“My name is Samantha Graham, and I grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan before moving to Edmonton to obtain a BSc in Kinesiology at the University of Alberta. This upcoming September, I will be starting a Master’s in sociocultural studies at UBC Vancouver, where my proposed research project is centered around the experiences of inclusion and exclusion of Paralympians with intellectual disabilities.
This summer, I am looking forward to working with Dr. Heather Gainforth at UBC Okanagan, as the research project will lead into my graduate studies in the fall. Health researchers have long documented the gap between knowledge discovery and practice in spinal cord injury research. The Integrated Knowledge Translation (IKT) guiding principles were created to guide partnerships between spinal cord injury researchers and the individuals or organizations who may benefit from the research and thereby close the gap between research and practice.
With the support of the Stober Foundation, I plan to investigate the question: ‘How, if at all, do the IKT guiding principles apply to partnered research in the area of intellectual disability?’ After I finish school, I hope to pursue my love of learning as a researcher who is engaged in my local community.
