Mar 11 2026, 9:00am – 10:00am
Virtual

Open Collaboration for Cognitive Accessibility (OPEN) is committed to advancing research design, product development and education that eliminate accessibility barriers and promote equity for individuals of all cognitive abilities. In this session, founder and executive director Dr. Virginie Cobigo will present evidence-informed strategies for designing inclusive and accessible health research that can lead to real world improvements in care delivery.

Learning objectives 

In this workshop you will:

  • Understand how accessible health research design drives improvements in health care quality.
  • Learn practical strategies to develop and implement effective accessibility testing tailored for health research.
  • Discover how OPEN provides education, resources and expertise to advance cognitive accessibility and improve health outcomes.
About the speaker
Dr. Virginie Cobigo is an award-winning full professor at the University of Ottawa, and founder and executive director of OPEN. An internationally recognized authority on cognitive disabilities and neurodiversity, Dr. Cobigo is helping organizations adapt and design products, services, environments and research methods to be inclusive of the millions of neurodivergent persons. Through OPEN, Dr. Cobigo has led the movement to establish a functional definition of "cognitive disability" to inform public policy in Canada. She continues to train the next generation of experts to achieve parity for persons of all cognitive abilities.

This workshop is part of our VCHRI Research Training Series. This series is designed to support the acquisition of advanced skills, techniques and knowledge and lead to enhanced practices in the conduct of research.

Primary health service delivery area