Look for us in the Global Village (Booth 093)
AIDS 2022 – Montreal
July 30 – August 1
10:30am-6pm
Contents
About the Disability Networking Zone (DNZ)
What’s On in the Disability Networking Zone Today?
Saturday, July 30
Sunday, July 31
Monday, August 1
Partners and Partner Links
Resources
Sign Up for Updates from the Disability Networking Zone and Realize
About the DNZ
Despite advances in knowledge on the intersection between disability and HIV, many people with disability still lack access to information, counselling, testing, treatment, and care. In addition, through increased access to Antiretroviral Therapy, AIDS-related deaths have declined, and life expectancy has improved. However, living long-term with HIV brings new health-related challenges and potentially episodic, temporary, and permanent disabilities.
Currently, disability and rehabilitative services are scarce and thus not fully equipped to meet these increased needs, nor to effectively link up with existing HIV-services to make these more disability inclusive.
For the 12th year, the Disability Networking Zone (DNZ) will be part of the International AIDS Conference.
This year, the theme is ‘Resetting, Recharging and Re-energizing the Global AIDS Response for a New Era’ and will be held in the Global Village of the 24th International AIDS Conference in Montréal.
Our goals are:
- To support AIDS 2022 to ensure accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities (PWD)
- To actively involve PWD and people living with HIV (PLwHIV) who experience disability, whether episodic, temporary, or permanent
- To increase awareness and knowledge on the intersections of disability and HIV
- To disseminate and present cutting edge research evidence, innovations, and good practices through diverse modalities
- To enhance engagement and dialogue with researchers, donors, advocates, and PWD
- To enhance strategic networking among disability organizations, disabled peoples’ organizations, mainstream AIDS related NGOs, government stakeholders, researchers, clinicians, and activists
- To explore the impact of the intersection of COVID-19 and HIV on PWD and translate lessons learned into recommendations for action at all levels to improve equity for PWD
What’s on in the Disability Networking Zone today
SATURDAY JULY 30TH
10:30 -11:00 – DNZ BINGO
Participate to win!
Join others in the Global Village at the DNZ to learn more about disability and HIV.
11:00-12:00 – VIDEO VIGNETTES
Stories from people living with HIV who also identify as living with disability
A rotating series of recorded stories by people from across Canada.
12:00 – THE DISABILITY NETWORKING ZONE IS NOW OPEN!
12:00 -12:30 – DNZ BINGO
12:30-13:00 – HIV IN MOTION
Video Presentation
Presentation of a Research Hub on Exercise and Living With HIV
Speaker: Francisco Ibanez-Carrasco
13:00-14:00 – THE CANADA HIV AND DISABILITY PROJECT
Oral Presentation
The Canada HIV and Disability Project, creates increased understanding of the treatment care cascade needs of people living with HIV who also live with physical/cognitive/intellectual or other disabilities.
Speaker: Tammy Yates-Rajaduray, Realize
14:00-14:15 – VIDEO VIGNETTES
14:15-15:15 – PERSONNES SOURDES ET DOMAINE DE LA SANTÉ
Oral Presentation & LSQ (in French)
La presentation abordera les sujets suivants: 1- Surdité et vulnérabilité au VIH-Sida et 2- Les besoins de la communication (culture sourde et malentendante)
Speaker: Éric Dubé, Réseau de la Santé Sexuelle des Sourds du Québec (RSSQ)
15:15-15:30 – VIDEO VIGNETTES
15:30-15:35 – WELCOME & SESSION INTRODUCTION
Special Series: At the Intersection of Disability, HIV and Ageing
Speaker: Tammy Yates-Rajaduray, Realize
15:35-16:15 – HIV OUTCOMES INITIATIVE
Oral Presentation
Presentation of a multi-stakeholder initiative seeking to include PLHIV in International, European, and national health policy and that tangible steps are taken to improve the quality of life experienced by those living with and ageing with HIV.
Speakers: Dr. Anton Basenko and Dr. Mario Cascio, European AIDS Treatment Group
16:20-17:00 – LIVE LONG AND PROSPER
Oral Presentation
Diet and exercise recommendations change as we get older, especially when you are aging with HIV. We will review the latest evidence on physical activity, nutrition, frailty risk, and how to eat and move to live long and PROSPER with HIV.
Speaker: Dr. Allison Webel
17:00-17:45 – A WAKE UP CALL
Oral Presentation
The presentation delves into research on the sexual-reproductive health needs and challenges of adolescent girls and young women with disabilities in South Africa.
Speaker: Jacquli Kaschula
17:45-18:00 – NETWORKING & CLOSING
Meet & Greet in the DNZ Take this opportunity to connect with the public, volunteers, speakers, and other conference attendees from around the world in the DNZ.
SUNDAY JULY 31ST
10:00-10:30 – DNZ BINGO
Participate to win!
10:30-11:45 – OPTIMAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING IN THE CONTEXT OF HIV
Interactive Group Discussion
This deliberative dialogue will familiarize participants with the global Consensus statement on the role of health systems in advancing the long-term well-being of people living with HIV. Attendees are invited to share ideas on how the statement’s next steps could be best implemented in the Canadian context.
Speakers: Elizabeth Racz, Michael Moser
11:45-11:55 – VIDEO VIGNETTES
Stories from people living with HIV who also identify as living with disability
11:55-12:00 – WELCOME & SESSION INTRODUCTION
Special Series: At the Intersection of Disability, HIV and Ageing
Speaker: Tammy Yates-Rajaduray, Realize
12:00-14:00 – CHRONIC PAIN AND HIV
Oral Presentation & Facilitated Discussion
In/Visible Disability – The Silent Epidemic: Chronic Pain and HIV
This is a community-led event in partnership featuring the Global Pain and HIV Task Force. This 2-hour session will have two keynote speakers, lived experience dialogues, presentations of novel research, and Q&A throughout.
Speakers: Colleen Price, Michael Parsons, Darren Lauscher, Dr. Jessica Robinson-Papp, Alice Zhabokritsky, Dr. Helen Cote, Tetiana Podshevna, Shayda Swann, Loulou Chayama, and Dr. Whitney Scott
14:05-15:05 – REHABILITATION FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV
Oral Presentation & Facilitated Discussion
This session will consist of an overview of research findings and followed by small group discussions that focus on sharing best practice ideas and rehabilitation solutions that can improve the lives of PLHIV.
Speakers: Prof. Saul Cobbing, Prof. Verusia Chetty, Dr. Stacy Maddocks, Mr. Levin Chetty
15:05-15:25 – BREAKING THE SILENCE
Pre-recorded presentation
Training Educators to provide Comprehensive Sexuality Education with learners with disabilities in South Africa – Presenting a feasibility study under the COVID-19 pandemic
Speaker: Dr. Jill Hanass-Hancock
15:30-15:35 – WELCOME & SESSION INTRODUCTION
Special Series: At the Intersection of Disability, HIV and Ageing
Speaker: Tammy Yates-Rajaduray, Realize
15:40-16:20 – HIV AND CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
Oral Presentation & Discussion
Presentation on current research findings related to the risk of cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV and how the risk varies with age.
Speaker: Dr. Tiffany Gooden
16:25-17:00 – HIV AND CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
Oral Presentation
A brief presentation of a recently completed quality improvement project on improving cardiovascular health for older PLWH.
Speaker: Emily Jansen
17:00-17:45 – TUNDE AJIDAHUN
Oral Presentation
17:45-18:00pm – NETWORKING & CLOSING – Meet & Greet in the DNZ
MONDAY AUGUST 1ST
10:30 -11:00 – DNZ BINGO
Participate to win!
Join others in the Global Village at the DNZ to learn more about disability and HIV.
11:00-11:40 – VIDEO VIGNETTES
Stories from people living with HIV who also identify as living with disability
A rotating series of recorded stories by people from across Canada.
11:40-11:45 – WELCOME & SESSION INTRODUCTION
Special Series: At the Intersection of Disability, HIV and Ageing
Speaker: Tammy Yates-Rajaduray, Realize
11:50-12:30 – MENTAL ILLNESS AND HIV
Oral Presentation
Presentation on research findings related to the risk of mental illness in people living with HIV and how the risk varies with age.
Speaker: Dr. Tiffany Gooden
12:45-13:00 – DNZ BINGO
Participate to win!
13:00-14:00 VIDEO VIGNETTES
Stories from people living with HIV who also identify as living with disability
A rotating series of recorded stories by people from across Canada.
14:00-15:00 – EXPLORING THE 9-GENDERS WITHIN THE LIFECYCLE
Sharing & Crafting Circle
This sharing and crafting circle will begin with an explanation of the 9Genders concept, the sharing of stories and teachings, and we will also be making HIV/AIDS ribbons out of sweetgrass, red ribbons (fabric) and a customized pin from the 9Genders project. During the crafting activity, we will facilitate a sharing circle where we will discuss the intersections of disability, gender, and HIV/AIDS, focusing on the episodic nature of these intersections.
Speakers: Mike Parsons, Gayle Pruden
15:00-15:30 – FORGOTTON AGENDA
Pre-recorded presentation
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of young women with and without disabilities – a case study approach
Speaker: Dr. Jill Hanass-Hancock
15:30-16:30 – PROVE ME WRONG!
Interactive Learning Kiosk
An interactive learning kiosk using a public “gamified conversation” format with the goal of discussing research evidence and lived experience of cognitive difficulties experienced by persons living with HIV and how quality-of-life matters more than focusing on one acquired disability.
Speakers: Breklyn Bertozzi, Sylvain Beaudry, Francisco Ibanez-Carrasco, Rachel Landy, and Catherine Worthington
16:30-17:00 – DNZ BINGO
Participate to win!
17:00-17:30 – VIDEO VIGNETTES
Stories from people living with HIV who also identify as living with disability
17:30-18:00 – NETWORKING & CLOSING
Meet & Greet in the DNZ Take this final opportunity to connect with the public, volunteers, speakers, and other conference attendees from around the world in the DNZ.
DNZ partner links:
Realize (Canada); South African Medical Research Council (South Africa); School of Therapeutic Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa); School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu – Natal (South Africa); National Department of Health (South Africa); Afrique Rehabilitation & Research Consultants NPC (South Africa); Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto (Canada); Canada – International HIV and Rehabilitation Research Collaborative (International); Indigenous Disabilities Canada/BC Aboriginal Network Disability Society (Canada); Coalition des organismes communautaires québécois de lutte contre le SIDA (Canada); UNFPA (International); DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (Canada); Disability, HIV and AIDS Trust (Zimbabwe); Communities Alliances and Networks Canada (Canada)
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (United Kingdom)
Resources
Realize Reports and Tools
- The E-Module: An HIV & Rehab Resource,
Realize’s most accessed resource is now available in an interactive, online format in both official languages! The aim of this e-module is to enhance knowledge about HIV care among rehabilitation professionals so they may better address the needs of people living with HIV. Notable characteristics of the e-module include the comprehensive review and incorporation of current best evidence on HIV and rehabilitation and the interdisciplinary approach to its development. (Available in French and English)
- Workplace Disclosure Decision Guide for People Living With HIV and/or Other Episodic Disabilities
If you are living with HIV (and/or other episodic disabilities) and are working or considering applying for a job, you may be unsure if you should tell people in your workplace about your HIV status. This decision guide will give you information about HIV disclosure in the workplace and your rights and responsibilities. (Available in French and English)
- Should I Tell Them?
A policy brief with recommendations that are based on reviews of gaps in legislation, an environmental scan of publicly available resources and peer-reviewed studies from the past ten years related to employment, disclosure and the communication of disabilities. By creating accessible work environments with accommodative hiring practices, Canada will be able to increase the participation of persons with episodic disabilities in the workforce, and in doing so, act on the commitment to achieve a ‘barrier-free’ Canada by 2040. (Available in French and English)
- The Pandemic Pandora’s Box: Long COVID and Episodic Disability
From our roots in HIV and Rehabilitation, Realize has been at the leading edge of work on the episodic disabilities that many people living with HIV experience, leading to a wider advocacy on episodic disability in Canada. The Pandemic Pandora’s Box report analyzes the combined findings of two informal, community-driven surveys shared openly online in February 2021. The first asked adults working or seeking work in Canada about their experiences with Long COVID, while the second asked Canadian employers about their comfort level and preparedness to provide workplace accommodations to COVID-19 long-haulers. Up to 1 in 3 people who contract COVID-19 – regardless of the severity of their acute infection – risk facing Long COVID. Long COVID refers to a multitude of fluctuating, debilitating symptoms that may affect all organ systems and for many cause impairments which last for months. (Available in French and English)
Realize hosted the second annual 2022 National Summit on Episodic Disabilities and Employment in late-March. The first day of the Summit was a “Spotlight on Long-COVID” and opened with a message from Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada who provided our participants with the message that, “We know that the post-COVID condition is real and what long-haulers are going through is challenging.” This event was the first ever gathering of long-COVID stakeholders in Canada where we centred stories from members of the Realize Speakers’ Bureau, cutting-edge reports from the research community, and frontline healthcare providers. By creating this online community, we built solidarity and created awareness of this difficult health condition. (Available in English)
- Pandemic Brief: COVID-19, Episodic Disabilities and Workplace Accommodations,
This report describes employers’ experiences across a range of industry sectors in Canada with accommodating employees living with episodic disabilities specifically, and other disabilities more broadly. (Available in English)
- Living Your Best Life: Defining Living versus Living Well with HIV in Canada, ; https://www.realizecanada.org/wp-content/uploads/LYBL-Report-FR.pdf
Report on a series of community consultations and a large, multi-day virtual event examining the concepts of wellness in living with HIV in Canada. (Available in French and English)
- Optimal Health and Wellbeing in HIV: Opinion Paper,
From Prolonging Life to Quality of Life – An Opinion Paper from the Optimal Heath & Wellbeing in HIV Steering Committee. (Available in English)
Visit our document library to search our comprehensive list of resources on HIV and Disability! https://www.realizecanada.org/documents/
Online Courses
Realize offers a number of online courses on HIV and other episodic disabilities for a variety of audiences:
Rehabilitation in the context of HIV: IPL Course – a self-directed on-line inter-professional HIV course to increase the capacity of rehabilitation professionals.
An Introduction to Episodic Disabilities – This self-directed online course is designed to augment the knowledge and understanding of human resources professionals, supervisors, and managers who form the primary support system at work for people living with episodic disabilities.
Accommodating Workplaces: Episodic Disabilities and Leading Practices at Work – This online course for human resource professionals and employees builds on the key concepts of what episodic disabilities are and the challenges faced by people living with episodic disabilities and goes deep into communication practices, universal workplace design, accessible design, and more.
Understanding and Supporting Employees with Episodic Disabilities – This course is designed with human resource professionals, managers, and supervisors in mind. It includes helpful guidelines on how start an accommodation plan conversation with an employee living with episodic disability. It also provides a helpful template to enact this plan that is in compliance with relevant legislation.
Working with an Episodic Disability in the Context of COVID-19 – This course is designed for human resources professionals, managers, and supervisors who want to better accommodate their diverse employees in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Changing Jobs with an Episodic Disability in the Context of COVID-19 – An online course for supervisors, human resource managers and employers designed to bring awareness and understanding of how to accommodate new employees living with episodic disabilities as they are hired into your organizations. It also provides some additional resources and instruction on adapting to new ways of working a COVID-19 context.
Fostering INclusion and Environments of Support for Students with Episodic Disabilities (FINESSED) – This course provides academic staff and leaders in the secondary education sector with knowledge and strategies to help make teaching more accessible and inclusive to students living with episodic disabilities. In addition, tips provided throughout this course may help to reduce the teaching workload in the long run. This course is the result of several years of work exploring the impacts of episodic disabilities for students in the post-secondary education sector, adapted more recently to address the realities of a COVID-19 context.
YouTube Videos
National Action Plan on Episodic Disabilities and Employment – Melissa Egan, Nation Lead, Episodic Disabilities at Realize describes the process for developing the upcoming National Action Plan on Episodic Disabilities and Employment and presents the framework for positive action areas. (Available in English)
Living Your Best Life: Defining Living Versus Living Well with HIV in Canada – This video series includes recordings from the Living Your Best Life National Conference held over four sessions in early 2021. (Available in English)
Queer and Trans Conversations about Disability Leadership –This webinar, part of the Real Talk with Realize series, was hosted by Melissa Egan, National Lead, Episodic Disabilities at Realize and moderated by Heather McCain, Executive Director of Creating Accessible Neighbourhoods in Vancouver BC and included a number of special guests. (Available in English)
Managing your Health in the Workplace for People Living with HIV — This video is for people living with HIV who are currently working or who are looking for full time or part time work. The video provides recommendations and best practices for maintaining health in the workplace. (Available with French subtitles)
Job Development for People Living with HIV – This video is for people living with HIV who are looking to go back to work or go to work for the first time. This video reviews the factors that people may want to consider as they go through this process. (Available with French subtitles)
Visit our YouTube channel for a comprehensive list of videos related to HIV & Disability! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPX_1zY5vZnAWbKicj7Hl3A
Afrique Rehabilitation & Research Consultants NPC (South Africa)
Canada – International HIV and Rehabilitation Research Collaborative (International) Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (United Kingdom)
Darren Brown
Coalition des organismes communautaires québécois de lutte contre le SIDA (Canada)
Communities Alliances and Networks Canada (Canada)
Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto (Canada)
Kelly O’Brien
DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (Canada)
Disability, HIV and AIDS Trust (Zimbabwe)
Indigenous Disabilities Canada/BC Aboriginal Network Disability Society (Canada)
National Department of Health (South Africa)
School of Therapeutic Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa)
Hellen Myzwa
School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu – Natal (South Africa)
Jill Hanass Hancock
South African Medical Research Council (South Africa)
UNFPA (International)