Vacation Patterns of Families Who Have a Child with Down\u27s Syndrome

This study investigated the question How does a child with Down\u27s syndrome impact family vacation patterns? Interviews were conducted with 25 families who had at least three children, one of whom had Down\u27s syndrome. Four major conclusions were drawn. First, in the amount of time spent 1n family leisure, vacations were second only to sports-related activities and were equal to television and VCR viewing. Second, camping was identified as the favorite family leisure activity. Third, factors affecting family vacations included time constraints, location of family vacations, lack of recreational opportunities, and physical and/or behavioral problems experienced by the child with Down\u27s syndrome. Finally, in most cases the presence of a child with Down\u27s syndrome did not significantly alter family vacation patterns. Some families, however, exhibited extreme adjustments based primarily on severe physical complications and/or behavioral problems associated with Down\u27s syndrome

Less time talking at students and more time talking with them: experiences of a neophyte classroom flipper

In a traditionally run university science course, the instructor imparts information to students during lectures, and students work on problems outside of class to solidify this knowledge. “Flipping the classroom” refers to the practice of having students acquire information before class, for example from a recorded lecture, and using class time to work interactively with their peers and the instructor on homework-style problems or exercises. In principle, the flipped classroom makes better use of the contact time between instructor and students, because the instructor can provide timely guidance tailored to individual student difficulties. I tried the flipped classroom strategy in a third-year Biochemistry course with an enrolment of 180 students. In this presentation I will describe how I implemented the strategy using recorded lectures and online assignments coupled with in-class exercises done by students in small groups. Most in-class activities were problems based on experiments published in the scientific literature, although some featured tactile manipulation of objects to illustrate biochemical concepts. Those attending the session will participate in an example of the latter type of exercise, relating to DNA structure. The main lessons I learned from my first attempt to flip the classroom are that running some types of exercises with 150+ students is logistically demanding, and that it is easy to make in-class problems too difficult. I will place my experiences into the context of published work about classroom flipping. Time will be allotted for attendees to share their insights and ideas about strategies for flipping the classroom

Human Rights Protection in Canada

This lecture scans the development of human rights law in Canada from a period of judicially implied rights, to the era of legislative protection, and finally to the status quo of constitutional entrenchment. Progress to this final stage has ensured that human rights are not threatened in Canada. Nevertheless, significant challenges have arisen: The first involves a challenge between advocates of civil liberties and advocates of anti-discrimination rights. The second growing challenge is the practice of removing human rights from judicial review to specialized tribunals free from judicial scrutiny in the interests of national security. The third challenge lies in applying the concept of accommodation inherent in anti-discrimination rights in our increasingly diverse, multi-cultural societies. Through our legal institutions and our institutions of citizenship and community inclusion, these challenges can be acknowledged and brought into the democratic dialogue, thereby ensuring that human rights can be strengthened and sustained

An Investigation of Subaxial Cervical Spine Trauma and Surgical Treatment through Biomechanical Simulation and Kinematic Analysis

In vitro biomechanical investigations can help to identify changes in subaxial cervical spine (C3-C7) stability following injury, and determine the efficacy of surgical treatments through controlled joint simulation experiments and kinematic analyses. However, with the large spectrum of cervical spine trauma, a large fraction of the potential injuries have not been examined biomechanically. This includes a lack of studies investigating prevalent flexion-distraction injuries. Therefore, the overall objective of this thesis was to investigate the changes in subaxial cervical spine kinematic stability with simulated flexion-distraction injuries and current surgical instrumentation approaches using both established and novel biomechanical techniques. Three in vitro experiments were performed with a custom-designed spinal loading simulator. The first evaluated sequential disruption of the posterior ligaments with and without a simulated facet fracture (n=7). In these specimens, posterior lateral mass screw fixation provided more stability than anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with plating (ACDFP). A second study examined a unilateral facet perch injury by reproducing a flexion-distraction injury mechanism with the simulator (n=9). The resulting soft tissue damage was quantified through meticulous dissection of each specimen, which identified the most commonly injured structures across all specimens as both facet capsules, ¾ of the annulus, and ½ of the ligamentum flavum. This information was used to develop and validate a standardized injury model (SIM) in new specimens (n=10). A final study examined the ACDFP surgical factor of graft size height (bony spacer replacing the intervertebral disc to promote fusion) for the SIM and two other injuries (n=7). Results were motion and injury dependent, which suggests that both these factors must be considered in the surgical decision. Two additional investigations were completed. The first examined mathematical techniques to generate a large number of accurate finite helical axes from six-DOF rigid body tracker output to describe changes in cervical spine kinematic stability. The second explored the effect of boundary conditions and PID control settings on the ability of the current simulator design to reproduce desired loading techniques. Ultimately, it is hoped that these results, and the protocols developed for future investigations, will provide valuable biomechanical evidence for standardized treatment algorithms

The Charter 25 Years Later: The Good, the Bad, and the Challenges

This year, as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Charter, journals and newspapers are replete with evaluations. Some are positive, some less so. Some are downright critical. Today, I would like to offer my reflections on the good news and the bad news about the Charter,a quarter-century on

Human Rights Protection in Canada

This lecture scans the development of human rights law in Canada from a period of judicially implied rights, to the era of legislative protection, and finally to the status quo of constitutional entrenchment. Progress to this final stage has ensured that human rights are not threatened in Canada. Nevertheless, significant challenges have arisen: The first involves a challenge between advocates of civil liberties and advocates of anti-discrimination rights. The second growing challenge is the practice of removing human rights from judicial review to specialized tribunals free from judicial scrutiny in the interests of national security. The third challenge lies in applying the concept of accommodation inherent in anti-discrimination rights in our increasingly diverse, multi-cultural societies. Through our legal institutions and our institutions of citizenship and community inclusion, these challenges can be acknowledged and brought into the democratic dialogue, thereby ensuring that human rights can be strengthened and sustained