Working with the Jooay App project as part of the 2021 CHILD-BRIGHT Summer Studentship Program, Antonina was responsible for data collection and information extraction to be included in the Jooay App, as well as data entry and data analysis using app analytics. Antonina also supported a number of key knowledge translation activities related to the Jooay App.
Here is what Antonina had to say about the summer student experience:
“This summer I had the amazing opportunity to work on the Jooay App research project, led by Principal Investigator Keiko Shikako. The app is a repository of activities that are adapted, inclusive and fun for children with all types of disabilities (as well as their families). This was my first experience working in a lab, so I was lucky that it was in such an interesting and encouraging environment. I learned a lot about the accessibility measures, activities, and organizations that exist in Canada, as well as how much work there is still left to do in that department. There is so much that goes into making a program accessible! Hopefully apps such as Jooay will bring awareness to these existing activities, make them easier to find for people that need them, and encourage more organizations to take accessibility and inclusion into account.
This experience has helped me become acquainted with the research community and lab culture, something that I had very little knowledge of previously. I hope to continue trying to bring awareness to accessibility, for all abilities and in all areas of life, whether it be in future research, work, or everyday life.
This project has also allowed me to participate in the CHILD-BRIGHT webinars, which proved an invaluable experience and insight into the world of patient-oriented research. They made me aware of both the importance of including patients in research and how to do it, considering all the stages of a project that patients can participate in and all the different information they can provide. I will make sure to always keep this in mind for future research.”