Rohini Peris
Rohini Peris is a nationally recognized leader and advocate for people living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). As President and CEO of the Environmental Health Association of Québec and the Environmental Health Association of Canada, she has spent nearly 30 years advancing awareness, policy reform, and support systems for individuals affected by Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
A passionate and strategic changemaker, Rohini has led national collaborations to promote inclusion and accessibility for people with MCS. She brings lived experience to her leadership, combining empathy with evidence-based advocacy to influence lasting change. Her initiatives span education, policy, research, and community outreach, including the development of best practices for MCS accommodation.
Rohini is the driving force behind the federally funded Empowering Community and Removal of Barriers (ECRoB) project and the Accessible Indoor Air in the Built Environment research initiative. She has played a central role in designing the research and guiding its implementation, ensuring that it reflects the lived realities of those with MCS. Through ECRoB, she has coordinated and delivered over 100 workshops across Canada to Human Rights Commissions, law societies, healthcare institutions, and government agencies—advocating for accessibility, equity, and healthy environments.
She has also contributed her leadership to the Parliamentary Precinct Accessibility Advisory Panel and the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) Accessibility Advisory Panel, advancing accessibility for people with MCS. At the federal level, she continues to champion accessibility in the built environment, housing, and transportation, ensuring MCS is reflected in national policy and standards.
In March 2025, she represented Canada at the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, successfully advocating for the inclusion of MCS in the UN’s Concluding Observations for Canada—a landmark step towards accessibility and inclusion of MCS in Canada, and a critical advancement in the global understanding of MCS as a human rights issue.
Her collaborative work with academic institutions such as UQAM and TÉLUQ has helped bridge the gap between research and lived experience. Through every project, Rohini remains committed to building a society that not only recognizes MCS, but meaningfully includes and supports those it affects.