IDEA-STEM

As a STEM educator, researcher, caregiver, and person with a disability, I navigate ableist systems from multiple perspectives. That intersection gives me insight into how ableism operates and how it can be dismantled.

[VD: Dr. Sukhai speaks at a conference podium with a laptop and microphone.]

Disability is part of our lived experience, not the center of who we are. 

#InclusiveResearch #Personhood #DisabilityIdentity

[VD: Dr. Sukhai speaks at a conference podium with a laptop and microphone.]

Teaching with low vision and neurological vision loss shows why accessibility needs to be built into everyday systems. Vision loss is complex, not a single condition.

#VisionLoss #DisabilityEducation #Accessibility

[VD: Dr. Sukhai speaks at a conference podium with a laptop and microphone.]

Personhood should be at the center of research and engagement.
We are more than our roles, disabilities, or diagnoses.

#Personhood #PatientEngagement #InclusiveResearch

[VD: Dr. Sukhai speaks at a conference podium with a laptop and microphone.]

A purple promotional graphic titled “IDEA-STEM Voices Presents: NO ONE LEFT BEHIND.” Below the title is a video player frame showing April Assenza speaking on stage, wearing a sleeveless light-coloured top with visible tattoos on her arm. The YouTube logo appears in the top-left corner of the video frame. Text beneath reads: “Exploring what ‘inclusion’ really means, and why belonging takes more than an invitation.” The IDEA-STEM logo appears in the bottom-right corner.

Our next instalment of IDEA-STEM Voices is live on YouTube, exploring what “inclusion” really means, and why being invited into a space isn’t the same as truly belonging within it.

🎥 Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypLPx0C4MQ0

#Accessibility #Inclusion

Reducing someone to disability alone erases their intersecting identities and undermines their personhood. 

#Inclusion #DisabilityIdentity #Intersectionality #Personhood

[VD: Dr. Sukhai speaks at a conference podium with a laptop and microphone.]

Dr. Mahadeo Sukhai stands at a podium labeled “Centre Rogers Centre,” presenting from a laptop with a microphone. He is wearing glasses and a purple sweater, speaking during a conference session.

Spencer West, activist and speaker, sits on stage in front of a large audience, with his image displayed on a big screen behind him during a Cannexus 2026 keynote.

Inuk singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark stands on a stage holding a microphone as she sings. Blue stage lighting surrounds her, and a large audience is seated in front of the stage.

Grateful to be part of #Cannexus26. Dr. Mahadeo Sukhai led a powerful session on building accessibility into workplace design from the start. We also heard from Spencer West and Susan Aglukark on the power of lived experience and storytelling. #Cannexus26 #Accessibility #InclusiveLeadership

Equity and excellence aren’t in conflict; they reinforce each other. Strong equity standards help science remain competitive, ethical, and socially responsible. 

#STEM #Equity #InclusiveScience

I was the first blind person to do a PhD in genetics. That reflects how ableism still shapes who gets to participate in and benefit from science.

#Accessibility #STEM #Ableism #DisabilityInclusion

[VD: Dr. Sukhai speaks at a conference podium with a laptop and microphone.]

Equity is how we raise the bar in science. It’s about better execution, anticipating bias, and doing more rigorous research that ultimately benefits more people.

#Equity #STEM #ResearchExcellence

At IDEA-STEM we work to create systems-level change in policy and practice by embedding inclusive methodologies across research, teams, and learning. 

#Accessibility #InclusiveResearch #STEM #SciencePolicy

[VD: Dr. Sukhai speaks at a conference podium with a laptop and microphone.]

Sometimes researchers, ethics, and funding panels don't know what they don’t know. 

Examples:
1) a life-saving device delayed by an inaccessible survey
2) an aging-in-place study excluding its audience
3) and a genetic variant misclassified due to non-representative data

#Accessibility #Inclusion

Science is a universal human right, but access still isn’t universal. Modern systems decide who gets to participate and benefit, while many are still excluded.

#ScienceForAll #AccessibilityInSTEM #InclusiveResearch

[VD: Dr. Sukhai speaks at a conference podium with a laptop and microphone.]

Inaccessible research design can delay or deny life-saving technologies. Thankfully, this is something we can prevent. 

#Accessibility #Anti-Ableism #ScienceResearch

Promotional graphic for Cannexus26, Canada’s Career Development Conference, celebrating 20 years, with CERIC logo. Green “Speaker” badge. Title reads: “Moving Beyond Accommodations: Redesigning Workplaces for Disability Inclusion” with Dr. Mahadeo Sukhai. Circular photo shows Dr. Sukhai in a suit and green shirt, smiling slightly. Event details: Monday, January 27, 2026, 10:45–11:45 AM EST, in person. Light yellow-green background with dotted design.

Excited to share that our very own Mahadeo Sukhai will be presenting at #Cannexus26, Canada’s Career Development Conference!
📍 Ottawa | Jan 26–28, 2026
Celebrating 20 years of advancing career development with 140+ sessions.
Learn more: cannexus.ceric.ca
#CareerDevelopment #CERIC

Equity and excellence are mutually reinforcing. Inclusive research design strengthens rigor, reduces bias, and improves outcomes.

#EquityInSTEM #InclusiveResearch #ResearchDesign #SciencePolicy

This is why he’s our Chief Operating Officer. We're making accessibility in STEM a reality!

#Accessibility #Inclusion #STEMEducation

Even well-intentioned research can be shaped by systemic bias. Ethics and funding reviews don’t always catch it. Lived experience helps reveal what formal processes overlook.

#AccessibleSTEM #LivedExperience #InclusiveResearch

Our next instalment of IDEA-STEM Voices is live on YouTube, exploring what “fairness” really means, and who gets left out. 🎥 Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/UaLR1MayUoo

#Accessibility #Equity #InclusiveScience

These aren’t hypotheticals. They’re outcomes of systemic bias that passed ethics and funding review and that could have been avoided with inclusive research design.

#Accessibility #InclusiveScience #ScienceResearch

We'll say it again. Equity is central to excellence. Inclusive science simply is better science.

#Accessibility #InclusiveScience #ResearchExcellence