Browsing by Supervisor "Albert, Katelin"
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Item A narrative inquiry into the menopause experiences of women with spinal cord injury(2025) Nicoletti, Rachel; Caine, Vera; Albert, KatelinMenopause presents distinct medical and social challenges for women with spinal cord injury (SCI), yet research on this topic remains limited. In this narrative inquiry I explore how disability, gender, and aging intersect to shape the menopausal experiences of women with SCI. Through four in-depth conversations with each of two participants, Kim and Nadine, I examined how they navigated menopause in the context of living with SCI. Conversations were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed alongside field notes to develop narrative accounts. Two key narrative threads emerged: The Liminality of Menopause and Questioning of Self. Both women’s stories revealed how silence, uncertainty, and discrimination influenced their understanding and experience of menopause. In clinical encounters, disability was frequently treated as the primary focus, which eclipsed other important aspects of health and social experience. These findings highlight significant gaps in care and the need for healthcare providers to engage in early, inclusive, and validating conversations about menopause with women living with SCI.Item Don’t Leave Them Out: An International Comparative Analysis of Parental Leave Policies for Multiple Family Structures(2023-12-20) Hammoud, Zeinab; Albert, KatelinThis thesis explores how unequal social and material privileges are reinforced through seemingly progressive public policy. In a multi-national comparison, I investigate how queer families fit within parental leave policy compared to their heterosexual counterparts, the extent to which various national parental leave policies support or exclude queer families, and how Canadian leave policy can be modified to better affirm and accommodate queer families. I define queer families, or multiple family structures (MFS), as those family units whose composition is “non-normative.” Based on this context, there are two main objectives of this work: The first is to interrogate normative understandings of the family and the formation of public policy via Queer Theory by providing a theoretical overview and tracing the socio-historical significance of the family, especially throughout the development of early capitalism. The second goal is to produce an overview of parental leave policy across various comparable countries—Canada as the primary source of analysis, and the United States, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden as cases for comparative analysis. This work contributes to the dearth of existing literature analyzing leave policy for MFS with a particular focus on the limits and shortcomings, as well as the seemingly best practices, of respective leave practices. I find that the extent to which MFS are accommodated for in leave policies is varied: Although queer families may be eligible for leave in these various countries, this inclusion is often limited to particular types of family units—typically those that more immediately resemble the traditional nuclear family. I conclude by posing policy suggestions based on international best practices to guide future Canadian policymaking in the direction of better accommodating “non-normative” families.Item You are so much more than your diagnosis: Exploring subjectivity and sense of self while living with a chronic sexually transmitted infection(2024) Cannatella, Alanna; Albert, KatelinThis project focuses on stigma and sexual health by investigating the lived experiences of individuals diagnosed with a chronic sexually transmitted infection (STI). I explore how their STI diagnosis impacts their sense of self and their relationships. Data come from 21 semi-structured in-depth interviews with individuals living with chronic STIs (Herpes Simplex Virus, HIV, and HPV). Interview questions consisted of exploring particular experiences related to living with a chronic STI (i.e. process of diagnosis, disclosing STI status to sexual partners, etc.) and various thoughts and feelings associated with living with a chronic STI. The study found that being diagnosed with a chronic STI disrupts one’s sense of self by forcing them to grapple with negativity and questions of self-worth, self-esteem, and identity disruption. This disruption was often intense and negative in the early stages of living with a chronic STI but improved significantly after rebuilding their sense of sense of self and accepting the often-insignificant realities of living with a chronic STI. Several common themed emerged regarding the impact of being diagnosed with and living with an incurable STI such as impacts on romantic, platonic, and familial relationships. Informants reported the presence and discussions regarding STIs to have one of three impacts: 1) strengthening meaningful and caring dynamics; 2) damaging or ending weak and surface level connections; or 3) largely having no meaningful impact on solid pre-existing dynamics without sexual activity. Informants highlighted several positive impacts that they had not anticipated emerging from living with a chronic STI, including: forming deeper, higher quality connections with others; prioritizing self-love and self-care; dating more intentionally and with higher standards, and finding a special sense of community amongst other STI+ individuals. Overall, despite having intense emotional, personal, romantic, and social struggles associated with the initial process of being diagnosed and living with a chronic STI, most informants discovered that their STI had little-to-no meaningful negative impact on their lives.