Teams of Canadian scientists will conduct research to improve the social inclusion and participation of children with severe disabilities and to better understand and support their parents.

The funding was awarded through Bright Futures for Kids with Disabilities, a partnership between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Bloorview Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Dr. Patricia McKeever, co-investigator on one of the projects, said the research focus on inclusion reflects a dramatic shift “beyond repairing children to finding ways to enable children with even the most severe disabilities to enjoy the rights of full citizenship.”

Patricia, who holds the Bloorview Kids Rehab Foundation Chair in Childhood Disability Studies, noted that children with severe disabilities have been neglected in research.

Unique aspects of the Bright Futures research include developing methods and tools that are disability-friendly, child-friendly and give voice to kids who don’t speak; training of graduate and post-doctoral students; and interdisciplinary teams that move beyond traditional health professions to include geographers, engineers, physicists and artists.

“We want to improve children’s built environments – where they learn and live and receive services – and we want to change social attitude so that children with disabilities feel they belong and can contribute to all aspects of Canadian life that non-disabled kids take for granted.”

The research focuses on children with severe disabilities – including those with complex medical needs who are non-verbal – children with developmental disabilities, and those in First Nations communities.

“This is a multi-million dollar investment in childhood disability research that brings together Canadian research teams composed of different disciplines to examine the barriers to social inclusion and participation,” says Dr. Colin Macarthur, director of the Bloorview Research Institute.

Read more at www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca.