Voices of Inclusion: Oral Histories of Indigenous Disability

Voices of Inclusion: Oral Histories of Indigenous Disability Gathering traditional knowledge of disability from Indigenous perspectives & exploring the impacts of colonialism on these understandings.

Great news! 🎉As of last month, the Voices of Inclusion project has carried out in-person interviews in all 10 provinces!...
04/01/2026

Great news! 🎉

As of last month, the Voices of Inclusion project has carried out in-person interviews in all 10 provinces!

As part of this work, we’ve had the tremendous honour of asking participants how disability can be understood in their language. In return, we’ve been gifted an incredible range of diverse, and beautiful ways of thinking about community and care, embedded in the many Indigenous languages we’ve heard along the way.

A heartfelt thank you to the Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community members who have so generously shared their answers, stories, & insights with us:

Cree, Mohawk, Wolastoqey, Mi’kmaq, Ojibwe, Blackfoot, Plains Indigenous Sign Language, Dunne-za

We are forever grateful.

Next, we head to Yukon. Wish us well.

National Indigenous Languages Day!“I really don't think there's a word for disabled [...] when you speak Mi'kmaw as oppo...
03/31/2026

National Indigenous Languages Day!

“I really don't think there's a word for disabled [...] when you speak Mi'kmaw as opposed to English, that's two totally different … say when I'm reading, I have to give [myself] a moment to translate it into English, because I'm trying to figure it out in Mi'kmaw in my head.”

In celebration of National Indigenous Languages Day, we’re coming back to our time in Eskasoni, Unama’ki, with Elder Ramona Gould and her mother Elder Bessie Prosper, who so generously welcomed us into the family home.

In listening to their stories and insights in both Mi’kmaw and English, we’re so grateful to have seen the kind of everyday community care we’ve come to understand over the course of the Voices of Inclusion project. Sitting in her kitchen, the love and care for Elder Bessie Prosper–who is 92 years old–was unmistakable, as family and kin entered in and out of the home throughout the afternoon and evening to support her.

As a Mi’kmaw speaker, Ramona shares what it's like to translate Mi’kmaw to English, and the different ways of thinking rooted within the language. Similarly to what we’ve learned from Elders and Knowledge Keepers in the past, Bessie and Ramona were also unsure of a direct translation of the word “disability”, as Ramona searches through her late father and brother’s book, “A Collection of Mi’kmaw Words and Meanings”.

We look forward to sharing additional moments from Bessie and Ramona’s interview.

Thank you very much, West Moberly First Nations!Last week, we had the immense privilege of carrying out interviews in We...
03/26/2026

Thank you very much, West Moberly First Nations!

Last week, we had the immense privilege of carrying out interviews in West Moberly First Nations for the Voices of Inclusion project. Situated at the west end of beautiful Moberly Lake (originally known as Amisk Sah Guy Gun - Beaver Lake), West Moberly is one of the six member nations of the Treaty 8 Tribal Association in north-eastern British Columbia. Home to the Dunne-za and Cree peoples, there are two languages in the community: Dunne-za (Beaver) & Cree.

A huge thank you to our hosts, Sharidin Townsend and Maria Cryingman (West Moberly First Nations Health Department), for their support with the interviews & warm welcome. The West Moberly First Nations Health Station is a beautiful space where community members both gather and access necessary health services. It was a pleasure to be there and listen to the Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and caregivers who so thoughtfully shared their stories with us.

03/12/2026

Here is a glimpse of our visit to Miss Angela’s kindergarten class at Se’t A’newey Kina’matino’kuom (St Anne’s School) in Miawpukek First Nation after our interview together last week!

Angela Christmas and Susan Jeddore share the story of how they began working together to teach students sign language, alongside Mi’kmaw, as a way to support students in retaining their Mi’kmaw lessons, while also learning words and phrases in a third language: ASL.

Having captured the attention of the Mi’kmaw teaching community, in 2019, they were invited to share their work at the L'nui'sultinej Conference in Eskasoni, Nova Scotia, where educators filled the room, eager to learn about their innovative strategies and success.

We look forward to sharing more from our interviews with Angela and Susan - both their stories and shared passion for a more inclusive future for their students and Miawpukek.

Last week, we had the tremendous honour of carrying out interviews in Miawpukek First Nation, Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland) wi...
03/09/2026

Last week, we had the tremendous honour of carrying out interviews in Miawpukek First Nation, Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland) with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community members with a special focus on the incredible work of Angela Christmas and Susan Jeddore in teaching sign language, alongside Mi’kmaw, at Se’t A’newey Kina’matino’kuom (St Anne’s School) in Miawpukek.

Rooted in Susan Jeddore’s journey as a parent and caregiver, their work creates space for better support of students with various disabilities, as well as greater community inclusion.

A huge thank you to Angela Christmas (Mi’kmaw Language Teacher, Coordinator), Rod Jeddore (Director of Education) and Chief Brad Benoit for making the interviews possible; to Susan Hill (Council Member and Tourism & Culture Supervisor) for facilitating such a warm welcome at the Ta’n Etl-Mawita’mk Community Center; and to Traditional Chief/Saqamaw Mi’sel Joe for his support and participation in the project.

We look forward to sharing more from this amazing body of work soon.

Stay tuned for a clip from our visit to Miss Angela’s classroom! 😊

01/21/2026

Madlene Sark - Part 3

“I would say though, our people always had a special space for special-abled people, and that we looked at them as that… they were actually Medicine People too.”

In this third excerpt from our interview with Madlene Sark, she reflects on the impacts of settler-colonialism in the East, and how it continues to affect Mi’kmaq communities today. Despite this, Madlene explains that people with disabilities were always valued within Mi'kmaq culture, whether as members of the community or as individuals with important roles and responsibilities. She shares how her son, Gerry, embodies this knowledge, reminding her, as well as those around him, of the importance of caring for others.

Sukwisim Healing Lodge

01/20/2026

Madlene Sark - Part 2

…In this second clip, she shares with us a Mi’kmaq teaching on the importance of seeing people’s spirit beyond their bodies or their vessels, and how Gerry, who despite having a rare metabolic disorder that prevents him from speaking, transcends a room with his spirit, reminding her, in his own way, of this essential teaching.

Sukwisim Healing Lodge

01/20/2026

Madlene Sark - Part 1

“I feel like my son has a mission to be here, in a traditional sense [...] His vessel might not function like you or I, but his spirit, there's a role and a mission that he has to do, in his spirit, that transcends in a room.”

We hear next from Madlene Sark: Knowledge Keeper, former Lennox Island First Nation Councillor, Sukwisim Healing Lodge director, and mother of 5. Also known as “Little Madlene”, she is named after her great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother who were both Medicine People.

We first learn about the story behind both her namesake and spirit name, and how it connects with her passion for Indigenous Rights, as well as her life story. She reflects on her experience within the world of Disability Advocacy with the birth of her son, Martin Gerard 'Gerry' North Star Lewis, all while continuing on her own journey to reclaim her healing, bringing to life Sukwi'sim - a disability-inclusive space - for the community…

01/15/2026

“I believe that they just always accepted people spiritually that way [...] Because our people are always known to just accept people for who they are.”

We revisit our Epekwitk (PEI) series with interviews from two strong Lennox Island First Nation women: Knowledge Keeper Madlene Sark - former Executive Director of Aboriginal Women’s Association of PEI (AWAPEI), and director/dreamer behind Sukwi’sim Healing Lodge - as well as Knowledge Keeper, Kelly Sark, a former MMIWG coordinator with AWAPEI, and now Sukwisim Healing Lodge manager.

Our first video is with Kelly Sark, who, in speaking about her healing journey and experience as a caregiver, talks about the vision behind Sukwi’sim to provide culturally-based programming and accessibility resources for Indigenous Peoples with diverse needs.

We learn how culturally-rooted spaces like the healing lodge can benefit community members with disabilities, including her sister Jessie, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing it is being run by and for the community. We hear about the way Elders have accepted Jessie without judgment and meeting her at her own pace, as guided by traditional Mi’kmaq understandings that people are accepted for who they are.

Next, we’ll hear more from Madlene Sark about Sukwi'sim Healing Lodge, her personal journey in accessibility and Indigenous rights advocacy, as well as the way her culture and spirituality guides her advocacy for people with special-abilities.

“As I shared in my interview for the Voices of Inclusion project: Our work must be intersectional; whether we are discus...
12/19/2025

“As I shared in my interview for the Voices of Inclusion project: Our work must be intersectional; whether we are discussing health, the environment or legislation, we must ask: how will this impact people with different abilities? People deserve to meet us in spaces that feel safe, where their voices direct the solutions, not where decisions are made for them.”

Last month, in raising awareness about Indigenous Disability in the Senate for IDAM, Senator Mary Jane McCallum spoke about her interview for the Voices of Inclusion project, highlighting the ongoing barriers faced by Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and the importance of placing their voices centre stage. A huge thank you to Senator McCallum for her ongoing support for our organization & project.

To the many Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community members who participated in an interview this past year; to all those who gave guidance; and to our cherished hosts, for their generosity & time. You have made 2025 a very special year for the Voices of Inclusion project.

We’ll be back in the New Year & look forward to sharing more clips from our interviews then!

You can find the full Senator McCallum speech (@29:14) on our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/VoicesOfIndigenousDisability

“As I shared in my interview for the Voices of Inclusion project: Our work must be intersectional; whether we are discus...
12/19/2025

“As I shared in my interview for the Voices of Inclusion project: Our work must be intersectional; whether we are discussing health, the environment or legislation, we must ask: how will this impact people with different abilities? People deserve to meet us in spaces that feel safe, where their voices direct the solutions, not where decisions are made for them.”

Last month, in raising awareness about Indigenous Disability in the Senate for IDAM, Senator Mary Jane McCallum spoke about her interview for the Voices of Inclusion project, highlighting the ongoing barriers faced by Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and the importance of placing their voices centre stage. A huge thank you to Senator McCallum for her ongoing support for our organization & project.

To the many Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community members who participated in an interview this past year; to all those who gave guidance; and to our cherished hosts, for their generosity & time. You have made 2025 a very special year for the Voices of Inclusion project.

We’ll be back in the New Year & look forward to sharing more clips from our interviews then!

For Senator McCallum’s full speech, see the link below from 29:14:
https://tinyurl.com/2xsbdbwh

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