Ta Moko: Culture, body modification, and the psychology of identity.

This paper outlines the context of Ta Moko in the Māori world, and locates the practice in the Pacific, and in the twenty first century. It describes the resurgence of the practice, and comments on the aims of the Marsen project. The three principal aims are: 1. To complete a comprehensive survey of the chant record and oral history with reference to archaeological, archival and artefactual materials. 2. To examine traditional whakairo carving in relation to Ta Moko. 3. To explore the nature of social relationships and ecologies that are supportive of, or resistant, to contemporary Ta Moko

Taking service providers to court: people with learning disabilities and Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Despite evidence of poor service provision for people with learning disabilities in the UK (e.g. DRC, Code of practice. Rights of access: services to the public, public authority functions, private clubs and premises. London: The Stationery Office, 2006; Sloan, J Inform Law Tech [electronic journal], 2001), very little use has been made of Part III (Goods, Facilities and Services) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 by people with learning disabilities (personal communication, Disability Rights Commission Conciliation Management Unit). Difficulties faced by individuals who might consider pursuing a claim against a service provider are well-documented and include stress, time and financial constraints (Crit Soc Policy, 20: 533-549, 2000). Once a complaint has been made or a claim lodged other legislative barriers can make it difficult to pursue a case (Industr Law J, 32: 164-184, 2003). The aim of this article is to investigate the effectiveness of legislative use of Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in promoting equality for people with learning disabilities. Effectiveness will be gauged through analysis of the legal process engaged in by two people with learning disabilities who made claims against service providers under Part III of this Act

Competitive advantage as a legitimacy-creating process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how small firms in the tattooing industry actively shape institutional expectations of value for consumers in a changing industry. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws upon interviews with key actors in the firms under study to explore their experiences with consumers and other constituents in determining how competitive advantage is constructed in this environment. These data are complemented data with interviews with governmental representatives and material from secondary sources. Findings – The results reveal efforts of firms to construct and increase organizational legitimacy through the prominence of discourses of professionalism based on artistry and medicine/public health. These bases of competitive differentiation are not the clear result of exogenous pressure, rather they arise through the active efforts of the firm to construct value guidelines for consumers and other constituents. Practical implications – Strategic management in small firms is a complex and dynamic process that does not necessarily mirror that of large organizations. Constructing competitive advantage is an interacting process between key actors of small firms and various constituents. Originality/value – The paper extends the application of institutional theory in strategic management by illuminating the active role that firms play in creating industry norms, especially in industries where norms are not well established or no longer entrenched. Moreover, exploring an alternative site of study offers a means through which to see well-studied issues in new ways

Maori facial tattoo (Ta Moko): implications for face recognition processes.

Ta Moko is the art of the Maori tattoo. It was an integral aspect of Maori society and is currently seeing resurgence in popularity. In particular it is linked with ancestry and a sense of “Maori” pride. Ta Moko is traditionally worn by Maori males on the buttocks and on the face, while Maori women wear it on the chin and lips. With curvilinear lines and spiral patterns applied to the face with a dark pigment, the full facial Moko creates a striking appearance. Given our reliance on efficiently encoding faces this transformation could potentially interfere with how viewers normally process and recognise the human face (e.g. configural information). The pattern’s effects on recognising identity, expression, race, speech, and gender are considered, and implications are drawn, which could help wearers and viewers of Ta Moko understand why sustained attention (staring) is drawn to such especially unique faces

Participatory Action Research and Student Perspectives in a Rural Postsecondary Education Program

Students with intellectual disabilities have a unique pathway into college, and for many rural areas, this is a relatively new pathway. The reauthorization of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-315) prioritizes inclusive postsecondary education opportunities with an emphasis on students accessing academic, social, and meaningful employment experiences. However, in this legislation, inclusion is vaguely defined and left to postsecondary education institutions to structure within their program model. This article provides perspectives from students with intellectual disabilities from a postsecondary education program situated on a college campus in a rural town. Through participatory action research, students shared their experiences using a variety of communication modalities and offered a meaningful perspective on the challenges and opportunities faced in a rural setting

Rights and responsibilities: The Disability Discrimination Act (1995) and adults with learning disabilities

The purpose of this research is to examine Part III (access to goods, facilities and services) of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 in relation to people with learning disabilities. Very little previous research has been done on this topic. The study aims, firstly, to explore how far people with learning disabilities, family carers and service providers are aware of their rights and responsibilities under the Act; secondly, to examine what legal action has been taken by people with learning disabilities and thirdly, to identify any barriers associated with the Act and how these might be overcome

A Restatement of Copyright Law as More Independent and Stable Treatise

This article maps the problematic consequences of over reliance by judges, lawyers and policy makers on copyright law treatises, with a particular focus on the negative effects Nimmer on Copyright has had on the evolution of various copyright law doctrines. It proposes that an ALI Restatement of Copyright Law is needed to create a reference tool that is transparently authored and edited

Assessing Children's Oral Storytelling in their first year of School

This paper discusses some findings from a small-scale investigation of the assessment of young children's oral narrative skills that was conducted in three primary schools in London, UK. Effective early language and literacy teaching with children from diverse backgrounds such as those in London depends on having articulated knowledge about children’s skills (McNaughton 1995). A particularly important area is that of narrative skills since the ability to narrate and report is a vital skill for future academic success and is highly correlated to later fluency in reading (Beals and DeTemple 1993; Dickenson and Snow 1987). Teachers need to have sufficiently detailed descriptions of their pupils’ language skills and this is especially important where populations are diverse. A procedure, developed and used extensively in New Zealand, exists for increasing teachers’ knowledge of their pupils’ language skills on entry to school. This story retelling activity (Tell Me) lends itself to use in the normal course of classroom teaching and is the focus of the present study