Ways to Engage With This Resource

This Pressbook is designed to be used in multiple ways, depending on your learning needs and goals. You can:

• Work through the full resource independently as a complete learning experience.
• Use individual sections as a reference to explore specific topics related to accessible and inclusive healthcare.
• Instructors can integrate modules, submodules, or resources into their courses to supplement existing curriculum.
• These modules and resources can also be adapted for use in community or professional settings.

For Learners

• You can engage with the modules in any order, but following them sequentially is recommended.
• Many sections include self-reflection prompts to deepen your learning.
• The glossary at the end of the Pressbook provides definitions of key terms.

For Instructors

• We recommend creating a collaborative document (i.e. in Google Docs) where students can post in response to the reflection questions included throughout the modules. This allows for collective engagement and provides an opportunity to build shared knowledge and dialogue.
• This resource is open-access and adaptable, meaning instructors can integrate different components into their own teaching as needed.

Using This Pressbook to Facilitate Community Visits

One of the core components of this curriculum model is learning directly from disabled, Deaf, and mad community members through community visits. These visits provide students with first-hand insight into the barriers, facilitators, and lived realities of disabled people navigating healthcare and daily life.

This Pressbook can be used in two key ways:

1. As a guide for running a course that includes community visits

   • This model is based on work by Dr. Karen Yoshida at the University of Toronto and was piloted in Fall 2024 at the School of Disability Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University.

   • In this approach, students:

     • Visit Community Hosts who share their experiences
     • Are supported by Community Facilitators who meet with them before and after visits
     • Reflect critically on their experiences through group discussions, assignments, and coursework

   • Follow this link to find a sample assessment built around community visits [Insert Google Doc link]. Please feel free to make a copy and adapt for your own use.

2. As an alternative way to engage with the community visit model

   • We recognize that not all students or institutions have the capacity to facilitate in-person visits. To address this, this Pressbook includes:
     • A mini-documentary and two podcasts featuring discussions with community hosts and other disabled, Deaf, and Mad people.
     • Insights from the community visits through animating video and audio clips throughout the modules.
   • These multimedia resources are not a substitute for in-person visits, but they offer:
     • Opportunities for students to hear directly from disabled, Deaf, and mad people
     • Insights into the community visit process that can inform their understanding of accessible healthcare

Navigation

• This Pressbook is structured for easy online reading and can also be downloaded in multiple formats (ePub, PDF, etc.).
• Please see the video below with instructions on how to navigate Pressbooks: