Wellesley Institute

Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.

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Wellesley Institute

Pre-Condition to Health Equity: Breaking Down Language Barriers

Dr Bob Gardner opened the annual general meeting of the Healthcare Interpretation Network with this presentation.  He  argues that language is a crucial barrier to equitable care and treatment, and is more and more important within our increasingly diverse society. Access to free and high-quality interpretation services is vital to breaking down access and quality barriers and building an equitable, effective and well-performing health system.

Here is the presentation:

Pre-Condition to Health Equity: Breaking Down Language Barriers

Acknowledgement of Traditional Land

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the Wellesley Institute operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.

Revised by the Ceremonial Committee at the University of Toronto Office of Indigenous Initiatives in April 2021.