Janet McLaughlin

Associate Professor, Health Sciences; Co-founder and co-coordinator, Migrant Worker Health Project; Co-founder and Co-director, Laurier Autism Research Consortium (LARC); Faculty member, Social Justice and Community Engagement

jmclaughlin@wlu.ca

Brantford, Ontario

Faculty of Science

Janet McLaughlin is an expert in autism caregiver experiences, autism policy and service access barriers, autism service barriers for Indigenous populations, autism service barriers for newcomers, migrant agricultural workers' health and safety, migrant worker health care and migrant workers' compensation access.

Areas of Expertise

Autism
Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health
Immigration, Migration and Refugees

Biography

BA, International Development Studies (Guelph, 2002).
MA, Human Rights, (Sussex, 2004).
PhD, Anthropology (Toronto, 2009).
Postdoctoral Fellowship, International Migration Research Centre (WLU, 2011).

I am an interdisciplinary, community-engaged scholar trained in medical anthropology and human rights, with interests in the areas of health equity and social determinants of health; labour, social justice, and transnational migration; and autism policy and family well-being.

My migrant worker research has investigated various aspects of migrant workers’ health, rights and well-being, including access to health care and workers’ compensation; gender-based violence; occupational, mental, sexual and reproductive health; and the impacts of separation on migrant families. With Jenna Hennebry, I am co-founder of the Migrant Worker Health Project, and the Migrant Worker Health Expert Working Group, which promote improved health outcomes for migrant workers.

My autism-related research investigates barriers to accessing autism-related services, education experiences, and caregiver stress, employment and well-being. Current research is exploring compounded challenges facing underserved populations, particularly newcomer and Indigenous communities. With Margaret Schneider, I am co-founder and co-director of the Laurier Autism Research Consortium. I previously served on the Ontario Government's Autism Advisory Panel.

Media Appearances

This sexually abused migrant worker is now safe — but she knows others aren't

10-07-2017 - The Toronto Star

Mere weeks after she came to Canada, the migrant worker was threatened with deportation.

Waterloo mother hopeful about changes to Ontario's autism program

CBC

Waterloo's Janet McLaughlin has a son with autism and is pleased that her child will receive consistent services and not have to stop receiving therapy before he's ready to.

D'Amato: It's time to stop abuse of temporary farm workers

09-14-2016 - The Record

The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in Canada has not been updated in fifty years.

“They read my entire op-ed in the debate!”

Informed Opinions

“I nearly fell out of my chair,” laughs Janet McLaughlin, recalling her shock upon hearing the Leader of the Opposition publicly quote her in the Ontario legislature.