Discuss and Digest

At CIUSSS West-Central Montreal, our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) initiative launched the "Discuss and Digest" series in February 2023.  

These co-learning sessions are held monthly during our lunch hour to allow employees to join their colleagues, experts and/or guests in a virtual space to ask questions, share opinions and make connections on DEIB topics of interest. 

What’s the difference between building systems that include everyone or adjusting systems for a few? Accessibility and accommodation are often used interchangeably, yet they serve distinct purposes. Accessibility is a proactive approach—designing environments, communications, services and policies to be inclusive from the start. Accommodations, conversely, are reactive—individualized adjustments made when existing systems don’t meet everyone’s needs.

Join the DEIB team for the next D&D, for a discussion with panelists Sylvain Lemay, a Counsellor in the Office of Inclusion and Student Success at UQAM and is a Commissioner with the Commission des droits de la personne et de la jeunesse; Marc Tremblay, whose expertise has made him a pioneer in digital accessibility, inclusive management and design and assistive technologies and who sees digital technology as a tool for social participation; and Julie-Anne Perrault, who holds the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification, and has spent the last decade helping organizations integrate universal accessibility into their practices.

What do we mean by "intercultural competencies"? Why is it so important in our workplaces, as well as in health care and services? Behind its apparent simplicity, this polysemous notion offers different nuances and issues to explore together.    

Join us on April 29th as we demystify the concept and discuss it with our three panelists!   

Anna Tazian is a Senior Nursing Advisor at CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest de l'île de Montréal. Passionate about equity in healthcare, Anna has extensive experience in community nursing and university teaching at McGill University. 

Janique Johnson-Lafleur is trained in anthropology and transcultural psychiatry and is an institutional researcher at the SHERPA University Institute of the CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal. Her work focuses mainly on the experiences of the various players in Quebec's health and social services sector, and on the needs of stakeholders in terms of intercultural resources and training. 

Annie Lebrun is a psychologist at the Polarisation clinic of CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal and a planning, programming and research officer at the SHERPA University Institute. She is project manager for the development and delivery of training and tools for intercultural intervention. 

Together, we'll demystify this crucial concept to better understand and integrate intercultural skills into our professional practices.

During Black History Month, it's important to examine the ways “othering” still affects Black communities today. From microaggressions to systemic barriers, how can we shift toward inclusion, belonging and equity?

Join your colleagues and the panelists for this session of Discuss and Digest. For any questions about registration, please contact  deia.deib.ccomtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca.

When: February 21, from noon to 1:00 p.m.
Where: Virtually, by TEAMS
Registration:  Register here any time prior to the event

At a time when discussions about diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice are intensifying in professional spheres, neurodiversity invites us to fundamentally redefine our perception of “difference” and “normality.” This event offers a unique opportunity to reflect on the functioning of the human brain and its many variations. Instead of viewing autism, ADHD, or dyslexia as “obstacles” or “deficiencies,” neurodiversity reminds us that these are all natural and valuable variations of the human experience. By moving beyond diagnoses and labels, we can create workplaces where each person is valued for their cognitive uniqueness.

As thousands of neurodivergent people join or are increasingly being recognized in the job market, it is crucial to move beyond traditional models of “integration.” Neurodiversity raises serious questions such as: how can we create a workplace where cognitive diversity is truly recognized, not just accepted? This event serves to spark critical reflection on our current practices and invites us to understand the complexity of neurodivergent journeys and the lived experiences of neurodivergent people. Together, we will explore ways to transcend existing paradigms, to move towards authentic equity and sustainable inclusion for all cognitive profiles.

The DEIB team invites you to this month’s Discuss & Digest, which will be the first in a series of two meetings discussing neurodiversity. For this first meeting our panelists are Marilou Charron, researcher at CRISPESH; Alison Jolly, co-founder of Autisme en mouvement, speaker, and mental health nurse and Marie-Ève Lefebvre, professor >of school and social adaptation, specialized in autism at the Departmental Unit for Educational Sciences.

When: November 26, from noon to 1:00 p.m.
Where: Virtually, on Teams
Registration:  Follow this link
For any questions about registration, please contact  deia.deib.ccomtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca

In healthcare, labels such as “difficult patient” or “non-adherent” are often disproportionately applied to some people due to factors such as poverty or substance use, while patients from all walks of life may experience difficulties with treatment compliance (Messinger & Delaware, 2022). 

 In this exchange we wish to explore why these labels are attributed to some people more than others? What roles do our perceptions, our unconscious biases and social identities - such as socio-economic status, ethnic origin or gender - play in this classification?  In a context of person-centered care, we will reflect on the mechanisms that lead to these labels, the way they shape practices, and their potential impact on the therapeutic relationship and on people who use our services.

The DEIB team invites you to this month's Discuss & Digest with panelists Zarema Bulgak, social worker at the CCOMTL Jewish General Hospital; Syndie David, assistant professor at McGill University's School of Social Work and Emmanuelle Khoury, researcher and associate professor at the University of Montreal's School of Social Work.

Since 2018, many steps have been taken to reflect on and implement the principles related to cultural safety for Indigenous populations within the Quebec public healthcare and social services system (RSSS).
 
Networks within the RSSS are working to implement actions that reflect the Health Ministry’s principles regarding cultural safety, which are aimed at restoring and strengthening equity for First Nations and Inuit. Cultural safety recognizes existing inequities and strives to close these gaps through relevant practices. It is the Indigenous people themselves who define what culturally safe care or service is, through their own experiences.   

Healthcare and social service networks across Quebec are working to implement actions that reflect these principles, but cultural changes must be maintained over the long term and significant and intentional efforts will be required to better serve Indigenous communities. What does cultural safety mean and how is it set up for use on the ground? What are the gaps to consider in the alignment of cultures and the current pitfalls experienced by Indigenous people who need health care and social services in Quebec? How can we turn intentions into positive impacts for the people and communities concerned?