Research question: 
Primary research question: What are the developmental oncology services available, if any, to autistic adults with and without intellectual disabilities?

Sub-research questions: 

• What are the unique healthcare service challenges and needs of autistic adults? 
• What are the unique needs of autistic cancer patients? 
• What policies/legislation/guidelines exist, if any, for the provision of healthcare to adults with developmental and/or intellectual challenges, e.g. autism?
• What policies/legislation/guidelines exist, if any, specifically for autistic adults?
• What services and supports are available to autistic adults in the Hamilton/Burlington area, if any? 

Research activities:
Students will conduct a review of recently published literature on the topic coupled with key informant workers with healthcare service providers, medical professionals, and others positioned to advise on the topic.  

Research question: 
What are the (hidden) recruitment and retention challenges Hamilton ECEs are facing? What initiatives could support the profession in the region? 

Research activities:
Phase 1: Qualitative study identifying potential challenges

• Leverage WPH’s connections to conduct interviews and/or focus groups with ECEs from diverse backgrounds and contexts, as well as those who work closely with and/or are knowledgeable of the challenges. 
• Goal: Tease out what some of the hidden challenges of ECE recruitment and retention are.  

Phase 2: Survey of ECEs in Hamilton 

• Using the potential challenges we pinpointed in the qualitative study, conduct a widespread online survey of ECEs in Hamilton, including those employed both privately and publicly. 
• Goal: Identify the prevalence of hidden challenges and see if they intersect with particular backgrounds (e.g., newcomer vs. native) and contexts (e.g., public vs. private). 

Research question: 
What are the experiences of sex workers with regards to their interactions with law enforcement, social exclusion (e.g., stigma), and healthcare access? 

Research activities:
Students will conduct a review of recently-published literature on the topics focusing on the Power Ottawa research repository: https://www.powerottawa.ca/research-repository/  

Research Question: 
What are the experiences of Black, Indigenous and racialized disabled students with unjust punishment in schools? 

• Examples of punishment include suspensions, expulsions, seclusions, restraints, and other forms of targeted criminalization within schools. 

Research Activities:
In consultation with the Research Shop manager, DJNO will develop and distribute a survey to students and families across Ontario. The Research Shop team will analyze all quantitative and qualitative survey outputs and compile the findings into a data report. 

Research question: 
What are the inherent or external determinants, motivations, or barriers that bring individuals, parents, and professionals working with children, to preserve, or not, children’s art. 

Research activities:
Research will involve primary data collection with the populations of interest to the community partner. For instance, surveys may be used to collect data from a wide range of individuals and families, followed by focus groups or interviews to collect more in-depth data. The approach to methods is flexible, allowing for creativity and adaptation based on the research scope. The final decision on the methodology will be made in consultation with the project’s team lead, Research Shop manager, and community partner. 

Research Questions: 
What are the social procurement policies, if any, of Canadian municipalities comparable to Hamilton? 

• How, if at all, are these procurement policies supporting social enterprises in their city? 
• Based on these findings, what are some recommended social procurement policies for Hamilton? 

Research Activities:
This research will involve a jurisdictional scan of municipalities comparable to Hamilton and collecting information related to any existing social procurement policies. The methods will be co-developed with the community partner but will likely begin by reviewing available documentation on what’s been done in other jurisdictions (provided by the community partner), conducting follow-up interviews with consultants and other municipal stakeholders to gather more information, and then interviews with a selection of social enterprise leaders to determine what’s needed. The research team and community partner(s) will collaboratively decide what information to collect (i.e., is relevant) about existing social procurement policies. 

Research Question: 
What mental health care services are available for newcomers, refugees, and asylum seekers in major Canadian municipalities​​?  

Research Activities:
This research will involve identifying a list of ​​Canadian municipalities with high concentrations of newcomers, refugees, and/or asylum seekers and systematically searching each of these municipalities via websites/service directories for mental health services and collecting information about each service. We will consult the community partner directly to determine what to information to feasibly collect from each service.