August 14, 2025
Pictured (left to right): Chi Nguyen, Member of Parliament for Spadina – Parliament; Ingrid Palmer and Melissa Egan from Realize, the Honourable Rechie Valdez, Canada’s Minister of Women and Gender Equality.
In a media conference this morning in Toronto, the Honourable Rechie Valdez, Canada’s Minister of Women and Gender Equality formally announced funding of $656,053 for a new two-year project lead by Realize called Breaking Barriers and Shaping Inclusive Workplaces for Women with Episodic Disabilities (BRIDGE).
The BRIDGE project will initiate systemic change in Canadian workplaces by addressing harmful gender norms and attitudes toward women living with episodic disabilities, leading to increased understanding, enhanced employee support systems, opportunities for employment, and career advancement.
The project is being funded by WAGE: Women and Gender Equality Canada.
Millions of women in Canada are impacted by episodic disabilities. These health conditions often do not have visible indicators commonly seen with physical forms of disability. This means women may live with episodic disabilities without any obvious signs of difficulty. As a result, the odds of experiencing barriers to accessibility at work, including workplace accessibility related to behaviours, misconceptions, or assumptions, are higher among women.
The BRIDGE project will engage organizational leaders, human resource professionals, team leaders/supervisors, and women employees in conversations and actions that challenge harmful gender norms and address the systemic barriers women living with episodic health conditions face at work.