Haitian student Mackendy Alcius Gaty wins the international graduate thesis prize from the University of Ottawa in Canada.
Mackendy Alcius Gaty, emeritus student in sociology at the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies (ÉÉSA) at the University of Ottawa, was recently recognized with the prestigious International Graduate Thesis Prize. This award, awarded each year by the office of the vice-provost for graduate and postdoctoral studies, celebrates an exceptional thesis written in French by an international student.
Mackendy Alcius Gaty’s thesis, defended in November 2023, offers an analysis of the social movement of people with disabilities in Haiti over the period from 2018 to 2022. Hailed for its methodological rigor and its innovative character, this research sheds new light on the challenges and the progress of this movement in the country.
“The choice to complete a master’s thesis on the social movement of people with disabilities in Haiti is in fact an almost natural consequence of my academic and professional path,” explains Mackendy Alcius Gaty, originally from Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite. “My bachelor’s thesis in Social Service at the State University of Haiti, carried out in 2017, already focused on the social support practices of the Office of the Secretary of State for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (BSEIPH) towards people with disabilities in Haiti.”
He added: “From 2019 to 2021, I had the privilege of leading the BSEIPH placement service as head of department. These experiences, both academic and professional, allowed me to realize that there was (still is) a deficit of scientific literature on the social movement of disabled people in Haiti. Therefore, through this thesis, I intend to make my contribution to the constitution of this scientific literature.
Mackendy Alcius Gaty notes that although his status as an international student at the University of Ottawa did not directly influence his approach to the subject, the university’s advanced academic resources greatly facilitated his analysis of the disability social movement. .
Asked about the challenges encountered when writing his thesis, Mackendy Alcius Gaty underlines: “The main challenge I had to face when writing the thesis was the impossibility, mainly because of insecurity , to go to Haiti to collect empirical data from my informants. So, I was obliged to collect this data by WhatsApp call and zoom.
Following the announcement of the International Graduate Thesis Prize awarded to Mackendy Alcius Gaty, the Haitian Embassy in Canada sent him its warm congratulations through a letter.
“The Embassy of the Republic of Haiti in Canada has the honor to convey to you the most cordial congratulations of His Excellency Dr. Weibert Arthus for having been the recipient of the international graduate thesis prize, awarded by the Office of the Vice -provost of graduate and postdoctoral studies at the University of Ottawa.”, we read in the letter addressed to Gaty, emphasizing that “Your journey, as a Haitian student in the master’s program in sociology graduated at the School of Studies sociological and anthropological studies at the University of Ottawa, makes you an inspiring model and a valuable reference for Haitian students in particular and the Haitian community in Canada in general.”
