This knowledge synthesis aims to understand Indigenous experiences of early childhood education, care, family support, intervention, health, and Indigenous services in the context of childhood disability. Each of these institutional contexts has its own underlying professional discourses and worldviews. Knowledge from three sources have been synthesized: (1) interviews with Indigenous families about their experiences of having disabled children, conducted through the Inclusive Early Childhood Service System (IECSS) Project; (2) analysis of the IECSS interviews by the Districtof Temiskaming Elders Council and Indigenous community partners; and (3) the existing body of literature on disability and Indigenous children.This project was conducted in partnership with a mixed team of Indigenous and settler researchers.

To inform the development of an inclusive national child care system for all families and children, we examine the institutional interactions of 127 Canadian families with disabled children. Our analysis demonstrates that families participated in numerous early-years services, but 79.5% experienced exclusion. Using an institutional ethnography lens, we illustrate that exclusion occurs through policy and regulations families confront to gain entry, maintain enrolment, and contend with professional meta-texts. Key rights-based, economic, and inclusion policy considerations are provided. Our research and policy considerations recognize not only the importance of inclusion in child care but also the role of child care in creating inclusive communities.

This article describes the work undertaken by participants in a virtual community, who came together online over a 15-month period to improve supports for First Nations, Métis and Inuit women with substance use problems at risk of having a child affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The project exemplifies a collaborative process, inclusive of people from various geographical locations, cultures and professional sectors, affording participants the opportunity to weave together research, practice wisdom, policy expertise, and Indigenous Knowledge(s) in a voluntary, nonhierarchical context. Such virtual processes have the potential to support the development of nuanced recommendations reflective of the complexities of FASD prevention in Indigenous contexts taking into account multiple influences on women’s substance use, and a continuum of treatment responses. The article includes participants’ recommendations for improving Canada’s substance use system of care to address the treatment and support needs of First Nations, Métis and Inuit women.