About the MCares Lab

The MCares lab has developed this land acknowledgment as part of our decolonization process and commitment to learning about the Indigenous peoples who were the original stewards of the land on which McMaster University is situated. McMaster University recognizes and acknowledges that it is located on the traditional territories of the Mississauga and Haudenosaunee nations, within the lands protected by the “Dish with One Spoon” wampum agreement. Wampum belts, which are beads bound onto strings, narrate Haudenosaunee history, tradition and laws. The “Dish With One Spoon” wampum was created to bind the nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to the Great Law of Peace. The dish symbolizes the territory and the one spoon represents the sharing of resources between all people, taking only what is needed from the land. Recognizing that members of our lab reside across Turtle Island, we encourage ourselves and others to explore the languages, treaties, and history of the lands that we are individually situated on through https://native-land.ca/. 

The MCares lab, deeply values and honours the rich heritage and profound contributions of Indigenous communities. We are committed to fostering an environment that respects and integrates Indigenous knowledge, perspectives, and practices. This commitment extends to ensuring equity within our lab and our broader academic and research practices.  This acknowledgement by itself is not sufficient thanks to the Indigenous communities whose land has been desecrated by colonization. As a lab, we commit to upholding Jordan’s Principle and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, particularly call to action #19, which calls for the gaps in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to be identified and closed.   

As a lab, our goal is to engage both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in research that promotes equitable access to healthcare and optimal health outcomes for children, youth and their families. Additionally, we aim to embed decolonizing approaches in our research through prioritizing the co-creation of research priorities, approaches and outcomes alongside communities in partnership. 

1. We appreciate that each lab member brings diverse experiences, knowledge and skills. The contributions of each member are equally valued. We are all positioned as learners and contributors without a hierarchical structure. 

2. We vulnerably bring our emergent ideas, questions, and challenges forward to the group without threat of personal judgement. We afford one another the benefit of the doubt and raise critical feedback with sensitivity, honesty, and specificity for improvement. 

3. We accept and acknowledge that there are things we don’t know, but we are willing to put in the effort to learn and appreciate others’ feedback, guidance and support. 

4. We are approachable to one another and willing to help others to achieve their goals 

5. We are open to requests for new or expanded opportunities 

6. We honour trust and confidentiality 

7. We share a commitment to advancing social justice through our learning and advocacy 

We present our definition of these terms and our commitment to action in these areas. We recognize that this is a living document that marks our understanding and actions at a point in time. A part of our ongoing commitment to learning and action means that we will revisit these actions at our November lab meeting each year, to hold ourselves accountable and to promote ongoing reflection and improvement.  

Equity & Justice: We recognize the barriers to full participation in all social, health, and academic environments that are faced by historically-underrepresented groups. We spend time reflecting on our own positions of privilege and marginalization, with consideration for how we can use relative privilege to achieve justice in academic and health care environments. We work to dismantle these barriers in our academic environment to support our lab members in achieving their highest outcomes. We work to dismantle barriers in children’s rehabilitation environments to enable all children and families to achieve their best outcomes.  

Diversity: We adopt an intersectional lens to recognize and respect the various identities that each person brings to the lab. We invite members that vary by gender, ability, language, race, religion, socio-economic status, citizenship, sexuality, etc. We have an interdisciplinary lab, often attracting members who have clinical backgrounds from Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, Nursing, Behavioural Science, Medicine, and Education. We include members at all levels of training and encourage undergraduate students to reach out, especially those who are from historically under-represented groups.  

Inclusion & Accessibility: We believe that inclusion goes beyond being present in a healthcare or academic space, to also include feelings of belonging and acceptance. We strive to create an environment where people can share their full identity with the confidence that they will be welcomed and appreciated. We believe inclusion is an action and we use a universal design approach to create inclusive lab practices (e.g., flexible meeting locations, peer mentorship model). In our academic environment we discuss accommodations on an ongoing basis and use student accessibility services as needed. The aim of our research is to create a more inclusive and accessible environment for disabled children and their families. We are committed to exceeding accessibility standards when conducting our research and communicating our findings.  

Decolonization and Indigenous Reconciliation: We recognize the historical and ongoing harms that Indigenous people have experienced in Canada. We apply the Truth and Reconciliation calls to action in our research, our learning, and our commitment to the community. Our lab has collaboratively developed and shared a land acknowledgement to recognize the people who came before us in Hamilton, Ontario where McMaster University is located and to share our commitment to action.