Delphine Labbé, PhD
Associate Professor
Disability and Human Development
Pronouns: She/Her
Contact
Building & Room:
208a DHSP
Address:
1640 W. Roosevelt Rd.
Office Phone:
Email:
About
Dr Delphine Labbé's research focuses on promoting full participation and health of people living with disabilities by optimizing their interaction with the social and physical environment. Her community-based research focuses on 3 main area 1) The lived experience of people with disabilities within their built and social urban environment, with a focus on pedestrian and active transportation; 2) Health promotion through recreational and physical activities for people with disabilities of all ages; and 3) the experience with assistive technologies of users and caregivers as a health determinant. Grounded in the social model of disability and the ecosystemic approach, she is using various qualitative and mixed methods approaches such as interviews, focus groups, photovoice, Q-methodology, world Cafés, and surveys. She has also expertise in Knowledge Translation (KT) and is deeply committed to co-construct knowledge with people with disabilities and with relevant stakeholders such as urban planners and community organizations to produce policy and social changes.
Selected Grants
US Department of Health and Human Services (Administration for Community Living), Accessible Cities for All: Translating Knowledge to Support Better ADA Implementation, Co-Principal Investigator (other PI: Yochai Eisenberg)
US Department of Health and Human Services (Administration for Community Living), Everybody Move! Supporting Access to Leisure-Time Physical Activity for Individuals with Disability from Racial and Ethnic Minority Backgrounds, Principal Investigator
Craig H Nielsen Foundation, Access to Fly: Development of user-based recommendations to support air travel for people with SCI”, Principal Investigator
US Department of Health and Human Services (Administration for Community Living)., ADA National Network Regional Center V, Co-investigator (PI: Robin Jones)
National Science Foundation, Crowd+AI Tools to Map, Analyze, and Visualize Sidewalk Accessibility for Inclusive Cities (PI Jon Froelich; UIC PI Yochai Eiseinberg), Co-Investigator (PI: Jon Froelich and Yochai Eisenberg)
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council- Partnership Grant (CANADA), Towards Barrier-Free Communities: A Partnership for Improving Mobility, Access and Participation (MAP) Among People with Disabilities (2020-2026), Co-Investigator, Lead of the Transportation stream
Selected Publications
Herman, C., Labbé, D., Elder, C. (2025) We’re Moving Online: Staff perceptions of offering virtual leisure time physical activity for people with disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Disabilities, 5(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities5010028
Labbé, D., Yao, D Miller, W.C., Routhier, F., Rushton, P.W., Demers, L., Mortenson, W.B. (2024) Positive and negative experiences of caregivers helping power wheelchair users: a mixed-method study, Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 19 (8), https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2024.2313080
Labbé, D., Heider, A., Eisenberg, Y., Gould, R. Jones, R. (2024) Reflection on the Application of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to a National Policy to Improve Inclusion of People with Disabilities, Evaluation and Program planning, 102, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2023.102367
Labbé, D., Eisenberg, Y., Snyder, D., Shanley, J., Hammel, J., & Froelich, J. (2023) Multiple-Stakeholder Perspectives on Accessibility Data and Use of Socio-Technical Tools to Improve Sidewalk Accessibility, Disabilities, 3(4), 621-638. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities3040040
Eisenberg, Y., Heider, A., Labbé, D., Gould, R., Jones, R. (2024), Planning Accessible Pedestrian Networks: Lessons from High Quality Barrier Removal Plans. Cities, 148,104837, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2024.104837
Routhier, F., Labbé, D., Lemay, F., Gamache, S., Lacroix, E., Mahmood, A., Mortenson, W.B. (online, 2024) A user-led audit of the walkability and wheelability of Quebec City’s neighborhoods by mobility assistive technology users, Disability and Society, https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2023.2299344
Labbé, D., Desai, N., Hermann, C. & Elder, C. (2023). “I Never Really Thought That a Virtual Ride Would be That Good!”: A Mixed-Method Study of the Experiences of Participants in Virtual Adaptive Recreation During Covid-19. Disability and Health Journal,16(1), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2022.101395
Labbé, D., Tao G., Maas, E.T., Best, K., Bundon, A., Sauvé, J., Miller, W.C. (2023) Predicting high quality of participation in adaptive snow-sports for individuals with disabilities: an exploratory study, Psychology of Sports and Exercise, 69 (November 2023), 102501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102501
Manella, S., Labbé, D., Bundon, A., Sauvé, J., McBride, C.B., Best, K., Yung, O., & Miller, W.C. (2023) Access at Elevation: Strategies to Support Quality of Participation for People with Disabilities in Adaptive Snow Sports, Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 43, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2023.100685
Publication Aggregators
Service to Community
2024-2027 Member of the CTA ADA Committee
2024-2026 Ski guide for skiers with visual impairment for American Blind Skier Foundation
2023- 2024 Members of the Accessibility Advisory Committee for Cinema/Chicago
2021-Current Adaptive sports volunteer (cycling), Adaptive Bike Camping with families who have a child with disabilities, Out of the Front Door, Chicago IL
2019-Current Member of the CTA Wayfinding Sub-Committee Meeting
2019-2924 Adaptive sports volunteer (skiing, kayaking, cycling), Adaptive Adventures, Chicago IL
Professional Leadership
Hnorary Affiliate Professor, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Adjunct Professor, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
Notable Honors
2022-2024, Research Scholar Award, Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA)
Education
2016-2019 PostDoctoral Fellow, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Department, University of British Columbia
2015 PhD in Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Concentration in Community Psychology
2004 BSc in Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal
Selected Presentations
Labbé D & Eisenberg, Y (February 2025) I Do Not Want Your Cookies: People with Disabilities Experiences on Advisory Committees. https://www.accessibilityonline.org/ADA-Audio/archives/111158
Research Currently in Progress
Access to Fly: https://ahs.uic.edu/academics/disability-and-human-development/access-to-fly/
Everybody Moves: https://ahs.uic.edu/everybody-moves/