Perspectives about adult sibling relationships: a dyadic analysis of siblings with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Most siblings of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) report positive sibling relationships. However, extant research often only examines the perspective of the nondisabled sibling; it is unclear whether siblings with IDD report close sibling relationships. Thus, the aim of this study was to understand adult sibling relationships from the perspectives of both siblings with and without IDD. Using dyadic interviews, we examined the perspectives of eight adult sibling dyads. The study was conducted in the United States. Data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis and cross-case analysis to identify themes within and across dyads. Overall, siblings with and without IDD reported enjoying spending time with one another. However, siblings with and without Down syndrome (versus autism spectrum disorder) reported more reciprocal sibling relationships, more frequent contact, and a greater range of shared activities. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.Accepted manuscrip

Understanding decision making among individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and their siblings

Many siblings anticipate fulfilling caregiving roles for their brothers and sisters with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Given these roles and the importance of supported decision-making, it is crucial to understand how individuals with IDD and their siblings make decisions. Using dyadic interviews, we examined the perspectives of nine sibling dyads (N = 18) about decision-making in relation to self-determination, independent living, and employment. The ages of participants ranged from 19 to 57. Data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis to identify themes. Decision-making was characterized by: parents and siblings primarily identifying courses of action; the probability of respective consequences based on the person-environment fit; and the role of the sibling in making the final decision. Characteristics related to the individual with IDD, the family, the sibling, and the environment impacted decision-making. Individuals with IDD were more likely to make their own decisions about leisure activities, however, siblings were more likely to make formal decisions for their brothers and sisters.Accepted manuscrip

A case study exploring the application of the Occupation-based Community Development Framework: co-constructing humanising praxis

The Occupation-based Community Development (ObCD) framework draws on critical occupational science concepts in working with marginalized communities to bring about transformative change (Galvaan & Peters, 2017a). However, little research has been conducted on this to date, specifically within community development practice (CDP) and in the Global South. This study asked the question: “How does the application of an occupational perspective and participatory action methods influence the processes within ObCD?” A qualitative research design employing an instrumental single case study was conducted. The case was bounded within the University of Cape Town’s final year Occupational Therapy student service-learning placements during the period of 2014 to 2016, in South Africa. Participants were purposively selected and included occupational therapy clinical educators and recent occupational therapy graduates who had applied the ObCD framework during their CDP placements. Data was generated through a focus group; individual semi-structured interviews and analysis of graduates’ written reports. A thematic analysis revealed the case to be that of co-constructing humanising praxis, describing the evolving thinking and doing of practice. Three themes, namely: 1) Processes of dialogue and doing; 2) Situating occupational perspectives in socio-political and historicised contexts; and 3) Negotiating positionalities, offer detailed descriptions of the elements to consider in engaging and developing this form of praxis. The discussion illustrates how praxis resonates with the values of critical and social occupational therapy in working towards promoting occupational justice. Thereby, proposing that occupational justice implies engaging in humanising praxis, through a co-constructed journey with stakeholders. The suggestion made is that praxis guided by the ObCD Framework promotes occupational justice. Shifts in terminology and concepts, that could depict the values in ObCD more explicitly are suggested. Finally, praxis as a potential avenue for decolonising domains of occupational therapy practice is identified. Recommendations relating to occupational therapy curricula, services and research are offered

Islands in the Making: National Investment and the Cultural Imagination in Taiwan

This ethnography looks closely at the Taiwanese company UrIsland, makers of Talking Island (TI) - an MMORPG to teach children English - in order to illuminate the increasingly important meeting point between technology, education, and games. At the level of national economic policy, companies like UrIsland have been at the focal point of the Taiwanese government’s hopes for their tech industry. With TI, UrIsland intended to create a revolution in ESL education. Despite compulsory ESL classes many Taiwanese struggle with English, and educational experts claim that the classes stress reading and writing too much, leaving many people’s listening and speaking lagging. UrIsland’s founder believed TI, an immersive environment focusing on listening and speaking, could fill this ability gap and make kids eager to learn English. UrIsland hired native English speakers for most of their voice acting and used innovative voice-recognition technology to create this “native” linguistic environment, but also designed TI to make studying compelling. The CEO was, like many high-tech company founders, charismatic, and his employees were (mostly) willing to follow him in his revolution, but UrIsland faced a major obstacle – entrenched cultural attitudes. Education has deep roots within Chinese culture. Not only were teaching methods thought of as sacred, but Taiwanese see work (including studying) and play as mutually exclusive. This work explores the collision of three major spheres of meaning: technology, games, and education, by analyzing the ways UrIsland sought to upend some ideas while simultaneously working with other cultural expectations in order to keep TI economically viable. While this ethnography focuses on Taiwan to highlight this relatively modern interplay, this increasing point of tension is not unique to Chinese societies seeking to develop their technological infrastructures and industries, but is also found around the developed and developing world

Fairness perceptions of educational inequality: the effects of self-interest and neoliberal orientations

The Australian education system features considerable socioeconomic inequality and is a frequent source of controversy in Australian public life. Yet meaningful reform to this system has proven elusive. In this article, we examine the public’s fairness perceptions of educational inequality based on parental financial capacity, using an online survey of adults (N = 1,999) from New South Wales, Australia. We asked about the fairness of inequality in school resources and education quality, and used a scenario in which students from high-income and low-income families had achievement gaps due to differences in educational experiences. Respondents had diverse perceptions about the fairness of educational inequality, but most perceived the scenario as unfair or very unfair. The partial proportional odds models showed that self-interest and neoliberal orientations predicted people’s fairness perceptions of educational inequality. The findings of this study have implications for achieving meaningful reform of the Australian education system that is in line with public opinion

Meghan Murphy-Lee

Murphy-Lee served in Student Senate and so recalls getting to know Myers through Board of Trustee meetings and that he took an interest in her desire to be a contract Russian major. Myers and Dr. Marina Balina helped her achieve her goals and served as models of scholarly behavior for students

Check Your Facts: Teaching Critical Thinking on News

Poster presentation at the Michigan Academic Library Association (MiALA) Annual Conference 2017, Grand Rapids, MITo address the need for students to develop news literacy skills at Washtenaw Community College (WCC), librarians created an online guide, called "News Literacy," and corresponding instruction sessions based on research, literature, and colleagues' input. WCC's guide supports the library's outreach goals. It fostered a partnership with English instructors, who invited librarians to teach one-shot sessions on evaluating news. The poster will describe the guide's design, current state and use, and future plans.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146728/1/WCC_Poster_CheckYourFacts.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146728/2/CheckyourfactsPostcard.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146728/3/checkyourfactsbutton.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146728/4/checkyourfactsbuttons2.pdfDescription of WCC_Poster_CheckYourFacts.pdf : PosterDescription of CheckyourfactsPostcard.pdf : Postcard handoutDescription of checkyourfactsbutton.pdf : Buttons template 1Description of checkyourfactsbuttons2.pdf : Buttons template

Environmental Impacts on the Occupations of Non-binary Individuals

Understanding the link between occupations, gender identity, and the environment is fundamental to the comprehension of the occupational participation of non-binary individuals. Occupations are used to express an individual’s personal and social identity and serve as a modality for identity “growth and reconstruction” (Laliberte-Rudman, 2002). Beagan et al. (2012) reveal that transgender individuals use occupations to shape and project their identity; the inability to engage in occupations that align with an individual’s identity (particularly gender identity) resulted in distress, a sense of emptiness, and occupational deprivation. Current research addresses the transgender population but fails to distinguish between the binary and non-binary experience. This study focuses on non-binary individuals and acknowledges them as unique individuals while simultaneously addressing the gap in the literature of occupational science. A case study design was selected with a two-step semi-structured interview process where the initial interview focused on environments that supported or hindered occupations, while the second interview was guided by photo-elicitation (Clark-Ibanez, 2004). Data from four participants over eight interviews resulted in three themes: gated world, navigating binary spaces, and undoing gender