Abstract

An Inclusion Lens: Looking at Social and Economic Exclusion and Inclusion

Malcolm Shookner and Fiona Chin-Yee

In Atlantic Canada, social and economic exclusion and inclusion have become the focus of attention among those who are concerned about poverty and its many negative effects on people. The Inclusion Lens provides a way of looking at social and economic exclusion and inclusion. A lens is an aid to improve vision. It can also provide a new way to look at the root causes of old problems, like poverty, discrimination, disadvantage and disability. The Lens is a tool for analyzing legislation, policies, programs and practices to determine whether they promote social and economic inclusion of individuals, families and communities.

The Lens provides a set of values that underlie the use of this tool, definitions for social and economic exclusion and inclusion, and an explanation of the relationship of social and economic exclusion to the determinants of health. It illustrates the Inclusion Lens and it’s eight dimensions - economic, political, structural, cultural, spatial, functional, relational and participatory. It also describes many of the elements of each dimension. Worksheets are included that ask questions about social and economic exclusion and inclusion. These will help to analyze a particular situation and point toward inclusive solutions. The planning template will facilitate the development of action plans to work toward inclusion. Examples of the application of the Lens in policy and community settings will be presented.

The Inclusion Lens is part of a larger strategy being used by the Population and Public Health Branch, Atlantic Region, Health Canada, to address issues of poverty and their impact on health. (See: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/regions/atlantic/work/e_c.html )

Bios

Malcolm Shookner has an extensive background in social development and population health. He has over thirty years of experience in human services, community development, health promotion, and social policy. He has also been an active participant in the anti-poverty, human rights and healthy communities movements in Canada and internationally. He was a member of the Canadian NGO Delegation to the United Nations World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen (1995) and the UN General Assembly Special Session on Social Development in Geneva (2000), which featured social exclusion as a key issue and inclusion as a theme for action. He wrote "An Inclusion Lens: Workbook for Looking at Social and Economic Exclusion and Inclusion" for the Population and Public Health Branch, Atlantic Region, Health Canada.

Mr. Shookner is currently the Regional Development Coordinator for the Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre at Dalhousie University.

Fiona Chin-Yee is a community activist who now works for Health Canada’s Population and Public Health Branch (PPHB), Atlantic Region. She has been a leading force within the branch for promoting the use of social and economic exclusion and inclusion to address issues of poverty and health. She describes the transformation of the thinking within the branch in, "Key Learning Two from PPHB Atlantic's Work on Social and Economic Inclusion 1998-2000." She worked closely with Malcolm Shookner on the preparation of the Inclusion Lens. She has also worked with her colleagues in PPHB to use this framework for analyzing the policies of other federal government departments in Atlantic Canada. Ms. Chin-Yee is currently the Acting Manager for Population Health in PPHB Atlantic Region.

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