Workshops

Karen likes collaborating with companies or organizations so we can be sure to meet their needs. The concept of inclusion is challenging to outline and to give a prescribed set of workshops to assist companies or organizations to move forward. She works with her clients in building authentic relationships so she can discover what they need, what are their parameters, what do they want to accomplish, and what is their budget in moving them towards an inclusive environment.

Karen has endless experience in workshop facilitation about disability, accessibility, inclusion, power, or privilege. She works with her clients on such projects like accessibility/ inclusion audits, inclusion workshops, developing policies related to inclusion, initiating key strategies in developing an inclusive workplace.

After conversing with clients, Karen crafts a work plan with a projected budget in meeting with the client’s needs and goals. This provides a good platform for the work to be performed and ensures that Karen meets the requirements sets forth by the clients.

Karen is always open for new dialogue and innovative ways to move the needle forward so we can truly build an inclusive community so that all people can feel valued and belonged. She creates spaces where people can truly be authentic and talk about hard issues so we can agree and disagree in a respectful way.

Podcast

Karen had the pleasure of talking to Green Teacher about inclusion of people with disabilities in the outdoors. Green Teacher is a registered charity in Canada serving a global network and we are dedicated to helping educators, both inside and outside of schools, enhance environmental literacy among young learners.

Does inclusion mean “everyone belongs”? Why do so many organizations aim for a segmented rather than blended population? What role does personal vulnerability play in this discussion? As an inclusion and accessibility consultant, Karen was invited to join Green Teacher to talk about how to navigate the messiness and complexity of accommodating many-layered people in outdoor settings. There’s no one-size-fits all approach, but with open communication, outside-the-box thinking, and adherence to the principle that “it takes two to tango,” people can usually figure out a path forward. (Oh, and there was talk about kayaking with orcas, too.)

Thanks Green Teacher for the conversation!

Relationship Protocol

Karen aims to have an authentic relationship with all her clients that she work with and feels very privilege to be able to do this. Due to her lived experience of having a disability, she is deeply passionate and committed to ensure that we build an environment that we all feel valued and belonged.  However, she want to be held accountable for all actions she is committing to during the projects as she truly want all deliverables to be of high standards.

With this said, Karen has developed many strategies to accommodate the effects of her disability so she can maintain her deliverables in excellent standards. Such strategies are as follows:

  1. Karen uses a walker to increase her mobility. She requires an accessible venue with available washrooms too. If there is no other options, she is able to navigate stairs, but it must have sturdy handrails for her to use. Someone will have to carry her walker up the stairs. An accessible venue will not only work well for her, but the participants as well.

  2. Karen often uses Powerpoint along with experiential learning. If she is required to use the facilities’ laptop, she asks that the keyboard speed is changed to the slowest speed. Karen is unable to use a track pad, so an external mouse is needed and again, the mouse speed needs to be slowed down to the slowest speed. She welcomes a person to help with her Powerpoint if it is available.

  3. She requires a chair with armrests and no wheels. It must be a sturdy chair.

  4. At times, Karen uses the tools of flip charts and markers, but not too often because it is a challenge for her to do many things at one time. So when she does need these tools, she often ask the organizer or co-facilitator to assist in scribing.