Working in partnership through early support: distance learning text: changing perceptions (book chapter)

This is a chapter from the distance learning text for the 'Working in Partnership through Early Support' accredited training programme. This chapter is about the principle of working in partnership with disabled children and their families

Encontrando la Comida Saludable: Identifying Food Access Barriers for the Adams County, Pennsylvania Latino Community

Overwhelming research indicates that recent national trends in U.S. food systems have led to the increased prevalence of processed foods and associated diet-related diseases. The effects of unhealthy diets have been distributed unevenly across the country’s socioeconomic and ethnic groups. Certain socioeconomic and ethnic groups face greater geographic, financial and cultural barriers to healthy food access. In Adams County, Pennsylvania, Latinos comprise 5.6% of the population, making them the county’s largest minority group, yet little is known about the food access barriers they face. In this study, we used a combination of surveys and focus groups with Latino residents and personal interviews with community leaders to identify the geographic, financial, and cultural barriers to food access for the county’s Latino community. We found that, though geographic and financial barriers had little effect on the community’s access to healthy food, cultural barriers presented a significant obstacle that needs to be addressed. We hope this study will inform the Adams County Food Policy Council in proposing policy measures that address specific food access issues in the county

“Catering To The Local Trade”: Jewish-Owned Grocery Stores In Columbia, South Carolina

In the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, Jewish immigrants from eastern Europe fled persecution, anti-Semitism, and violence in search of the “American dream.” Both the Rivkin family and the Kligman/Baker family found their way to Columbia, South Carolina, rather than staying in urban centers like New York and Philadelphia. While both families eventually operated grocery stores in Columbia, their respective roles within their communities were very different. Jacob Rivkin, and later his son Caba, originally ran a grocery in the heart of the Jewish community that sold kosher products unavailable elsewhere in the city. The popularity of Rivkin’s Grocery led to the opening of multiple branches, and ultimately, to two delicatessens in Columbia; Rivkin’s Delicatessen was one of the first Jewish delis in the South. Clara Kligman Baker, on the other hand, only ever had one location of Baker’s Grocery and sold Southern, non-kosher meats and produce to her predominately African American neighbors in Columbia’s Ward One community Catering to the Local Trade follows these two families from the Old Country in the Russian Empire to the new in central South Carolina, examining how their identities and experiences changed through ownership of local grocery stores. The Rivkins—Jews selling Jewish food to other Jews—and the Bakers—Jews selling Southern food to African Americans—illustrate two very different paths of acculturation and integration not only into the larger Columbia community, but also into American culture as a whole

Diaphragmatic Breathing for Acquired Neurogenic Stuttering

Stuttering is a fluency disorder that consists of repetitions, prolongations, and blocks. When stuttering occurs in childhood and persists throughout the lifetime, it is considered a developmental stutter (DS) which is the most common form of stuttering. Adults who sustain a stroke, TBI, or other type of brain injury can experience acquired neurogenic stuttering (ANS) which is the acute onset of stuttering after a brain injury with no history of stuttering prior. While there are a variety of treatments available for DS, there are significantly less available for ANS. Diaphragmatic breathing is a common treatment for DS but there is no data as to whether it is also effective for ANS populations. This single subject case study aims to determine if diaphragmatic deep breathing can improve fluency in adults with ANS. The participant in this study completed a one-month therapy process that included a home program and an in-session therapy program. Results indicated that the participant experienced a decrease in primary stuttering behaviors although more research is required to determine if these findings would be consistent among a larger sample size

Racism in Barnstable County’s Judiciary System

This research outlines how racism is prevalent in the court system in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. When looking at research of racism in Massachusetts’ courts, specifically from the Harvard Law Report titled, “Racial Disparities in Massachusetts Criminal System,” published in 2020, I became intrigued with the topic. This raised the research question of is racism prevalent in Barnstable County’s judicial system. This study consists of interviews with defense attorneys from Barnstable County, detailing their personal experiences and thoughts on racism in the courts. This study demonstrates that there is racism in this court, however it tends to go unnoticed due to the county’s primarily white population. Majority of interviews suggest that the police officers in Barnstable County contribute heavily to the racism that is seen in the courts by racially profiling during traffic stops

Teamwork in Extreme Environments

Teams are relied upon in extreme and challenging environments in which there are considerable demands and failures can have severe consequences. Despite an increased interest in extreme teams, empirical research remains limited. Moreover, whilst the literature differentiates between extreme and non-extreme teams, it rarely distinguishes between different types of extreme teams. In this thesis, I argue extreme teams can be differentiated into multi-team systems (MTS) and teams in isolated, confined environments (ICE). I draw on contextual challenges present in different types of extreme environments to examine what factors support teamwork in emergency response teams (MTS) and expedition teams (ICE). In doing so, I identify methodological and analytical approaches suitable for researching extreme teams (Chapter II and V). MTS often form quickly in the response to emergencies. This creates challenges in establishing communication channels and managing conflicting objectives across inter-agency partners who may have limited experience working with one another. To address these challenges, I explored how teams communicated and coordinated in crises and if this is influenced by team member familiarity. Data were collected from immersive simulations with commanders in the emergency services and students. Mixed methods analysis showed how team processes changed across time (Chapter III) and how familiarity (Chapter IV) alleviated some of the challenges of working in MTS. In contrast to MTS, teams in ICE co-exist for pro-longed periods in hostile and remote settings. This creates challenges in maintaining team cohesion and balancing the personalities and characteristics of isolated individuals for pro-longed periods. Here, I used a diary methodology to track changes in cohesion over time and explore if fluctuations in cohesion are predicted by day-to-day events and the personality composition of teams (Chapter V). Theoretical implications for the importance of context in shaping team behaviours and practical implications for teams operating in extreme environments are provided

The Role of Real Annuities and Indexed Bonds in an Individual Accounts Retirement Program

We explore four issues concerning annuitization options that retirees might use in the decumulation phase of an individual accounts' retirement saving system. First, we investigate the operation of both real and nominal annuity individual annuity markets in the United Kingdom. The widespread availability of real annuities in the U.K. dispels the argument that private insurance markets could not, or would not, provide real annuities to retirees. Second, we consider the current structure of two inflation-linked insurance products available in the United States, only one of which proves to be a real annuity. Third, we evaluate the potential of assets such as stocks, bonds, and bills, to provide retiree protection from inflation. Because equity real returns have been high over the last seven decades, a retiree who received income linked to equity returns would have fared very well on average. Nevertheless we cast doubt on the inflation insurance' aspect of equity, since this is mainly due to stocks' high average return, and not because stock returns move in tandem with inflation. Finally, we use a simulation model to assess potential retiree willingness to pay for real, nominal, and variable payout equity-linked annuities. For plausible degrees of risk aversion, inflation protection appears to have only modest value. People would be expected to value a variable payout equity-linked annuity more highly than a real annuity because the additional real returns associated with common stocks more than compensate for the volatility of prospective payouts. These finding are germane to concerns raised in connection with Social Security reform plans that include individual accounts.