About

Dr. Evelyn Kissi is an African tri-citizen, Black Disability and Transnational scholar of Ghana, Nigeria and Canada. Her interdisciplinary research interests intersect with Black Critical Disability, Transnational Studies, Black Global Health, and Lifespan Studies and Education. Dr. Kissi has worked in North America, Africa and Europe with not-for-profit organizations, women groups, education institutions, and disability advocacy groups. She completed her doctorate degree in Critical Disability Studies (CDS) at York University, Canada. Her PhD contributes to the construct of disablement––particularly how it functions to support systemic oppression creating Black Madness. Her MA also in CDS focused on the different disabling structures that Black Educators/Teachers encounter in the field of Early Childhood Education. 

She was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow for the Black Health Matters Covid-19 at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Dr. Kissi is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the Department of Teacher Education, College of Education, University of Ghana teaching courses in Inclusive Education, Special Needs, Teaching Gifted Students. Dr. Kissi is supporting faculty member at the West African Genetic Medicine Centre (WAGMC) teaching courses in Disability Theory. She is also an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Program in Critical Disability Studies – York University. 

Outside the academic, Dr. Kissi has worked with many different grassroots community organizations, education institutions and government bodies conducting training on Confronting Anti-Black Racism in curriculum and early interventions and policies for the City of Toronto. She has worked as a Consultant to Youth Shelters in Toronto, managing their intervention and mental health programs; family and children’s programs focusing on settlements, integration and interventions, and a Community/Program Facilitator for underserved communities, just to name a few. In the community, Dr. Kissi is the outgoing Vice Chair of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) for the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, the largest Child Welfare Agency in North America.

Education

PhD in Critical Disability Studies - York University

MA in Critical Disability Studies - York University

Bachelor of Health Studies (Policy) - York University

Diploma in Early Childhood Education - Humber College

Research Interest

African Disability Justice

Inclusive Education

Black Madness 

Rehabilitation 

Child Development/Education

Giftedness 

Archival Methodology

Early Childhood Education

Global Social Determinant of Health

Early Intervention

Mental Health 

Publications

Kissi, E. Sankofa: The Critical Nkrumahist Theory. The Journal of Pan-African Studies, Vol. 12. No. 7. http://www.jpanafrican.org/docs/vol12no7/12.7-9-Kissi.pdf. 2018

Kissi, E., Ewan, R. (2023). The Erasure of Blackness and Shortcomings within the Early Learning and Care sector in Canada: Recommendations for the way forward. Journal of Childhood Studies.

Rachel Gorman, Alexandra Creighton, Sukaina Dada, Pierre Maret, Thumeka Mgwigwi, Fabrice Muhlenbach, Bushra Kundi, Rediet Tadesse, Dhayananth Dharmalingam, Alexis Buettgen, Serban Dinca-Panaitescu , Marya Bangash, Zahra Brown, Annalise Clarkson, Dana Corfield, Jacqui Getfield, Yasmine Gray, Peggy-Gail DeHal Gunraj, Paula Hearn, Vivian Lee, De-Lawrence Lamptey, Megan Linton, Daniella Levy-Pinto, Catherine Rodgers, Chris Rowley, Gillian Parekh, Chanelle Perrier-Telemaque, Roberta Timothy, Evelyn Kissi, Michaela Knot, Yvonne Simpson, Angela Stanley, Samantha Walsh & Christo El Morr. Disability Data Justice from the Ground Up: A Practice-Led, Participatory Co-Design Approach to Building an AI Search Engine and Data Repository for Local, National, and Transnational Disability Organizations. Critical Studies: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal

Owusu, M., Kissi, E., & Bawa, M., (2023). Prof. Toyin Falola Interviews: A Conversation with Samia Nkrumah (Daughter of Kwame Nkrumah). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqwPA_NBIUE