Strategy 3: Developing a Practical Guide for Inclusion and Accommodation
Improving Accessibility and Inclusion in the Built Environment for Individuals with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Factors and Strategies
Project Name: Empowering Community and Removal of Barriers (ECRoB)
About the ECRoB Project
The Empowering Community and Removal of Barriers (ECRoB) project is a national initiative led by the Association pour la santé environnementale du Québec – Environmental Health Association of Québec (ASEQ-EHAQ). ECRoB works to advance inclusion, accessibility, and healthier indoor environments for people living with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) across Canada.
The project brings together community-engaged research, questionnaires, focus groups, training, and knowledge mobilization to better understand and address systemic barriers in the built environment—including workplaces, educational settings, healthcare facilities, housing, and public spaces. Grounded in disability, human rights, and accessibility frameworks, ECRoB aims to translate lived experience and evidence into practical tools that support dignity, participation, and inclusion.
Strategy 3: Community-Informed Guidance for Inclusion
As part of Strategy 3, ECRoB is developing a practical, evidence-informed guide tentatively titled:
How to Request Inclusion
This guide is designed to support individuals in:
- Clearly identifying and articulating accommodation needs related to MCS
- Navigating stigma, bias, and common misconceptions
- Communicating effectively with employers, educators, service providers, and institutions
- Working collaboratively toward practical, least-toxic, and inclusive solutions in the built environment
The guide will serve both as:
- A practical empowerment tool for individuals living with MCS, and
- An educational resource to raise public awareness and support accessibility and inclusion across workplaces, healthcare facilities, housing, and public spaces.
How the Guide Is Being Developed
The guide will be informed directly by lived experience and real-world expertise through:
- Questionnaires exploring experiences of accessibility, barriers, and accommodations
- Focus groups that provide deeper insight into communication challenges, inclusion strategies, and practical solutions
This community-informed approach ensures the guide reflects diverse perspectives, everyday challenges, and meaningful strategies for inclusion, including insights from people living with MCS and those who interact with or support them in professional, educational, caregiving, or volunteer roles.
Research Study
Title of Study
Improving Accessibility and Inclusion in the Built Environment for Individuals with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Factors and Strategies
| Important Notice This study is currently in the development phase. Data collection will begin only after research ethics approval has been obtained. Participation is not possible at this time. |
Project Summary
This national research study is led by ASEQ-EHAQ and funded by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program – Disability Component.
The study explores factors that influence accessibility and inclusion in the built environment through:
- Two short surveys (approximately 3–5 minutes each), and
- One focus group (approximately 60–90 minutes)
Participants include individuals living with and without MCS, including skilled workers or professionals, students, caregivers, and volunteers. Findings from this research will directly inform the development of the How to Request Inclusion guide.
Participation in the Study
You may be eligible to participate if you:
- Are living with or without multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)
- Are a skilled worker or professional, student, caregiver, or current volunteer
- Are 18 years of age or older
- Are currently living in Canada
Participation begins with a brief screening survey.
To access the screening survey, click here:
[Insert survey link]
Please note: This research has not yet begun and will proceed only following research ethics approval.
We invite you to share this opportunity with colleagues and professional networks who may be eligible to participate.
Ethics, Confidentiality, and Voluntary Participation
This study will be conducted in accordance with applicable Canadian research ethics standards. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants prior to data collection.
All information collected through questionnaires or focus groups will be treated as confidential and used solely for research and knowledge-mobilization purposes. Data will be securely stored and accessed only by authorized members of the research team. Identifying information will not be included in reports or publications.
Participation is entirely voluntary. Participants may decline to participate or withdraw at any time without providing a reason and without consequence.
In closing
Grounded in lived experience, evidence, and collaboration, this work seeks to advance accessibility and inclusion in the built environment for individuals with multiple chemical sensitivity. Through community-engaged research and knowledge mobilization, the ECRoB project is committed to translating insights into practical tools that support healthier, more inclusive shared spaces across Canada.
