Fran Odette

Fran Odette has worked in social justice and equity for approximately 25+ years. Her work has particularly focused on issues impacting women with disabilities and Deaf women. While in her position as Program Manager at Springtide Resources, Fran worked alongside Cory Silverberg to create and implement the Sexuality and Access Project, an initiative offering information and workshops to address the connection between violence prevention through healthy sexuality and sex-positive programming.

Fran comes to this work from her own lived experience and as someone who is committed to advocating for people with disabilities to live their lives with self-determination and agency. She works closely with service providers, including health care practitioners who work with marginalized communities, to ensure that programs reflect a human rights perspective, which includes working from a place of respect and dignity. She has delivered workshops with a focus on social justice, disability and inclusion to audiences both provincially and nationally. Fran teaches a critical disability studies course in the Assaulted Women and Children’s Counsellor and Advocate (AWCCA) Program, Social Service Worker Program (SSW), and Liberal Arts and Sciences Division.

Fran has co-authored journal articles on gender, disability and access to equitable health services. She also co-authored with Cory Silverberg and Dr. Miriam Kaufman a book entitled “The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability – For All of Us Who Live with Disabilities, Chronic Pain and Illness” (*Cleis Press).