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Khandakar Kohinur Akter — (Re)Imagining Disability: Inclusion and Representation in Primary English Textbooks in South Asia

10.30am to 11.45am, 12-115

How do early learning materials shape children’s understanding of difference and belonging? Akter’s presentation critically examines representations of disability in primary English textbooks used across South Asia. By analyzing how disability is portrayed — or sometimes omitted — the research reveals how curriculum materials can reinforce stereotypes or open possibilities for inclusion. This session invites educators and researchers to reconsider textbooks as cultural tools that influence social attitudes from a young age and to reflect on what genuinely inclusive curriculum design might look like.

Alma Betancourth — Discovering What Works: A Strengths-Based Approach to Scaling Workforce Integration Programs for Internationally Educated Professionals

1.15pm to 2.30pm, 12-213 (SJE)

Internationally educated professionals often face systemic barriers despite strong qualifications and experience. Betancourth’s research shifts the narrative from deficits to strengths, exploring how workforce integration programs can better recognize existing expertise while supporting meaningful career transitions. Focusing on scalable practices and evidence-based strategies, this presentation bridges education, policy, and employment systems, offering practical insights for institutions working toward equitable labour-market inclusion.

Tarndeep Pannu — Spectatorship as Resistance: Racial Gaslighting, Orientalism, and the Diasporic Gaze

3pm to 4.15pm, Nexus Lounge

Pannu’s presentation explores how audiences engage with media and cultural narratives through what is described as the “diasporic gaze.” Drawing on critical race and postcolonial theory, the session examines how spectatorship itself can function as resistance against racial gaslighting and orientalist representations. By reframing viewers as active interpreters rather than passive consumers, this research highlights how meaning-making becomes a site of cultural and political agency.

Day 2 promises several engaging presentations that spark critical dialogue and new perspectives across disciplines. Come for these sessions; and stay for the conversations, connections, and ideas that make GSRC such a vibrant scholarly community.

Prachi Dhanky is a freelance copywriter and learning designer who enjoys turning big ideas into work that matters. She’s currently completing a Master of Education in Curriculum & Pedagogy at ������Ƶ, University of Toronto, and is often thinking about how learning travels through stories, spaces, and communities. Based in the Greater Toronto Area.