Contact
Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine - Occupational Therapy
- sphelan@ualberta.ca
Overview
About
Education
Post-doctoral Fellowship- Childhood Disability- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital- 2012-2013
PhD- Health and Rehabilitation Sciences- Western University- 2012
MSc- Occupational Therapy- Western University- 2005
BSc Human Kinetics- University of Guelph- 2002
Background Information
- Post-doctoral research examined intersections of disability, normalization, rehabilitation, and technology through the lens of critical social theory.
- PhD Dissertation examined socio-cultural dimensions of occupation and identity from both parents’ and disabled children's perspectives. Also explored opportunities for participation and inclusion in home, school, and community environments.
- Upon graduation as an occupational therapist, practiced in school-based practice, pediatric community, and adult community contexts.
- Joined the U of A faculty July 2013.
Affiliations
Co-Director, Supporting Kids Inclusion and Participation (SKIP) Lab, University of Alberta
Adjunct Assistant Professor, John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta
Research Affiliate, Research at the Intersections of Gender (RIG) Initiative, University of Alberta
Academic Member, Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI), University of Alberta
Research Affiliate, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, Alberta Health Services
Research
Research Interests
My program of research focuses on understanding and improving opportunities for participation, inclusion, and *voice for children who experience disability and their families. This program is informed by clinical experience working with children experiencing disability in schools and communities, and a trajectory of research in childhood disability. Within my program I have three main objectives: 1) to re-envision inclusion in the context of child culture and childhood disability; 2) to develop methodological expertise and innovative methods to engage children’s voices in research; and 3) to contribute to theoretical advancements in childhood disability and inclusion by drawing upon critical social theory. Insights garnered from my research program will make a novel contribution to the field of childhood disability and inclusion by using critical disability studies, the new sociology of childhood, and child culture theoretical foundations to re-envision current conceptions of inclusion.
*note that voice in this context represents children’s perspectives and agency in research.
Current Research Initiatives
- ReEnvisioning inclusion: Exploring child culture with children with disabilities (SSHRC, PI)
- ReEnvisioning Inclusion: Exploring the (re)production of child culture with children labelled with Autism (WCHRI, PI)
- The loneliness crisis and the decline of free play: Pathways and effects (SSHRC, Co-I)
- Disclosing their child’s diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder to others: Family processes and perceived outcomes (WCHRI, Co-PI)
RESEARCH TEAM
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Kassi Boyd, MA
PhD student Rehabilitation Medicine, Research Assistant
Research: Finding where I fit: An exploration of inclusion child-driven culture
Contact: boyd@ualberta.ca
Erin Duebel, MSc OT
PhD student Rehabilitation Medicine, Research Assistant
Research: Cultural memory and disability: The case of Eugenics in Alberta
Contact: eduebel@ualberta.ca
Linda Osae, MSW, RN
PhD student Rehabilitation Medicine, Research Assistant
Research Interests: social determinants of health, health systems and services, sociocultural perspectives, qualitative research
Contact: lacheamp@ualberta.ca
Paige Reeves, MSc OT
PhD student Rehabilitation Medicine, Research Assistant
Research: On the Margins: How adults with intellectual disability negotiate belonging in ableist community spaces
Contact: preeves@ualberta.ca
Alex Jackman, MD, FRCPC, General Pediatrics
Subspecialty Resident, Developmental Pediatrics
Research: Understanding the family experience of an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnostic conference: A systematic review of qualitative evidence
Contact: alexandra.jackman@ualberta.ca
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Meghan Harris, MSc OT
Research Assistant
Research Interests: school-based practice, social inclusion, inclusive education, qualitative research with children and families
Contact: meghan2@ualberta.ca
Teaching
Dr. Phelan is the instructor for REHAB 604 Qualitative Inquiry: Philosophical Foundations and Contemporary Approaches, OCCTH 507 Occupation and Society: Theory and Practice, and OCCTH 699 Advanced Topics in Occupational Therapy Research and Practice I & II.
Announcements
Dr. Phelan is accepting highly qualified PhD and Masters students interested in critical qualitative research, critical disability studies, and feminist theory. Potential students are invited to contact her by email.
Scholarly Activities
Teaching - Summer Education Institute: Teaching for Transformation
The Summer Education Institute (SEI): Teaching for Transformation is an annual 3 day program, taking place every June (specific dates announced once confirmed). SEI brings together educators interested in the theory and practice of transformative education and critical pedagogies. SEI participants are interested in preparing health professions learners for the humanistic and social-relational aspects Of health care practice. The program has been developed and will be offered in collaboration with the Centre for Faculty Development, University of Toronto, and Centre for Ambulatory Care Education (CACE), Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, ON.
Transformative education approaches can support critically reflective practitioners in navigating practice challenges and changing systems. This program will discuss why and how to engage in transformative education in the health professions by offering teaching and assessment approaches well suited to addressing the social and relational aspects of care.
We explore:
Different paradigms for health professions education;
Innovative ideas for teaching and assessing in a transformative way; and,
Practical strategies for systems change in health professions education.
PROGRAM DEVELOPERS
Lindsay Baker BEd, MEd
Lead Educator-Researcher, Centre for Faculty Development
Assistant Professor, Dept of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
Stella Ng PhD, Reg. CASLPO
Arrell Family Chair in Health Professions Teaching
Director of Research, Centre for Faculty Development
Assistant Professor, Dept of Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto
Shanon Phelan PhD, OT
Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta
Assistant Adjunct Professor, John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre
Sarah Wright PhD
Research Scientist, The Wilson Centre and Michael Garron Hospital
Assistant Professor, Dept of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Featured Publications
Phelan, SK, Ng, SL
Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics. 2015 January; 35 (4):396-411
Phelan, SK, Gibson, BE, Wright FV
Disability and Rehabilitation. 2015 January; 37 (24):1-10
Phelan, SK, Kinsella, EA
Journal of Occupational Science. 2014 January; 21 (3):334-356
Phelan, SK, Wright, V, Gibson, BE
Disability and Rehabilitation. 2014 January; 36 (24):2072-2079
Phelan, SK, Kinsella, EA
Qualitative Inquiry. 2013 January; 19 (2):81-90
Phelan, SK
Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2011 January; 78