Acâhk Pimatisiwin: Reclaiming Indigenous Understandings of Neurodiversity with Grant Bruno

The Faculty of Education is very excited to welcome Dr. Grant Bruno as this year's McClement Community Lecturer. This event is free and everyone is welcome. 

The MacClement Lectureship was established in 1985 by friends and family in memory of William T. MacClement to support an annual lecture series. We are grateful for the continued generosity of all friends of the Faculty.

Topic

Dr. Bruno, a parent and member of Samson Cree Nation, will share his lived experience and insights on the often-overlooked presence of Indigenous peoples in conversations around neurodiversity. Drawing from his cultural background, community knowledge, and personal journey, he will explore ways to better support Indigenous families raising autistic children by incorporating Indigenous worldviews, traditional knowledge, and relational ways of being into practice.

Recognizing that many Indigenous families must navigate both Western systems and their own cultural traditions, Dr. Bruno will offer practical guidance on integrating wholistic Indigenous models with existing services, programs, and supports. His discussion will provide actionable strategies for service providers, educators, and caregivers seeking to build more inclusive, culturally responsive, and healing-centered approaches for Indigenous autistic children and their families.

About Dr. Bruno

Dr. Bruno is nêhiyaw (Plains Cree), a registered member of Samson Cree Nation, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta. With a background rooted in nêhiyaw understandings of health, Dr. Bruno’s work focuses on creating culturally responsive healthcare models that support Indigenous children and youth, particularly in the areas of neurodiversity and child and youth health. As a proud First Nations scholar, Dr. Bruno’s research weaves nêhiyaw knowledge systems and Western frameworks to create inclusive, decolonized approaches to healthcare. Dr. Bruno is currently the Academic Lead Indigenous Child Health for the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI) and is the founder of the Ispimihk Awâsisak (Sky Children Program) and the Indigenous Caregiving Collective.

Register for this Event

Important additional information about the event

Doors open at 4:45pm

We invite you to bring your children! We aim to make this event as accessible to all who wish to attend. We will have quiet activities and volunteers to assist children at the back of the auditorium. For planning purposes, we ask that you kindly register so we can ensure we have enough materials and support. 

In order to keep questions focused and appropriate, we invite you to suggest questions you may have for Dr. Bruno in the registration form. If you think of a question after registering, you are welcome to email it to us: educcomm@queensu.ca

If you have any questions, concerns, accessibility requests or to cancel your registration, please contact: educcomm@queensu.ca

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Please note that photography will take place at this event for promotional and archival purposes. Notice of Photography (PDF 103 KB)