A PHENOMENOLOGICAL LOOK AT THE LIFE HACKING-ENABLED PRACTICES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH MOBILITY AND DEXTERITY IMPAIRMENTS

Human-computer interaction and assistive technology research and practice are replete with examples of mostly non-disabled individuals trying to empower individuals with disabilities through the design and provision of accessible products. This study asks one overarching question: what can these communities learn from the self-driven embodied experiences of individuals with disabilities who address accessibility, impairment, and everyday life concerns for themselves? The goal of this dissertation is to examine the underexplored adaptation, modification, and design-like activities of individuals with mobility and dexterity impairments as well as the implications of these activities for researchers, designers, and individuals with disabilities. This phenomenological study examined the embodied everyday life practices of 16 individuals with mobility and dexterity impairments as well as well as their efforts to transform disabling practices into enabling ones. Using sensitizing constructs from contemporary social practice theory approaches as described by Andreas Reckwitz and Theodore Schatzki as well Bruno Latour’s articulation of actor-network theory, this interpretive qualitative research study uncovers different ways participants were dis/enabled and dis/empowered in their daily life practices. Findings point to issues most HCI researchers and professional designers rarely consider in their efforts to study access issues and develop accessible technology, including the impact of the embodied perspectives of mostly non-disabled researchers and designers on the everyday life practices of individuals who live with impairments

Making Music Speak: The Role of the “Tuning In” Music Program in Developing Preschool Children’s Oral Language Skills

Evidence shows oral language development in early childhood plays a critical role in social, behavioural and academic development and Australian research indicates that speech development difficulties are relatively common. Research suggests that participating in high quality music education from early childhood not only helps develop musical skills but also induces benefits in aspects of oral language skills, including phonological abilities. Researchers have suggested that music might be a useful and engaging form of intervention for preschool-aged children with oral language delays or disorders, however, to date little research has been conducted to test this. Underpinned by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, a concurrent triangulation mixed methods design, consisting of a quasi-experimental study and multiple case study, was used to learn about the effects of the “Tuning In” (TI) music program upon the phonological abilities and use of oral language of four and five-year-old children. TI is the music education program of the Shoalhaven Youth Orchestra, which is based in regional NSW. A five-month intervention was conducted involving 45 children attending four early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres. Children at two centres received a 30-minute weekly TI session taught by a specialist teacher, while children at the other centres received the music programs offered at their centres. Data collected included a pre-intervention parent survey, and pre- and post-testing of the children’s phonological awareness (PA) and phonological memory (PM). Each TI centre formed a case in the multiple case study and data collection included a researcher journal, educator interviews and an attendance and participation record. The TI Group made significantly greater improvements than the Comparison Group in Sound Matching (an aspect of PA) (p \u3c.05), and strong trends were also found across PM tests. These results were supported by the multiple case study, which found that the quality and quantity of children’s speech improved, particularly in children with language disorders. Children were found to engage strongly with the TI sessions. Warm and responsive relationships between the music teacher and children contributed to the children’s engagement in music and to their motivation to communicate. Several music- specific “active ingredients” were identified, including providing a variety of music experiences to develop beat and rhythm skills, which supported children’s engagement and learning. Providing children with choice to participate in different ways was also found to lead to increased participation rates over time. This thesis provides an important contribution to literature on how music in ECEC settings could be used to support children’s oral language development, particularly for those with language difficulties; a thus far under-researched field. The TI program demonstrated positive effects upon the development of the phonological skills and children’s use of speech for a range of purposes, and highlighted the critical role that social relationships play in children’s development. This thesis also demonstrated that group music sessions conducted in ECEC settings could be used to complement traditional interventions for language development problems