‘Super disabilities’ vs ‘Disabilities’?:Theorizing the role of ableism in (mis)representational mythology of disability in the marketplace

People with disabilities (PWD) constitute one of the largest minority groups with one in five people worldwide having a disability. While recognition and inclusion of this group in the marketplace has seen improvement, the effects of (mis)representation of PWD in shaping the discourse on fostering marketplace inclusion of socially marginalized consumers remain little understood. Although effects of misrepresentation (e.g., idealized, exoticized or selective representation) on inclusion/exclusion perceptions and cognitions has received attention in the context of ethnic/racial groups, the world of disability has been largely neglected. By extending the theory of ableism into the context of PWD representation and applying it to the analysis of the We’re the Superhumans advertisement developed for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, this paper examines the relationship between the (mis)representation and the inclusion/exclusion discourse. By uncovering that PWD misrepresentations can partially mask and/or redress the root causes of exclusion experienced by PWD in their lived realities, it contributes to the research agenda on the transformative role of consumption cultures perpetuating harmful, exclusionary social perceptions of marginalized groups versus contributing to advancement of their inclusion

“Discover your own Ireland”: Virtual Ireland(s) for an international audience

Copyright @ 2009 University of GlasgowThe opening years of the twenty-first century can be characterised by the increased overlap between cyberspace and the physical world; virtual reality is more real than it has ever been. The rising popularity of web 2.0 forms of self-expression and user generated content such as Facebook, MySpace and blogging have resulted in it becoming the largest growth area on the internet. This essay hopes to explore how the uptake and familiarity with web technology by Irish people has overflowed into their lives and cultural expressions via the use of ‘virtual communities’. As the forums for representing the virtual self continue to evolve and multiply, debates over the multiple meanings of Irishness will thrive as the ‘new Irish’ continue to reinterpret the complexities of their identity using web technology

Artificial Intelligence for Participatory Health: Applications, Impact, and Future Implications

Objective: Artificial intelligence (AI) provides people and professionals working in the field of participatory health informatics an opportunity to derive robust insights from a variety of online sources. The objective of this paper is to identify current state of the art and application areas of AI in the context of participatory health. Methods: A search was conducted across seven databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsychInfo, ACM Digital Library, IEEExplore, and SCOPUS), covering articles published since 2013. Additionally, clinical trials involving AI in participatory health contexts registered at clinicaltrials.gov were collected and analyzed. Results: Twenty-two articles and 12 trials were selected for review. The most common application of AI in participatory health was the secondary analysis of social media data: self-reported data including patient experiences with healthcare facilities, reports of adverse drug reactions, safety and efficacy concerns about over-the-counter medications, and other perspectives on medications. Other application areas included determining which online forum threads required moderator assistance, identifying users who were likely to drop out from a forum, extracting terms used in an online forum to learn its vocabulary, highlighting contextual information that is missing from online questions and answers, and paraphrasing technical medical terms for consumers. Conclusions: While AI for supporting participatory health is still in its infancy, there are a number of important research priorities that should be considered for the advancement of the field. Further research evaluating the impact of AI in participatory health informatics on the psychosocial wellbeing of individuals would help in facilitating the wider acceptance of AI into the healthcare ecosystem

Systematic review on the prevalence, frequency and comparative value of adverse events data in social media

Aim: The aim of this review was to summarize the prevalence, frequency and comparative value of information on the adverse events of healthcare interventions from user comments and videos in social media. Methods: A systematic review of assessments of the prevalence or type of information on adverse events in social media was undertaken. Sixteen databases and two internet search engines were searched in addition to handsearching, reference checking and contacting experts. The results were sifted independently by two researchers. Data extraction and quality assessment were carried out by one researcher and checked by a second. The quality assessment tool was devised in-house and a narrative synthesis of the results followed. Results: From 3064 records, 51 studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies assessed over 174 social media sites with discussion forums (71%) being the most popular. The overall prevalence of adverse events reports in social media varied from 0.2% to 8% of posts. Twenty-nine studies compared the results from searching social media with using other data sources to identify adverse events. There was general agreement that a higher frequency of adverse events was found in social media and that this was particularly true for ‘symptom’ related and ‘mild’ adverse events. Those adverse events that were under-represented in social media were laboratory-based and serious adverse events. Conclusions: Reports of adverse events are identifiable within social media. However, there is considerable heterogeneity in the frequency and type of events reported, and the reliability or validity of the data has not been thoroughly evaluated

A Sentiment Analysis of Star-rating: a Cross-Cultural Perspective

Consumer-generated reviews and ratings are critical for the tourism industry. The star rating distribution of services can significantly influence a consumer’s decision-making and choice of services. We analyze the star rating distribution of restaurant reviews from three nations (Japan, China, and the U.S.) and find two distribution patterns: bimodal and unimodal. Then, we analyze the sentiment correlation with each star rating across the three cultures. We find the inconsistency of positive sentiment correlation with 5- and 4-star ratings generated by Japanese consumers. Possible contributing factors, including biases, national culture, and socioeconomic conditions, are discusse

Positivity Bias in Customer Satisfaction Ratings

Customer ratings are valuable sources to understand their satisfaction and are critical for designing better customer experiences and recommendations. The majority of customers, however, do not respond to rating surveys, which makes the result less representative. To understand overall satisfaction, this paper aims to investigate how likely customers without responses had satisfactory experiences compared to those respondents. To infer customer satisfaction of such unlabeled sessions, we propose models using recurrent neural networks (RNNs) that learn continuous representations of unstructured text conversation. By analyzing online chat logs of over 170,000 sessions from Samsung's customer service department, we make a novel finding that while labeled sessions contributed by a small fraction of customers received overwhelmingly positive reviews, the majority of unlabeled sessions would have received lower ratings by customers. The data analytics presented in this paper not only have practical implications for helping detect dissatisfied customers on live chat services but also make theoretical contributions on discovering the level of biases in online rating platforms.Comment: This paper will be presented at WWW'18 conferenc

Positivity Bias in Customer Satisfaction Ratings

Customer ratings are valuable sources to understand their satisfaction and are critical for designing better customer experiences and recommendations. The majority of customers, however, do not respond to rating surveys, which makes the result less representative. To understand overall satisfaction, this paper aims to investigate how likely customers without responses had satisfactory experiences compared to those respondents. To infer customer satisfaction of such unlabeled sessions, we propose models using recurrent neural networks (RNNs) that learn continuous representations of unstructured text conversation. By analyzing online chat logs of over 170,000 sessions from Samsung's customer service department, we make a novel finding that while labeled sessions contributed by a small fraction of customers received overwhelmingly positive reviews, the majority of unlabeled sessions would have received lower ratings by customers. The data analytics presented in this paper not only have practical implications for helping detect dissatisfied customers on live chat services but also make theoretical contributions on discovering the level of biases in online rating platforms.Comment: This paper will be presented at WWW'18 conferenc

Invitational Vulnerability: Practices that Increase Communal Resiliency by Nurturing Belonging Across Difference

The mental health crisis, rising individualism, polarization and conflict aversion are key factors preventing Canadians from building the bonds necessary for individual and communal flourishing. Communal Christian resilience will be characterized by love across differences. Drawing on psychology and neuro-theology, this paper suggests communal practices of eating, play, service and prayer will contribute to reducing anxiety, moving responses from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic region of the brain. By activating neurogenesis and utilizing storytelling to encourage neuro-coupling, collaborative meaning-making can effectively build resilient communities. The table facilitates exchange that encourages personal histories and cultural expressions to be shared. It provides natural space for ritual. As it engages all the senses, participants become fully present enabling deeper connection. Play reduces anxiety by eliminating the goal of productivity in favour of creativity, attentive presence and social adaptation. Neuroplasticity is increased through contexts of measured and appropriate exposure to risk, ideally outdoors. Play can function therapeutically by implementing methods from gradual exposure therapy. Time together will increase familiarity with each other, reducing suspicion and encouraging a favourable polyvagal response. Serving one another and the community encourages interdependence and provides shared experiences through which communal narratives arise. As well, resilience is increased through meaningful actions. This is demonstrated, as diverse capabilities are offered to meet diverse needs, and where the value—rather than the difficulty of difference—is emphasized. Corporate prayer invites cultural and personal expressions of faith. It encourages invitational vulnerability, whereby the sharing of oneself creates hospitable space for another. Shared longing for transcendence creates an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to shape the story of the group\u27s particular identity. By practicing community across difference, the church might reclaim an influence on society by modelling how to best practice an existing cultural ideal in a manner that improves individual and corporate resiliency

McKnight Foundation - 2003 Annual Report: 50 Years - The Common Thread

Contains board chair's message, president's message, program information, grant and project highlights, financial statements, list of board members and staff, and nine essays that trace the 50-year history of the foundation