Terms of Reference of the CIHR Interim External Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Systemic Ableism

Vision

To create an accessible, equitable, inclusive, and diverse health research funding system that supports researchers with disabilities in the production of world-class research.

Mandate

The mandate of the CIHR external advisory committee is to provide CIHR’s Vice-President, Research – Learning Health Systems with guidance on the identification of barriers (including systemic ableism) to accessibility within the funding system and the development of a CIHR accessibility & systemic ableism action plan in alignment with the Accessible Canada Act (2019).

Committee Objectives

• Advise CIHR of actions and best practices related to the committee mandate;
• Advise on possible topics and formats for engagement necessary to inform a CIHR accessibility & systemic ableism action plan that can also begin to address systemic ableism within the CIHR research system (e.g., listening sessions, conversations with experts);
• Communicate any linkages with other discussions and/or initiatives related to accessibility, disability, and inclusion within the health research ecosystem, in the Canadian context and beyond;
• Suggest ways CIHR can support and/or amplify these other discussions and/or initiatives related to accessibility within the health research ecosystem;
• Review and provide feedback on drafts of the accessibility & systemic ableism action plan;
• Advise on appropriate longer-term oversight mechanisms to implement the accessibility & systemic ableism action plan, including potential ongoing advisory bodies;
• If a longer-term external committee structure is established, help promote a CIHR-led open call to reach potentially interested candidates with disabilities.

Co-Chairs and Membership

Co-Chairs

The committee will be co-chaired by a health researcher who identifies as a person with a disability in addition to the CIHR’s Associate Vice-President, Research – Evidence Integration, who will sit as an ex-officio member.

Membership

Members will be selected and approved by the Vice-President, Research – Learning Health Systems based on their collective skills, knowledge, disability identity or sustained allyship and functional roles that are of relevance to the development of an action plan to address inaccessibility & systemic ableism in the CIHR funding system, including programs, policies and services.

• The committee will be comprised of individuals who are health researchers, thought leaders from disability communities, accessibility advocates, experienced allies, and representatives from key stakeholder groups including, members, knowledge keepers and/or Elders of Indigenous (First Nations, Metis and Inuit) communities.
• There will be 12 members, including the Co-Chairs.
• The Director General, Science Policy will sit as an ex-officio member.
• A CIHR Scientific Director, preferably with disability-related professional, academic or lived experience will also sit as an ex-officio member.
• Ex-officio members will not have voting privileges.

Per the Accessible Canada Act’s Duty to Consult provision, emphasis will be put on ensuring that the majority of committee seats are held by persons with disabilities so that many accessibility issues are considered. Efforts will also be made to ensure the representation of diverse perspectives and identities on the committee.

Compensation

In recognition of this time commitment and expertise that Members will bring to the table, contributions will be compensated.

Accommodations

The CIHR strives to support barrier-free access to meetings and meeting materials for members of the external advisory committee. We ask that members please signal their need for an accommodation in a timely manner. Should you require an accommodation during the timespan of the committee’s mandate, please do not hesitate to contact the CIHR Accessibility & Systemic Ableism Secretariat (see next section for contact information).

Secretarial Support

The Science Policy Branch – Accessibility and Systemic Ableism Secretariat will provide secretarial support for this committee, including meeting scheduling, material development, and management of accommodation requests. To reach the Accessibility & Systemic Ableism Secretariat, please email the following address: edi@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Observers

Agency and Institute staff with a tangible work requirement that aligns with a specific item may attend meetings with approval from the Co-Chairs. Representatives from Human Resources, Strategic Partnerships and International Relations, and Communications Branches will be standing observers for all meetings.

Roles and Responsibilities

Roles and Responsibilities of the Co-Chairs

• Approve the agendas for committee meetings;
• Manage proceedings and keep meetings focused;
• Ensure the meeting space remains open to discussion and manage conflicts swiftly and effectively;
• Approve invitation of ad hoc participants and presenters, as required;
• Maintain communications with the committee outside of scheduled meetings;
• Report to the CIHR’s Vice-President, Research – Learning Health Systems and other CIHR internal governance committees (including strategic plan priority groups) on the activities of this advisory group, as required.

Roles and Responsibilities of Members

• Review materials in advance and participate actively in meetings;
• Carry out assigned actions set by the committee;
• Provide input into materials via email between meetings;
• Act as liaisons with additional contacts and leverage networks, as necessary, to indicate who should be engaged and/or consulted on the listening sessions and action plan development;
• Abide by the guiding principles established and agreed upon by the committee.

Meetings

Meetings will be approximately once per month and will be conducted by videoconference. Any change to the virtual conduct of meetings will depend upon public health guidelines and will be based on consensus of the members. The Co-Chairs will work to ensure that meetings adhere to the access needs of committee members, with support from the Science Policy Branch – Accessibility and Systemic Ableism Secretariat. Observers will not speak unless invited to do so.

Reporting

The CIHR Co-Chairs of the external advisory committee will serve as representatives to governance bodies and other groups at the request of the Vice-President, Research – Learning Health Systems. Action and decision items will be recorded during meetings, and will be circulated to members and saved in the appropriate folders within five business days of meetings.

Quorum

A majority of its members (50% +1). The committee will make its recommendations based on consensus wherever possible. Where consensus is not possible, the Co-Chairs will ask the members to show their support for the item being discussed using an 8-point scale.

Gradients of Agreement 8-point Scale

When necessary, the Co-Chairs are asked to inquire of the support for a particular item using the scale below. The Co-Chairs will then discuss briefly and, based on what they see, they will determine if the commitment level is strong enough to determine a resolution or if they need to continue the discussion.

Sources: What is the Gradients of Agreement technique? Lucid Meetings^{Footnote 1}; Tips and Tools for PEPFAR Teams: The Gradients of Agreement, USAID^{Footnote 2}

Amendments to these Terms of Reference will be made based on consensus of members.

Authority

The External Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Systemic Ableism is convened under the authority of the CIHR’s Vice-President, Research – Learning Health Systems

Evaluation

The Terms of Reference are effective starting February 3, 2022 and will be ongoing until the action plan to address inaccessibility & systemic ableism in CIHR’s programs, policies and processes has been approved (December 2022, at the latest). Given the limited duration of this mandate, these Terms of Reference will not be reviewed once approved by the external advisory committee.

Official Languages

All members will be encouraged to participate in meetings in the official language of their choice. Briefing material, agendas and records of decision will be produced in one or both of the official languages, depending on committee member needs.

Code of Conduct

Meetings will be conducted in accordance with the CIHR Code of Conduct.

Confidentiality

Advisory committee members must adhere to the following requirements:

• Committee deliberations are confidential, meaning that the committee members should not discuss or in any other way divulge to third persons, comments made during meetings and committee’s advice to CIHR until such a time when CIHR makes that information public;
• Members should also protect the confidence of the information contained in documentation they receive from CIHR, and not use it for their own benefit or for the benefit of others;
• All enquiries or requests for external engagements received by the committee members about the work of the committee must be referred to CIHR.
• Membership details cannot be disclosed to third parties in order to protect the privacy of individual members.

Conflict of Interest Prevention and Management

In accordance with the CIHR Policy on Conflict of Interest Prevention and Management for Scientific Directors, Members of Governing Council and Advisory Bodies, committee members have a duty to bring an independent judgment to bear on all CIHR issues they are asked to consider and therefore, to avoid situations where their personal interests may prevent them from discharging this duty with integrity.

To minimize the risk of COI, committee members who are non-CIHR employees should:

• Complete the Declaration of External Interests Form at the beginning of their term and annually thereafter,
• Proactively declare their relevant external interests during meetings, and;
• Collaborate in the resolution of potential conflict of interest situations in the interests of CIHR and for the public good.

When in doubt about the required disclosure, committee members should seek advice of the committee Co-Chairs. The Co-Chairs and the members have full support of the CIHR COI Officer for COI-related advice and assistance via Declaration@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

Date modified:

2022-03-17