Inclusive Design Research Centre

Jutta Treviranus recently wrote an opinion piece for University Affairs about how AI homogenizes humanity and devalues outliers. Read the piece: https://buff.ly/kSLedqU

The tyranny of the average - University Affairs Driven by statistics, AI homogenizes humanity and devalues outliers.

Register now for the 2026 Annual Episodic Disabilities and Employment Summit, hosted by Realize!

Taking place on March 18–19, 2026, 12:00–4:00 PM ET, this year’s free Zoom event will focus on the future of work, addressing topics like the impact of return-to-office mandates for people living with episodic disabilities and the impact of AI on work and disability accommodations.

The program features keynote speakers—former Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion (and former Paralympic swimmer) Carla Qualtrough and Tina Sarkar-Thompson, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources at the Royal Ontario Museum—alongside leading employment and research experts and panels with employers and people with lived experience. IDRC staff will be guest speaking as well.

View the Episodic Disabilities and Employment Summit schedule and register for the event: https://buff.ly/v7PzBsw

IDRC Director Jutta Treviranus has contributed an article to The Conversation about how engaging people who face the greatest barriers to co-design our systems will provide everyone with adaptive choices during the next inevitable crisis. Read the article: https://buff.ly/iNKVx4v

How building with people who face barriers benefits everyone, especially during crises Systems designed with those who face the greatest barriers are more resilient, adaptive and stable. And in the end, they benefit everyone when the unpredictable happens.

This New America article highlights how, when the right tools are carefully designed and inclusively implemented, they expand independence and agency: https://buff.ly/p3YG3HR

How AI and Other Technology Can Improve the Lives of People with Disabilities Technology can be both a lifeline and a barrier. Users with disabilities explain how accessible design transforms tech from an obstacle to a tool.

IDRC's January – February 2026 newsletter is out! Read the latest news, events and initiatives in the data science, disability and AI communities from the IDRC and its We Count community: https://buff.ly/CUbIFiF

A new accessibility tool developed by an OCAD University Digital Futures alum and his partner is helping make online video more inclusive for people who are blind or who have low vision. Read more: https://buff.ly/rkoRfbj

New AI tool by OCAD U alum makes videos accessible to people with low vision | OCAD University ViddyScribe, created by Digital Futures alum Aaditya Vaze, makes videos accessible to people who are blind or who have low vision.

The next issue of the IDRC's newsletter, The Recount, is coming soon! Each Recount issue has the latest news, events and initiatives in the data science, disability and AI communities from the IDRC and its We Count community. Subscribe now: https://buff.ly/wb5dr9d

A recent Go Public investigation found that no proof was required to purchase or use accessible seating in BC venues. As a result, those who abuse the system are shutting out people who actually need accessible seating, and no one — including venues, ticketsellers or the government — is stepping up to solve the problem. Read more: https://buff.ly/NIssS5X

Honour system for accessible seating is failing disabled people, say hockey fans | CBC News With no requirement to prove eligibility, accessible seats at major sports and entertainment venues across the country are sold on the honour system — sometimes leaving people who rely on wheelchairs and other mobility aids unable to get tickets.

Record snowfall in Toronto this week highlights how the city's snow clearing methods disproportionately impact people with disabilities. Read more: https://buff.ly/PnRglGF

‘A huge problem’: Toronto snowstorm highlights accessibility issues, disability advocates say Every winter, David Lepofsky uses the same strategy to navigate frigid temperatures in Toronto: walking as fast as possible to get to his destination.

Next week, February 5-7, UTM's Blackwood Gallery is hosting Oughtism, a multimodal seminar series that expands their exploration of neurodivergent doing, feeling and being. The Oughtism symposium asks: What does it mean to trust one’s own movement, feeling and perception, when dominant narratives privilege certain ways of sensing, knowing and being?

The 3-day event includes a screening of the feature film The Stimming Pool on February 5, with additional talks, workshops, and exhibition tours on February 6 and 7. These events include academic talks from disability and neurodivergent scholars, as well as creative-writing, stimprovisation, and co-creation workshops led by members of the Neurocultures Collective and other autistic and neurodivergent artists and writers. The full schedule is available on the Oughtism website: https://buff.ly/sOzTnPs

All events are free and open to the public. Register on Eventbrite: https://buff.ly/7HgSbDF

Subscribe to IDRC's newsletter, The Recount! Each Recount issue has the latest news, events and initiatives in the data science, disability and AI communities from the IDRC and its We Count community. Subscribe now: buff.ly/5Hys9QT