Our Research Projects

Check out our current and past projects to get a sense of what we do at the HAP Lab.

We are currently recruiting participants for studies - including people living with dementia, care partners, professional care workers and planning/urban design professionals.

  • A train track stretching into the distance. On the left there are trees with fall colours and on the right there are three midrise apartment buildings overlooking the tracks.

    Dementia-Capable Community Project

    Dementia-Capable community pilot was done with a wide range of community stakeholders at all scales in urban, suburban, and rural neighbourhoods in Waterloo, Ontario. Check out all of our completed free tools - including learning modules, Video, Action Plan, and Journey Maps!

    Funded by: New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration Grant

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  • A big blue sky opening up over a deserted beach. Waves are cresting on the sand.

    Accessibility in the Planning Profession

    This project sought to find out how non-accessibility specialist urban planners understand and operationalize accessibility and disability in their daily work. Check out our publication in Town Planning Review.

    Funded By: TMU Faculty of Community services Seed Grant

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  • A brick wall with a sign showing the YMCA symbol.

    COVID-19 and Dementia in Oshawa

    This project was done in Oshawa, Ontario that used photovoice, travel diaries and GPS tracking to understand the experiences of people living with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out our publication in Cities and Health.

    Funded By: TMU Faculty of Community Services Seed Grant

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  • A tactile map representing Cabbagetown in Toronto. Felt circles represent trees, ribbons represent roads, wooden blocks represent buildings, and the streetnames are spelt out in braille using gemstones.

    Failing Better in Access

    This project investigated the experiences of people with disabilities at accessibility-focused public events. While we may never be able to create perfect access, we can try to “fail the best we can” in pursuit of it.

    Funded By: Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada + Faculty of Community Services, TMU

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  • A wide suburban street in the winter, overlooking a mid-rise apartment building

    Care and Dementia in the Suburbs

    This project examined the social and built care networks of immigrants living with dementia, their care partners and professional care workers in Scarborough. As part of this project, we published our framework + methodology in the Journal of Urban Affairs. Stay tuned for more results!

    Funded By: Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada

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  • Discourse Analysis of the Evaluations of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

    A project analyzing the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the issues around the limited scope of this legislation.

    Funded By: Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada + Faculty of Community Services, TMU

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  • (Re)Imagining Accessibility on Toronto's Waterfront

    A project exploring accessibility along Toronto’s waterfront, as well as a built-environment audit of various sites, as part of the Canada-wide Examining Quality in the Built Environment project.

    Funded By: Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada + Faculty of Community Services, TMU

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  • A book and a microphone staged on a grassy area in front of leafy trees.

    Connecting Aging People and Aging Places

    We are documenting the struggles and joys of aging in neighbourhood across Canada and Indigenous communities through poetry, reflections, art, photos, videos and more!

    Funded By: TMU Faculty of Community Services Knowledge Translation Grant

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  • Three e-cargo trikes lined up in front of a grassy area on concrete.

    E-bikes in Northwest Toronto for Older Adults

    We piloted e-bike use for seniors in northwest Toronto with two community partners – Toronto Council on Aging and Our Greenway Conservancy.

    Funded By: Ontario Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility

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