Sally Lindsay

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital · Bloorview Research Institute

Purpose: Having a mobility-related disability can create numerous challenges in navigating the physical and built environment, especially during winter. Such weather-related challenges can be a significant barrier to participation in everyday activities and are linked with increased physical and psychological morbidities. Unfortunately, mobility r...

Qualitative researchers have much to gain by using comparison groups. Although their use within qualitative health research is increasing, the guidelines surrounding them are lacking. The purpose of this article is to explore the extent to which qualitative comparison groups are being used within health research and to outline the lessons learned i...

Purpose: Youth with disabilities often encounter barriers in finding meaningful employment and com- pleting post-secondary education. Such challenges are often even more profound for youth who identify as an ethnic minority. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationships between race, ethnicity and school and work outcomes for youth...

Faculty and staff with disabilities are significantly underrepresented within academia and experience alarming rates of discrimination, social exclusion and marginalization. This review aimed to understand the experiences and impact of disability discrimination (ableism) among faculty and staff. We conducted a systematic review while searching six...

Purpose: People with disabilities experience a disproportionate impact of extreme weather events and there is a critical need to better understand the impact that climate change has for them. Most previous reviews focus on the risk of acquiring a new disability or injury after a climate-related event and not the impact on people with pre-existing d...

Purpose: Youth with disabilities often face many barriers in finding employment. A knowledge gap exists surrounding the experiences of racially minoritized youth with disabilities who arguably encounter multiple and complex forms of discrimination. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of ableism and racism in employment among...

Purpose: Although the health benefits of early diagnosis and therapeutic approaches for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), racial disparities persist. This systematic review explored the experiences of racism and racial disparities in health care among children and youth with ASD and their caregivers. Methods: We conducted a sy...

Purpose: Racial minoritized children and youth with acquired brain injury (ABI) often experience multiple forms of discrimination. The purpose of this systematic review was to understand the racial disparities in health care among children and youth with ABI and their caregivers. Method: Six international databases (Ovid Medline, Embase, Healthstar...

Purpose: The evolving virtual care experience highlights the potential of technology to serve as a way to enhance care. Having virtual care options for assessment, consultation and intervention were essential during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, especially for children with disabilities and their families. The purpose of our study was to des...

Purpose: People with disabilities, especially children and youth, are often not considered in emergency and disaster preparedness planning, which leaves them vulnerable and at a higher risk of the negative effects of natural and human caused disasters. The purpose of this study was to understand the extent of emergency and disaster preparedness and...

Purpose: Research has shed light on the employment barriers faced by individuals with disabilities, and by racialized people. The challenges faced by people belonging to both marginalized groups are less well-understood. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine existing research on labour market and workplace experiences of racialized peop...

Purpose: Asian children and youth with disabilities often experience multiple barriers and discrimination in education, healthcare, and social settings, which influence their well-being, especially the transition to adulthood. This review aims to explore the types, factors affecting and impact of ableism on Asian children and youth with disabilitie...

Background Accessible housing is imperative to enabling independent living for many people with disabilities; yet, research consistently shows how people with disabilities often lack appropriate accessible housing and are more likely to experience unaffordable, insecure, and/or poor quality housing. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understan...

Background Youth and young adults with disabilities experience many barriers in securing employment such as discrimination, inaccessible environments, and lack of support. Youth often need to decide whether and how they should disclose their need for accommodations to employers, which can help them to do their best at work. However, few evidence-ba...

Purpose: Asian children and youth with disabilities often experience multiple barriers, stigmas and discrimination within and outside their families; yet less is understood about their lived experiences. this systematic review explored the experiences of ableism among Asian children and youth with disabilities and their families. Methods: we conduc...

Purpose: Accessible housing is a fundamental human right and yet many children and youth with disabilities live in inaccessible, insecure, unaffordable and poor quality housing. The aim of our study was to understand the barriers and facilitators to obtaining accessible housing among children, youth and young adults with disabilities and their fami...

Purpose: People with disabilities experience concerning rates of ableism and are significantly under-represented within healthcare education and professions. Focusing on healthcare professions is important for enhancing the diversity and inclusion of equity-deserving groups within the workforce. The objective of this review was to explore the exper...

Background: Working and volunteering in the reopening stages of the COVID-19 pandemic has looked different depending on the location, employment sector and nature of the job. Although researchers have begun exploring the impacts on adults, little is known about what the transition to a 'new normal' in the reopening stages has been like for youth,...

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) impacts an individual's workforce involvement post-injury. Support services and workplace accommodations that can help with work re-integration post-TBI may differ based on a person's sex and gender. The added impact of COVID-19 remains under-explored. Objective: We aimed to investigate the support servic...

Background: An inclusive workplace culture supports and values the individual and collective work processes of workers from diverse backgrounds. The reality or perception of inclusion or exclusion at work can influence the social functioning, health, and well-being of workers. However, we lack knowledge about the concepts relevant to inclusion at...

Purpose: The purpose of this scoping review was to explore the role of gender within speech-language pathology practice. Method: A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. Comprehensive and systematic searches of four international databases were conducted. Eligible studies included empirical findings that focussed on...

BACKGROUND Youth and young adults with disabilities experience many barriers in securing employment such as discrimination, inaccessible environments, and lack of support. Youth often need to decide whether and how they should disclose their need for accommodations to employers, which can help them to do their best at work. However, few evidence-ba...

Deciding whether and how to disclose one’s autism at work is complex, especially for autistic youth and young adults who are newly entering the labor market and still learning important decision-making and self-determination skills. Autistic youth and young adults may benefit from tools to support disclosure processes at work; however, to our knowl...

Background: Deciding whether and how to disclose one's autism at work is complex, especially for autistic youth and young adults who are newly entering the labor market and still learning important decision-making and self-determination skills. Autistic youth and young adults may benefit from tools to support disclosure processes at work; however,...

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) outcomes are dependent on patients' biological sex (e.g., hormone levels) and sociocultural gender (e.g., norms, responsibilities). Informal caregivers additionally experience disruptions to identity and roles post-TBI. However, information on this topic remains largely unavailable to patients and caregiver...

Background: Although there is a need for gender-specific health care, especially within the context of vocational rehabilitation for youth with disabilities, clinicians, trainees, and community service providers commonly report lacking training in gender-sensitive approaches. Therefore, an educational tool designed for clinicians working with youth...

Purpose: Children and youth with acquired brain injury (ABI) experience persistent discrimination and ableism. The purpose of this systematic review was to understand the experiences and impact of ableism among children and youth with ABI. Method: Six international databases were systematically searched for articles from 2002–2022. Studies were scr...

Purpose: Racial and ethnic minority youth with disabilities often encounter more challenges and poorer health, social and vocational outcomes compared to white youth and yet, relatively little is known about their lived experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of ethnic minority youth and young adults with disabilities....

Objective(s) To systematically explore the experiences and impact of workplace discrimination and ableism among healthcare providers and trainees with disabilities. Data Sources Systematic searches of seven databases (Ovid Medline, Embase, Healthstar, PsychInfo, Scopus, CINAHL and Web of Science) were conducted. Study Selection Inclusion criteria...

Objective(s) To systematically explore the experiences and impact of workplace discrimination and ableism among youth and young adults with disabilities. Data Sources Systematic searches of seven databases (Ovid Medline, Embase, Healthstar, Psychinfo, Scopus, ERIC and Web of Science) from 2000 to 2021 were conducted. Four reviewers independently a...

Research Objectives To investigate the effectiveness of a one-time educational intervention on sex (i.e., biological attributes) and gender (i.e., norms, responsibilities) influences in traumatic brain injury (TBI) for patients and caregivers. Design Pilot pre-test/post-test randomized control-group study design. Setting Zoom and the University H...

Objective(s) To examine the impact and implications of workplace accommodations during the COVID-19 pandemic for people with disabilities. Data Sources Systematic searches were conducted from the following Data Sources Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts and Google Scholar. Study Selecti...

Objective(s) To systematically explore the lived experiences of ethnic minority youth and young adults with disabilities. Data Sources Systematic searches of eight databases (CINHAL, PsychInfo, Embase, Medline, Healthstar, Scopus, ERIC, Sociological abstracts) were conducted. Study Selection Inclusion criteria involved: empirical research involvi...

Research Objectives To investigate across sex (i.e., biological attributes) and gender (i.e., roles and responsibilities), the support services and workplace accommodation needs for men and women with traumatic brain injury (TBI), and the impact of COVID-19 on work and mental well-being. Design A cross-sectional study design with an online survey....

Qualitative researchers are increasingly using online data collection methods, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. I compared the data quality (i.e., interview duration, average number of themes and sub-themes, and inaudible words) of 34 interviews (29 conducted by Zoom (16 with camera on, 13 camera off) and 5 conducted by phone) drawn from a...

BACKGROUND Deciding whether and how to disclose one’s autism at work is complex, especially for autistic youth and young adults who are newly entering the labor market and still learning important decision-making and self-determination skills. Autistic youth and young adults may benefit from tools to support disclosure processes at work; however, t...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread changes in the way people work. Some of these changes represent the same kinds of work modifications or adjustments that have often been requested as workplace accommodations, and which may improve labour market and employment outcomes for people with disabilities. Objective: The aim of thi...

Purpose: Developing self-determination skills is an important component of youth’s maturation. However, many youths with disabilities lack opportunities to engage in activities that can promote these skills. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of self-determination interventions for children and youth with disabilities. Met...

For autistic young adults, deciding whether to disclose their autism at work is complex. Minimal research explores what they need to support disclosure and what influences decisions. To understand disclosure needs and influencers, we explored (i) disclosure decision-making experiences and (ii) perceptions of the disclosure process among autistic yo...

Purpose: Young people with disabilities are persistently under-employed and experience concerning rates of discrimination and ableism in looking for work and within the workplace. Focusing on youth is salient because rates of ableism are often higher among younger ages compared to older. The objective of this systematic review was to explore the ex...

Aim: Youth with cerebral palsy generally participate in less physical activity than typically developing peers. In adults with physical disabilities, balance confidence is a strong predictor of participation, and community re-integration. However, balance confidence has not been studied in youth with cerebral palsy. Method: Qualitative descriptive...

Purpose: Although there is an increasing awareness of the critical role of gender within pediatric rehabilitation, little is known about the strategies that clinicians use to provide such care. The purpose of this study was to explore clinicians’ strategies for providing gender-sensitive care within a pediatric rehabilitation hospital. Methods: We...

BACKGROUND Although there is a need for gender-specific health care, especially within the context of vocational rehabilitation for youth with disabilities, clinicians, trainees, and community service providers commonly report lacking training in gender-sensitive approaches. Therefore, an educational tool designed for clinicians working with youth,...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived challenges with providing a gender-sensitive care approach among pediatric rehabilitation care providers. Methods: Using a qualitative needs assessment design and a purposive sampling strategy, we recruited clinicians from a Canadian pediatric rehabilitation hospital. We conducted inte...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore rehabilitation clinicians’ understanding of how sex and gender facilitate or hinder care provided to patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Materials and methods: Sixteen clinicians from various specialities, attending to patients with TBI from a large rehabilitation hospital in Ontario, Canada...

Objective(s) To understand the experiences of persons with non-visible disabilities / illnesses pertaining to disclosure decision-making and navigating disclosure and concealment at work while comparing across disability / illness types, gender, age, and geographic location. Data Sources We conducted a qualitative meta-synthesis using Noblit and H...

Research Objectives To explore barriers to school and work transitions for youth with and without a disability during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design An interpretive descriptive qualitative approach involving in-depth interviews. Setting Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada which was considered a hot zone for COVID-19 cases and deaths. Participan...

Background: Deciding whether and how to disclose a disability at work for persons with non-visible disabilities and illnesses involve complex processes. Research has focused on antecedents and outcomes of disclosure. More research is needed to understand the lived experiences related to disclosure decision-making and actual navigation of disclosur...

Purpose: This study assessed the environmental quality of an adapted, play-based LEGO robotics program for children and youth with disabilities to determine the degree to which the activity setting supports the therapeutic goals of the program. Materials and methods: We measured the environmental qualities of a robotics program held at a paediatric...

Purpose: Youth and young adults are particularly vulnerable to the socio-economic impacts of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). The purpose of this study was to explore barriers to school and employment for youth with and without a disability during the pandemic. Methods: This qualitative comparison study involved in-depth interviews with 35 youth and...

Research Objectives To co-develop an educational simulation and identify issues relevant to providing gender-sensitive care within the context of vocational rehabilitation for youth with disabilities. Design An interpretive descriptive qualitative approach involving two 2.5 hour focus group discussions to co-design an online simulation tool. Sett...

Research Objectives To understand the facilitators for helping youth with and without disabilities to cope and maintain mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design A descriptive design using in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews with a narrative thematic analysis. Setting Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada which was considered...

Background: LIFEspan (“Living Independently and Fully Engaged”) is a linked transition service model for youth and young adults with childhood-onset disabilities offered via an inter-agency partnership between two rehabilitation hospitals (one pediatric and one adult) in Toronto, Canada. Objective: The objective was to evaluate healthcare outcomes...

Objectives: Discharging a child home on long-term ventilation (LTV) via tracheostomy is complex and involves multiple healthcare providers across healthcare sectors. To date, there has been a paucity of data with respect to the experiences of families transitioning a child home on LTV. Our objective was to explore the perceptions of family caregive...

Background: Having a service dog can help to increase independence and well-being among people with a disability or a chronic health condition. Although there has been an increasing use of service dogs among children and youth their impact has not yet been synthesized. Objective: The purpose of this article was to conduct a systematic review assess...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how parents support the health behaviours of their child with a disability, and their motivations for registering their child in a health promotion program for children with physical and/or intellectual disabilities. Methods: Using a descriptive qualitative design, semi-structured face-to-face inter...

Purpose: Youths with disabilities have lower employment rates than youths without disabilities, which are often a result of inaccessible environments, employer’s lack of knowledge about people with disabilities and discriminatory attitudes. Exploring youths’ career aspirations is important because it can prompt or hinder career planning, and contri...

Background: The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly impacted people’s mental health. Youth with disabilities are at particular risk for the psychological implications of the pandemic. Although much attention has been given to pandemic-related mental health challenges that youth have encountered, little is known about the facilitator...

Purpose Exercise and sports have many positive benefits for persons with or without a disability. Despite this, the contribution of exercise and sport participation to employment is less documented. The purpose of this scoping review was to provide insight into the direct and indirect associations of exercise and sport participation with employment...

Objectives: Discharging a child home on long term ventilation (LTV) via tracheostomy is complex and involves multiple healthcare providers across healthcare sectors. To date, patient and family feedback of a newly developed LTV discharge pathway has been anecdotal. Our objective was to explore the perceptions of family caregivers (FCs) that have co...

Purpose: Having a service dog can help increase the independence of people with disabilities and they are considered a reasonable accommodation within employment settings. The objective of this scoping review was to understand the benefits and challenges of using a service dog in gaining and maintaining employment. Methods: Systematic searches of s...

Purpose: Exercise and sports have many positive benefits for persons with or without a disability. Despite this, the contribution of exercise and sport participation to employment is less documented. The purpose of this scoping review was to provide insight into the direct and indirect associations of exercise and sport participation with employmen...

Background: Although having a sexual and reproductive life is a fundamental human right, people with disabilities, especially youth, often have many unaddressed needs. Healthcare providers commonly report lacking knowledge and training in how to address sexual-related topics with youth. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perspect...

Background: Although research shows that there is a need for gender-specific vocational support to help youth with disabilities find employment, health care providers often report needing more training in this area. Currently, there are no existing educational simulations of gender-sensitive care within vocational rehabilitation for clinicians who...

Purpose: The objective of this systematic review was to describe the prevalence and processes of disabil- ity disclosure for persons with autism spectrum disorder. Methods: Systematic searches of seven international databases revealed 26 studies meeting our inclusion criteria. We analyzed these studies with respect to participant demographics, meth...

Background: Youth with disabilities encounter many challenges during their transition to adulthood including finding employment. Jobs are often inaccessible and youth often face a lack of support, discriminatory attitudes, and sometimes low self-confidence. Therefore, it is critical to help youth to enhance their self-determination skills to advoca...

This study assessed the extent to which an adapted robotics programme fostered interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) among children with disabilities. This study included pre- and post-programme surveys. The sample involved 57 children with disabilities who participated in an adapted robotics programme held in a pediat...

Background: Gender is an important social determinant of health; however, clinicians often lack training in how to provide gender-sensitive care. Offering appropriate and relevant training could help to address some gender-based health inequalities. Our objective was to identify and describe the training needs for gender-sensitive care among pediat...

Purpose: Many employers struggle with how to have a disability disclosure discussion with their employees and job candidates. The primary purpose of this study was to identify issues relevant to disability disclosure discussions. In addition, we explored how simulations, as an educational tool, may help employers and managers. Design/methodology/ap...

Background: Individuals with disabilities are under-represented in STEM education and careers. Research from the US has examined interventions for increasing the interest or participation of youth with disabilities in STEM, but this work has not yet been synthesized. Objective: We reviewed and critically appraised the literature on the impact of pr...

Purpose To systematically assess the measurement properties and the quality of the evidence for measures of inclusion or exclusion at work. Methods Comprehensive searches of five electronic databases were conducted up to February 2019. Eligible studies aimed to develop a measure of workplace inclusion or exclusion or assessed at least one measureme...

BACKGROUND Although research shows that there is a need for gender-specific vocational support to help youth with disabilities find employment, health care providers often report needing more training in this area. Currently, there are no existing educational simulations of gender-sensitive care within vocational rehabilitation for clinicians who p...

Background: Peer-mentoring is a method of delivering support that may ameliorate some of the challenges that youth with physical disabilities experience when preparing for future employment. This qualitative study compared and described forum content of an employment-focused peer e-mentoring intervention for youth with physical disabilities with a...

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have fewer opportunities to participate in play than typically developing children because of their tendencies for repetitive play behaviours and preference for independent play. The Holland Bloorview (HB) FIRST® robotics program embeds technology into a playful activity that was designed to be acc...

Background: Although access to reliable transportation is an essential component of quality of life, young people with disabilities encounter many transportation-related obstacles. Objective: To explore solutions to the challenges that youth with disabilities encounter in accessing and navigating transportation. Methods: A nominal group technique w...

This paper presents the results of a study devoted to the professionals of a larger research carried out in French-speaking Switzerland to analyze and describe the collaboration between migrant families who have a child with a disability and the rehabilitation professionals. Concerning the professionals, their representations and experiences highli...

Background: Youths with physical disabilities face many barriers in society, including social exclusion, stigma, and difficulties finding employment. Electronic mentoring (e-mentoring) offers a promising opportunity for youths with disabilities and has the potential to improve their inclusion while enhancing career outcomes. However, little is know...

Children with disabilities often have fewer opportunities to engage in science, technology, engineering, and math programs that can enhance their educational and career opportunities. This study explored the quality, experience, and skills learned in a group-based robotics program for youth with disabilities. Survey responses of 23 youth (16 males,...

Children with disabilities encounter many barriers in engaging in science, math, and technology courses such as discriminatory attitudes and inaccessible classes, which can limit their educational and future employment opportunities. Helping children to foster an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines early on ca...

We compared the interactions between teachers and children with disabilities enrolled in an adapted robotics program to examine potential gender differences in these interactions. We coded video recordings from instructional sections of the HB FIRST® robotics program, an adapted robotics program developed through a partnership between a pediatric r...

Purpose: Being able to travel independently, whether as a pedestrian or by taking public transportation, is a critical element to maintaining quality of life and participation in the community. The objective of this systematic review is to understand the best practices and effective components of pedestrian and public transit training interventions...

Background.: Youth with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and other neuromuscular disorders are living well into adulthood and often need help engaging in meaningful occupations. Purpose.: Our purpose was to explore enablers and barriers to engaging in meaningful occupations, from the perspectives of youth, parents, and practitioners. Method.:...

Background Although gender plays an important role in health, most healthcare providers lack knowledge in providing gender-sensitive care. Offering gender-sensitivity training for healthcare providers can help to address gender-based health inequalities. Method A mixed-methods systematic review of gender-sensitivity training programmes or interven...

Purpose: Youth with disabilities have lower rates of enrolment and completion of post-secondary education compared to youth without disabilities. The objective of this systematic review is to understand the best practices and components of post-secondary transition programs for youth with disabilities. Method: Systematic searches of six internatio...

Purpose: Many youths with disabilities find it challenging to disclose their medical condition and request workplace accommodations. Our objective was to explore when and how young people with disabilities disclose their condition and request workplace accommodations. Methods: We conducted 17 in-depth interviews (11 females, six males) with youth w...

Background: Youth with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty and be unemployed compared with youth without disabilities. Such trends are often a result of a lack of support, inaccessible jobs, environmental barriers, and discriminatory attitudes toward people with disabilities. Youth with disabilities also face barriers in accessing vocat...

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of youth and young adults with acquired brain injury as they transition towards work-related roles. Little is known about employment experiences among this age group. Understanding their perspectives can inform programs and clinical practice. Materials and methods: A descriptive q...

Qualitative research can add to our knowledge and understanding of occupational rehabilitation by exploring meaning, lived experience, and process of enabling occupational engagement. Until recently, most research on young people with disabilities focused on parents’ perspectives or health care providers while little was known about youth’s experie...

Background: Youth with disabilities are at high risk of unemployment compared with youth without disabilities. They often encounter challenges in accessing vocational programs that meet their needs. One promising approach that could help to address barriers that youth encounter while also enhancing social support is through electronic mentoring (e-...

BACKGROUND: Enhancing the employment of people with disabilities can help support healthy and productive work. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to understand employer accommodation practices with youth with disabilities (i.e., as they currently exist and what employers need help with) and how they create an inclusive environment. METHODS: A descriptiv...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the role of gender in the transition to employment for young adults with physical disabilities. Methods: This study drew on in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 33 participants (23 youth and 10 clinicians). The youth in our sample included 13 females (mean age 22.9) and 10 males (mean age...

Purpose – Many employers lack disability confidence regarding how to include people with disabilities in the workforce, which can lead to stigma and discrimination. The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of disability confidence from two perspectives, employers who hire people with a disability and employees with a disability. Design/m...

Purpose: We reviewed literature on the benefits of hiring people with disabilities. Increasing attention is being paid to the role of people with disabilities in the workplace. Although most research focuses on employers’ concerns, many companies are now beginning to share their successes. However, there is no synthesis of the peer-reviewed literat...

Purpose: The objective of this systematic review is to critically appraise the literature on disability disclosure and workplace accommodations for youth and young adults with disabilities. Methods: Systematic searches of nine international databases identified 27 studies meeting our inclusion criteria. These studies were analyzed with respect to t...

Background: Children and youth with disabilities experience many challenges in their development including higher risk of poor self-esteem, fewer friendships and social isolation. Electronic mentoring is a potentially viable approach for youth with disabilities to access social and peer support within a format that reduces physical barriers to acce...

BACKGROUND Youth with disabilities are at high risk of unemployment compared to youth without disabilities. They often encounter challenges in accessing vocational programs that meet their needs. One promising approach that could help to address barriers that youth encounter while also enhancing social support is through electronic mentoring (e-men...