SSHRC Funded Project Aims to Move Disability-Inclusive GBV Research from Evidence to Action

Cape Breton University is proud to announce that Dr. Tammy Bernasky, Assistant Professor of Political Science at CBU, has been awarded $40,730 through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Connection Grant program. The one-year funding will support a new project aimed at closing critical gaps in how Nova Scotia’s gender-based violence (GBV) sector responds to the needs of women with disabilities.

The project, From Evidence to Action: Mobilizing Not Without Us to Strengthen Responses to Gender-Based Violence Against Women with Disabilities in Nova Scotia, builds on foundational research conducted in 2019 by the Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunities (NSLEO) and Easter Seals Nova Scotia. A status report published in 2025 on that initial research revealed that while progress had been made, significant disparities remain regarding education, awareness and the barriers women with disabilities face when seeking support.

“While awareness of disability-specific violence has increased in recent years, many service providers are not trained to recognize disability-specific forms of abuse. Service providers often work with limited resources and may lack the tools to address accessibility barriers or implement inclusive practices,” says Dr. Bernasky. “Working with our three community partners, the overall goal of the project is to strengthen the capacity of the gender-based violence sector in Nova Scotia to respond effectively and inclusively to violence experienced by women with disabilities while improving access to safe, accessible and trauma-informed services.”

Dr. Bernasky is driving the initiative alongside a group of committed frontline community partners from the sector, including NSLEO, Women’s Centres Connect and the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia (THANS). The project will also provide valuable opportunities for real experience in the field for two CBU students who will support the project’s coordination and research mobilization efforts alongside Dr. Bernasky.

The funding will facilitate a series of targeted outreach activities, aimed at bringing together advocates, frontline workers, researchers and women with lived experience, connecting participants across the province to recognize disability-specific abuse, identify structural barriers within current supports and co-develop coordinated response strategies to strengthen responses within the sector.

Additionally, the project looks to produce an online training module for service providers and an online accessibility tool designed to efficiently connect accessible resources with those who need them most.

For more information about research initiatives at CBU, please visit cbu.ca/research.