman in America.
Missing & Murdered: Who Killed Alberta Williams?
This eight-part podcast investigation uncovers new information and potential suspects in the cold case of a young Indigenous woman murdered in British Columbia in 1989.
Stolen: Trouble in Sweetwater
Violence. Retaliation. Disappearances. The Navajo Nation is 27,000 square miles of remote terrain with just over 200 tribal police officers. This season on Stolen, Connie Walker’s investigation into the cases of two missing women leads her on a search for justice in a place where people say you can get away with murder.
Missing & Murdered: Finding Cleo
This podcast joins a family as they search for their sister Cleo Nicotine Semaganis. In the early 1970s, Cleo and her five siblings were apprehended by child welfare authorities in Saskatchewan. The children were adopted into white families across North America. All but one of the siblings have reconnected and have been told various mysterious stories about what happened to Cleo, but they can’t find her.
Indigenous Speakers Series
Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls
Watch a recording for a conversation with Angela Sterritt, an award-winning investigative journalist, TV, radio, and podcast host, and national bestselling author for her book Unbroken. Angela is from the Wilp Wiik’aax (we-GAK) of the Gitanmaax (GIT-in-max) community.
My Privilege, My Responsibility: A Higher Calling To Do Better in an Era of Truth, Reconciliation & Redress
Watch the recording of a conversation with Sheila North, the creator of the widely used hashtag #MMIW – a movement that advocates for the end of violence against First Nations/ Indigenous women and girls.
Foundational Reports
Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
(2019)
Forsaken: The Report of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry
by the BC Missing Women Commission of Inquiry
(2012)
Resources for Health-Care Providers
Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care
- Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care (TVIC) by EQUIP Health care (resource list)
- EQUIP Equity Essentials: Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care (video)
- Trauma-Informed Practice by BC Mental Health and Substances Use Services (BCMHSUS)
Research Voices from the Field with Rabia Khan
Research Voices from the Field is a new feature that showcases cutting-edge research that breaks barriers and promotes inclusion in medicine. Each edition spotlights a research publication and includes insights directly from the authors—revealing their motivations, the significance of their findings, and why the research matters for healthcare professionals everywhere.
In this edition, Rabia Khan, Scientist at the Centre for Health Education Scholarship and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, reflects on why she co-authored “Constructing “Burnout”: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Burnout in Postgraduate Medical Education“, the first paper from her doctoral dissertation Dying to Stay Alive in Residency and Beyond, highlighting its relevance for policymakers, educators, leaders, and trainees.
Rabia Khan, Scientist at the Centre for Health Education Scholarship and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, reflects on why she co-authored “Constructing “Burnout”: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Burnout in Postgraduate Medical Education“, highlighting its relevance for policymakers, educators, leaders, and trainees.
This paper is the first from my doctoral dissertation, “Dying to Stay Alive in Residency and Beyond: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Burnout”, in which I was trying to answer a pressing question: why does burnout persist, despite efforts to ameliorate it? This paper is not only relevant to policymakers, educators, and leaders but, more importantly, it’s a love letter to trainees. Through my research, I found that while ‘burnout’ impacts everyone, the way we talk about it often doesn’t reflect the lived experiences of those most affected.
This is exacerbated by the finding that there are more studies quantifying the amount of burnout or proposing solutions to burnout, then there are trying to understand how and why this effects health workers in the way that it does. In this paper, I highlight how workplace culture has been colonized and shaped by Western-centric notions like burnout—ideas that organizations can monitor, promote, and challenge at an individual level. But this depoliticization of health into a wellness issue has real consequences for health workers themselves. I argue that to mitigate burnout’s effects, we need to focus on cultural resiliency, not just individual resiliency. And more importantly, we must continue advocating for structural changes that are equity informed and support those who are often silenced in this research.
Constructing “Burnout”: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Burnout in Postgraduate Medical Education
Authors: Rabia Khan, Brian David Hodges, Maria Athina Martimianakis
Abstract
Purpose: In 1974, Dr. Herbert Freudenberger coined the term burnout. With the creation of the Maslach Burnout Inventory in 1984, burnout went from a pop psychology term to a highly studied phenomenon in medicine. Exponential growth in studies of burnout culminated in its adoption into the International Classification of Diseases-11 in 2022. Yet, despite increased awareness and efforts aimed at addressing burnout in medicine, many surveys report burnout rates have increased among trainees. The authors aimed to identify different discourses that legitimate or function to mobilize burnout in postgraduate medical education (PGME), to answer the question: Why does burnout persist in PGME despite efforts to ameliorate it?
Method: Using a Foucauldian discourse analysis, this study examined the socializing period of PGME as an entry point into burnout’s persistence. The archive from which the discourses were constructed included over 500 academic articles, numerous policy documents, autobiographies, videos, documentaries, social media, materials from conferences, and threads in forums including Reddit.
Results: This study identified 3 discourses of burnout from 1974-2019: burnout as illness, burnout as occupational stress, and burnout as existentialism. Each discourse was associated with statements of truth, signs and signifiers, roles that individuals play within the discourse, and different institutions that gained visibility as a result of differing discourses.
Conclusions: Burnout persists despite effort to ameliorate it because it is a productive construct for organizations. In its current form, it depoliticizes issues of health in favor of wellness and gives voice to the challenge of making meaning from the experience of being a clinician.
Have you’ve published or come across valuable research on the praxis of REDI in medicine? Share it today.
We especially welcome submissions of research articles that explore equity, diversity, inclusion, justice, decolonization, Indigenization, or trauma-informed practices in medicine and healthcare.
To Bear Witness: A Meaningful Conversation about my Mom on Belonging and Perseverance
Thank you for joining us on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025, from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM (PST), for “To Bear Witness: A Meaningful Conversation about my Mom on Belonging and Perseverance.” In this Indigenous Speakers Series session, we bore witness to a meaningful conversation between Derek Thompson and Maï Yasué, Associate Director of the REDI Office, about Derek’s mom, Maude Thompson. Maude was originally scheduled to be the guest speaker, but she sadly passed away a month before the event. A Haisla First Nations woman and Survivor of the Indian Residential School system, Maude was a thoughtful, generous and loving human being —a Mom, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Auntie, Sister, and Daughter—who persevered in the face of incredible hardships. For nearly 40 years, Maude served as a cook for the Tsow-tun Le Lum Society – Substance Use and Trauma Treatment Centre providing nourishment, love, support, care, and inspiration to thousands of First Nations and Indigenous people.
In memory of Maude and in honour of her life and legacy, donations can be made to the Tsow-tun Lelum Society Substance Use and Trauma Treatment Centre, where she dedicated nearly 40 years of service.
Maude Thompson,
Mom & Chef
Maude was originally scheduled to be the guest speaker, but she sadly passed away a month before the event. In her honour, we will bear witness to a meaningful conversation between Derek Thompson and Maï Yasué, Associate Director of the REDI Office, about his mother, Maude Thompson.
Derek K Thompson – Čaabať Bookwilla | Suhiltun, Proud Son & Director, Indigenous Engagement
Maï Yasué,
Associate Director of the REDI Office
Description
Written by Derek K Thompson – Čaabať Bookwilla | Suhiltun, Proud Son
On June 11th, 2008, my Mom, Maude Thompson, was in the public gallery in the House of Commons in Ottawa to bear witness to the formal statement of apology to former students of the Indian Residential School experience in Canada. My Mom has always stated over the course of her life that all she ever wanted was for someone responsible to apologize for the wrongs committed against her as a little girl while she was at the Alberni Indian Residential School. She also talks about the tensions between belonging and being dispossessed of identity, culture and language, the conflict between truth and the not-so-straight-forward-ability to be truthful, the anxieties of trying to make sense of the past and to create the opportunity for your children and grandchildren to thrive, and the goodness that comes from being generous, mindful and dignified in spite of your adversities.
My Mom has told me that she has nothing to offer whenever I’ve asked her to consider speaking in this important series, and now she’s finally agreed to be here so that her and I can talk about these important issues within the context of truth, reconciliation and redress. She has a lot to offer about her experiences as survivor of the Indian residential school experience, as a First Nations – Haisla woman, as a thoughtful and generous human being, and as a Mom, a Grandmother, a Great-Grandmother, an Auntie, a Sister, a Daughter, and as a woman who has persevered in the face of incredible hardship.
My Mom has been a cook for the Tsow-tun Le Lum Society – Substance Use and Trauma Treatment Centre for nearly 40 years, and she’s been a source of love, support, care, and inspiration for thousands of First Nations and Indigenous people. Wherever I’ve worked over the years across BC, nearly every time someone comes up to me and tells me about a fond memory they have of my Mom – a favourite meal she cooked, how she listened when seemingly no one else did, a shoulder to cry on, she became the Auntie or Mom they never had, and many other touching stories. My Mom has created an enduring legacy in the lives of many people and has given so much of herself unconditionally, and she’s done so all in an effort to simply belong and in doing so to make others feel like they also belong.
Topic: To Bear Witness: A Meaningful Conversation about my Mom on Belonging and Perseverance
Date: Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025
Time: 12:00 – 2:00 PM (PST)
What Will I Learn?
You will learn about a unique perspective about the processes of truth and reconciliation.
Continue Learning
“The time to make things happen is now. The time to seek out our individual and shared power is now.”
Learn more about REDI’s Indigenous Initiatives here
Discover more about REDI’s Indigenous Initiatives Speakers Series here
Find REDI’s Indigenous-Specific Resources here
REDI’s Refugee Experiences Book List
April 4th marks Refugee Rights Day, a time to reflect on the challenges faced by refugees. Explore a curated collection of diverse books that capture the resilience, courage, and humanity of refugees from around the world. From personal memoirs to fictional stories inspired by real-life events, this collection offers a window into the experiences of those forced to flee their homes in search of safety and a better future.
Gaining a deeper understanding of the struggles, triumphs, and dreams of refugees can impact your clinical practice by fostering empathy and enhancing your ability to provide culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed care. It empowers you to deliver compassionate care that respects the dignity and humanity of each individual you serve. By incorporating these insights into your practice, you can create a more inclusive healthcare environment where refugees feel seen and supported.
The Wind Knows My Name
by Isabel Allende
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures
by Anne Fadiman
The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
The Boat People
by Sharon Bala
Research Voices from the Field with Faisal Khosa, Jeffrey Ding, and Sabeen Tiwana
Research Voices from the Field is a new feature that showcases cutting-edge research that breaks barriers and promotes inclusion in medicine. Each edition spotlights a research publication and includes insights directly from the authors—revealing their motivations, the significance of their findings, and why the research matters for healthcare professionals everywhere.
In this third edition, Dr. Faisal Khosa, Dr. Jeffrey Ding, and Dr. Sabeen Tiwana reflect on their edited book “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Healthcare: From Knowledge to Practice” and its relevance to healthcare professionals, medical educators, leaders, and policymakers in advancing inclusion in clinical practice and medical education across disciplines.
Dr. Faisal Khosa, Dr. Jeffrey Ding, and Dr. Sabeen Tiwana reflect on their edited book “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Healthcare: From Knowledge to Practice” and its relevance to healthcare professionals, medical educators, leaders, and policymakers in advancing inclusion in clinical practice and medical education across disciplines.
Healthcare is at a crossroads. Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) have long been essential in breaking down barriers to healthcare access and professional advancement, yet today, they are increasingly caught in political debates. Now more than ever, it’s crucial to not only defend EDI but to strengthen its foundation with practical, evidence-based solutions that lead to better outcomes for everyone.
That’s where Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Healthcare: From Knowledge to Practice comes in. This book brings together top experts and frontline practitioners to explore key issues like anti-racism in medicine, implicit bias, intersectionality, and the structural barriers that stand in the way of true equity. More than just theory, it offers real strategies for healthcare professionals, educators, and policymakers to create more inclusive, culturally safe spaces in clinical practice, medical education, and leadership.
We put this book together because meaningful change doesn’t happen without awareness and action. By amplifying diverse voices and real-world experiences, we hope to give healthcare professionals the tools they need to challenge systemic inequities and push for lasting change.
At a time when equity in healthcare is being questioned, we need to stand firm in our commitment to inclusion. We hope this book sparks important conversations, deep reflection, and, most importantly, real action toward a more just and inclusive healthcare system.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Healthcare: From Knowledge to Practice
Editors: Faisal Khosa, Jeffrey Ding, Sabeen Tiwana
Description
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Healthcare: From Knowledge to Practice offers a comprehensive text on the landscape of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the health professions. Each chapter is dedicated to a health profession and is authored by an expert in EDI and workforce diversity in their respective discipline (such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and so on). Chapters characterize the present state of workforce diversity in the discipline, chronicle historical developments, provide rationale for systemic action, and include possible solutions and interventions in an evidence-based manner.
By serving as an all-in-one reference text, this resource is meant for students, healthcare professionals, and organizational leadership who wish to understand and implement EDI in the health professions.
Have you’ve published or come across valuable research on the praxis of REDI in medicine? Share it today.
We especially welcome submissions of research articles that explore equity, diversity, inclusion, justice, decolonization, Indigenization, or trauma-informed practices in medicine and healthcare.