After several years of professional practice as an architect and a community planner, Wasan began her graduate career at McMaster University with an interest in creating enabling environments for individuals with disabilities and developing evidence-based policies to improve their inclusion in employment, housing, and the broader community.
Her MA research was funded by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. The study, entitled “Toward an autism-friendly home environment,” explored the physical, social, and psychological challenges children with autism and their families face in the home environment and how physical elements can be designed or modified to alleviate these challenges. The study suggested a framework of design interventions toward autism-friendly family homes. It also highlighted policy recommendations to improve building codes, community planning, and architects’ training.
In her Ph.D, she focused on inclusion in the labor market, one of the most pressing challenges facing individuals with disabilities. Her dissertation, which was funded by the SSCRHC doctoral fellowship, was entitled “Surviving the labor market: understanding the experiences of women and men with autism”. The study focused on exploring the role of gender concerning factors affecting career decisions, barriers to finding jobs, and workplace challenges to maintain employment. The study also investigated the domestic experiences of women with autism as mothers and caregivers; and how they negotiated the interface of work and family demands. Her work contributed several policy implications, including gender-sensitive programs and support services, to improve the employment experiences and work-family balance of women with autism.
Wasan’s extracurricular interests include her passion for nutrition as a critical part of health and development. She reads and attends conferences on nutrition-based interventions, particularly for children with a developmental disability.
