ACED practicum students enrich health partners’ work-related research and outreach

Two master’s students brought their passion for disability justice and health equity to their ACED practicums in 2020. Leslie Cheng (left) worked with Crohn’s and Colitis Canada to study the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease and work. Ayesha Khan (right) worked with Realize Canada to study the communication and disclosure of episodic disabilities during the hiring process.

Leslie Cheng had a unique opportunity to work directly with one of the ACED partners, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. Leslie’s interest in working on ACED was sparked by her passion for disability justice and health equity. During her practicum, Leslie studied the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and work by consolidating evidence and interviewing people with lived experience. She conducted a scoping review, expected to be published soon, to identify the challenges faced by people with IBD in the workplace and the types of accommodation and supports that can help them. According to Leslie, the work she completed during her practicum “underscored the importance of both disability and employment as social determinants of health”.

Leslie Cheng is a master’s of public health student specializing in health promotion at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

Ayesha Khan worked closely with ACED partner Realize Canada on the development and presentation of a policy paper regarding communication and disclosure of episodic disabilities during the hiring process. Ayesha is passionate about shifting the public health paradigm so that justice, accessibility and equity are part of the foundation of public health and its practices. Regarding the practicum, she commented: “It was an opportunity for me to build upon my community and lived experience of fostering inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities.” As a result of this practicum, Ayesha is pursuing further research of episodic disabilities and chronic conditions.

Ayesha Khan is a master’s of public health candidate in the Social and Behavioural Health Sciences (Health Promotion) Division at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.