Roxy Helliker O'Rourke

Excited to share: "Developing disability inclusive coaching principles within community recreational sport programming for children". We highlight strategies for inclusive coaching based on experiences of kids, caregivers, and coaches. Read here: sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

New chapter out! Body Image and Disability in The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Disability. link.springer.com/referenceworke… @sabi_catz @ChelsiRicketts @UofTKPE @UofTNews

Check out this @UofTKPE article on our recently published paper on factors associated with low self-compassion in young adults ft. @maryam_marashi @amy_e_nesbitt @_shannonbeer @sabi_catz kpe.utoronto.ca/faculty-news/f…

New publication where we examined associations between device-assessed/parent-reported physical activity w/ mental health indicators in children with disabilities. Always appreciate being able to work with this team! @pesjournal @Human_Kinetics @UofTKPE journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/…

New publication! The findings reveal an array of diverse potential influences on low self-compassion, including poor sleep quality, overeating, mental health symptoms, and body-related emotions. @UofTKPE @UofT link.springer.com/article/10.172…

Great piece by John Loeppky (@Cymru_Et_Canada) on why the Paralympic Movement would benefit from engaging more with disability communities. I enjoyed speaking with John and following his coverage of the Games! @UBCNews @UBCKin @Paralympics Nice artwork by Kinanty Andini as well!

After Team Canada’s women’s sitting volleyball victory today I asked Allison Lang about this being so much more than sport And then she answered with 60 seconds of magic I’ll never forget. Here’s 🇨🇦 Allison Lang on what the Paralympics are truly about.

It's the Canadian coach coaching at the athletes' level that makes this team all the more powerful and a perfect example of how a quality sporting environment for athletes and coaches can produce big results (on and off the court). @VBallCanada

Next comes the Paralympics where our research shows a number of sports have become “mixed” and yet most teams will not include a single woman or will include the minimum required by the rules. @WSJ @UBCEducation @UBCKinAlum @Paralympics

We then went on the adventure of a lifetime to get to ICOS in Besancon, France where I was able to present our work on body image experiences of athletes with disabilities. It was also a nice surprise to be able to catch up with @JohnCairney68 at ICOS!

A busy week @FEPSAC_MC! Presented on (1) sport research partnerships (Maji Shaikh, @hgainforth, @karlericksonMSU), (2) mental health experiences of disabled athletes, & (3) co-led a workshop on engaging youth in sport research (w/ @sabi_catz, @sgollishruns, @dthibodeau97).

Cancer research will always hold a special place in my heart - grateful for a powerhouse team (this truly was a team effort): link.springer.com/article/10.100… @madisonfv @dthibodeau97 @sabi_catz @UofTKPE @MPARC_UofT

It was an absolute honour to have gotten to work with Dr. B for the last 3 years. I will forever admire his ability to make colleagues become family, and am grateful for his ability to consistently push me outside of my comfort zone in the safest and most supportive environment.

It is with great sadness that the WFH learned of the passing of Victor Stanley Blanchette, MD, Medical Director of the Paediatric Thrombosis and Haemostasis Program at SickKids (Toronto). Our deepest sympathies to his family members, friends & colleagues. wfh.org/article/wfh-mo…

Never has a company listened and incorporated all the suggestions we had for them like @lululemon has. Being consulted with and then seeing and wearing what I asked for is a level of respect I don’t often feel. 100/10 👏

Grateful to have @ultreia1x as a mentor during my PhD. Andrea perfectly navigates the balance b/w recognizing your efforts while simultaneously challenging your line of thinking (all at 8am on a Monday morning). I always leave our meetings with clear (and exciting) next steps!

Officially feeling like a big kid - first study completed and manuscript submitted from during my time at @SickKidsNews!

And with that, @EcsepsCanada '24 comes to an end. After a year of planning, annoying each other, and stressing, the two days flew by (problem free?! still shocked). Grateful to have had the support of lab members - who helped without being asked & prevented many breakdowns...

I'm still recruiting coaches (or technical directors/managers) with 3+ years of experience working in disability sport to complete a very brief survey about quality sport experiences! All participants receive a $20 gift card after participating. Please email me if interested!

New study from @uoftkpe Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre @MPARC_UofT examines relationship between physical activity & mental health among persons with disabilities