Loud Silences. Languages, accessibility and cultural hegemony

Report from the IETM Milan Satellite meeting (2-5 May 2019) on deaf culture and language as political and social concepts and backbones of accessibility in the arts, with a particular emphasis on the position of sign languages across the globe. This report provides an introduction to sign language culture, brings insights into the role of translation in revealing the reality of our exchanges and proposes key elements that define a language

Di fronte alla variazione: Racconti di madri e padri di giovani con differenti caratteristiche del sesso

Being a parent-to-be often involves facing the question: "is it a boy or a girl?", which answer is never entirely obvious. The definition of sex and gender of a newborn with a variation in the development of biological sex, also known as Intersex or Disorder of Sex Development, is an extremely complex social and medical process that has engaged individuals, families, activists, health professionals, social scientists, support groups and lawyers in a twenty-year debate that has not yet been able to give a certain answer to this question. Currently there is no consensus on the intervention guidelines and, within the medical practice, the transition from an optimal gender policy to a patient-centered model seems to be slow, leaving parents without tools in a time when they are often required to face quick binding decisions for the future of the newborn. The growing attention to the Intersex/DSD issue has highlighted the need to start research that supports the psychosocial well-being of patients and their families, promoting the development of longitudinal studies and psychoeducational programs that will prevent to live the moment of diagnosis as an emergency. In the field of psychosocial research, there are still very few studies conducted in the Italian context investigating how parents learn, communicate and live the situation of their child with a variation of sex characteristics. Through a review of the literature and an exploratory research based on 38 life stories of Italian mothers and fathers, the present research shows what are parent's actions and reactions to the diagnosis of the child, focusing on three central themes: the communication modalities, the prescriptions and proscriptions deriving from the implicit categorisation of sex and gender and the opinions on the surgical operations and the diagnostic labels. Results show the need to structure a holistic approach that promotes the overall support of the parent, in order to become a promoter of the physical, mental, social and environmental health of the child

The mother who cannot provide liberation: family atom analysis of women victims of domestic violence

The present contribution presents the discussion about the analysis carried out on family atoms that were completed in the first psychodrama group meetings carried out in all the Empower Daphne III program partner countries. The issue of the relationship with the mother is central to the aim of the project, in that we hypothesise that the mothers of victims are incapable of educating their daughters about personal autonomy in relation to men, due to the traditional culture in which they grew up in. The article presents information about the use and processing of the survey tool “Family atom” created by Jacob Moreno and the analysis of the data that emerged in parallel to the reports sent periodically by the psychodramatists to the monitoring and analysis team. From the results three types of maternal relationships emerge (positive, negative and incongruent) that enable us to confirm the initial hypothesis of this action researc

Drawing the Line Between Essential and Nonessential Interventions on Intersex Characteristics With European Health Care Professionals

Human rights statements on intersex characteristics distinguish legitimate “medically necessary” interventions from illegitimate normalizing ones. Ironically, this binary classification seems partially grounded in knowledge of anatomy and medical interventions; the very expertise that human rights statements challenge. Here, 23 European health professionals from specialist “disorder of sex development” (DSD) multidisciplinary teams located medical interventions on a continuum ranging from “medically essential” to nonessential poles. They explained their answers. Participants mostly described interventions on penile/scrotal, clitoral/labial, vaginal, and gonadal anatomy whose essential character was only partially grounded in anatomical variation and diagnoses. To explain what was medically necessary, health care professionals drew on lay understandings of child development, parental distress, collective opposition to medicalization, patients “coping” abilities, and patients’ own choices. Concepts of “medical necessity” were grounded in a hybrid ontology of patients with intersex traits as both physical bodies and as phenomenological subjects. Challenges to medical expertise on human rights grounds are well warranted but presume a bounded and well-grounded category of “medically necessary” intervention that is discursively flexible. Psychologists’ long-standing neglect of people with intersex characteristics, and the marginalization of clinical psychologists in DSD teams, may contribute to the construction of some controversial interventions as medically necessary

Nidi Gratis in Lombardia. Attuazione e risultati

“Nidi Gratis” initiative, now in its fourth year, was introduced by Lombardy Region on an experimental basis in April 2016 as part of the “Reddito di Cittadinanza” program and was then confirmed for the following years thanks to a continuous investment of resources, including the use of European funds (POR FSE 2014-2020 Program) starting from the second annuity. The purpose of the initiative is to support the recipient families living in condition of economic and social vulnerability, excluding families’ cash outflows for the payment of the tuition costs of nursery schools (0-3 years) in the partaking municipalities, thus facilitating access to child services and answering to work-life balance needs. This research was promoted by the “Comitato Paritetico di Controllo e Valutazione del Consiglio regionale della Lombardia” and aims to evaluate the implementation and results of the initiative in the region. The sources used to conduct this analysis were different: (1) structured questionnaire by PoliS-Lombardia sent to all the nursery schools in the region; (2) stakeholders interviews conducted by PoliS-Lombardia; (3) customer satisfaction surveys available in Lombardy Region Open Data; (4) comparison of the employment status of the parents between T0 (declaration of the family unit economic situation at the beginning of the year) and T1 (Nidi Gratis application form); (5) further assessments of Lombardy Region performance conducted by PoliS-Lombardia. The main results indicate the strengths and weaknesses of “Nidi Gratis”, considering both the economic, managerial and administrative data related to the implementation of the initiatives, and stakeholders’ personal experience

Gener(ar)e: Una riflessione sulla questione intersex/DSD dal punto di vista genitoriale

The Intersex and DSD (Disorder of Sex Development) definitions indicate variations of the biological sex, on which basis an individual does not fall into the biological category of male or female for congenital reasons, may these be anatomical, hormonal, chromosomal or genetic. This definition, not at all static or asserted, is a proof of the debate born in the nineties, carried on by different stakeholders involved in the lives of people born with one of the variations. Historically we have moved from a model of intervention centered on the maintenance of secrecy and the early attribution of sex to newborns on the basis of an optimal gender policy (Money, Hampson and Hampson, 1955), to a model focused on the individual-patient and on his/her family (Wilson and Reiner, 1998, Consortium on the Management of Disorders of Sex Differentiation, 2006), which made the criteria of sex assignment at birth less generalized and more attentive to the individual factors of the chid. Despite this formal change in guidelines, prenatal or neonatal diagnosis and the discovery of the existence of these variations remains a critical and unexpected moment for most parents. The lack of longitudinal research, educational programs and structured psychosocial support to families does not allow parents to have easy access to tools that help them in parenting and in taking a potential choice to act immediately after the birth of the child. The arrival of a newborn with a previously unknown variation leads parents to a quick processing of the information provided by the medical team, often leaving them with many unanswered questions. Starting from a brief analysis of the terminological issue and the consequent current debate on the intersex/DSD matter, the aim of this contribution is to reflect both on what it means to be the parent of a newborn with a variation of sex characteristics and on the role of the social sciences in supporting the individual, the family and the environment where children learn how to "make the genre", to socialize, to relate and to be part of a group dynamic (West & Zimmerman, 1987)

Gener(ar)e: una riflessione sulla questione intersex/dsd dal punto di vista genitoriale

The Intersex and DSD (Disorder of Sex Development) definitions indicate variations of the biological sex, on which basis an individual does not fall into the biological category of male or female for congenital reasons, may these be anatomical, hormonal, chromosomal or genetic. This definition, not at all static or asserted, is a proof of the debate born in the nineties, carried on by different stakeholders involved in the lives of people born with one of the variations. Historically we have moved from a model of intervention centered on the maintenance of secrecy and the early attribution of sex to newborns on the basis of an optimal gender policy (Money, Hampson and Hampson, 1955), to a model focused on the individual-patient and on his/her family (Wilson and Reiner, 1998, Consortium on the Management of Disorders of Sex Differentiation, 2006), which made the criteria of sex assignment at birth less generalized and more attentive to the individual factors of the chid. Despite this formal change in guidelines, prenatal or neonatal diagnosis and the discovery of the existence of these variations remains a critical and unexpected moment for most parents. The lack of longitudinal research, educational programs and structured psychosocial support to families does not allow parents to have easy access to tools that help them in parenting and in taking a potential choice to act immediately after the birth of the child. The arrival of a newborn with a previously unknown variation leads parents to a quick processing of the information provided by the medical team, often leaving them with many unanswered questions

Di fronte alla variazione: Racconti di madri e padri di giovani con differenti caratteristiche del sesso

Being a parent-to-be often involves facing the question: "is it a boy or a girl?", which answer is never entirely obvious. The definition of sex and gender of a newborn with a variation in the development of biological sex, also known as Intersex or Disorder of Sex Development, is an extremely complex social and medical process that has engaged individuals, families, activists, health professionals, social scientists, support groups and lawyers in a twenty-year debate that has not yet been able to give a certain answer to this question. Currently there is no consensus on the intervention guidelines and, within the medical practice, the transition from an optimal gender policy to a patient-centered model seems to be slow, leaving parents without tools in a time when they are often required to face quick binding decisions for the future of the newborn. The growing attention to the Intersex/DSD issue has highlighted the need to start research that supports the psychosocial well-being of patients and their families, promoting the development of longitudinal studies and psychoeducational programs that will prevent to live the moment of diagnosis as an emergency. In the field of psychosocial research, there are still very few studies conducted in the Italian context investigating how parents learn, communicate and live the situation of their child with a variation of sex characteristics. Through a review of the literature and an exploratory research based on 38 life stories of Italian mothers and fathers, the present research shows what are parent's actions and reactions to the diagnosis of the child, focusing on three central themes: the communication modalities, the prescriptions and proscriptions deriving from the implicit categorisation of sex and gender and the opinions on the surgical operations and the diagnostic labels. Results show the need to structure a holistic approach that promotes the overall support of the parent, in order to become a promoter of the physical, mental, social and environmental health of the child.Essere in attesa di diventare genitore comporta spesso essere posti di fronte alla domanda: “è un maschio o una femmina?”, la cui risposta non è mai del tutto ovvia. La definizione del sesso e del genere di un/a neonato che nasce con una variazione dello sviluppo del sesso biologico, conosciuta anche come Intersex o Disorder of Sex Development, è un processo sociale e medico estremamente complesso, che ha impegnato individui, famiglie, attivisti, professionisti della salute, scienziati sociali, gruppi di sostegno e giuristi in un dibattito ventennale che ancora non ha saputo dare una risposta certa a questa domanda. Attualmente non esiste un consenso sulle linee guida di intervento e, all’interno della pratica medica, il passaggio da una optimal gender policy a un modello incentrato sul paziente sembra tardare a compiersi, lasciando i genitori senza strumenti in un momento in cui è spesso richiesto loro di affrontate decisioni rapide, vincolanti per il futuro del neonato con poche ore di vita. La crescente attenzione per la questione Intersex/DSD ha evidenziato la necessità di avviare ricerche che supportino il benessere psicosociale dei pazienti e delle loro famiglie, promuovendo lo sviluppo di studi longitudinali e programmi psicoeducativi che permettano di non vivere più il momento della diagnosi come emergenziale. Nel campo della ricerca psicosociale, sono ancora pochi gli studi condotti nel contesto italiano che hanno indagato le modalità con cui i genitori apprendono, comunicano e vivono la situazione del/la proprio/a figlio/a. Attraverso una revisione della letteratura e un’indagine esplorativa basata su 38 racconti di vita di madri e padri italiani, la presente ricerca mostra quali sono le azioni e le reazioni dei genitori di fronte alla diagnosi del/la figlio/a, individuando nello specifico tre tematiche centrali: le modalità comunicative, le prescrizioni e le proscrizioni derivanti dalle categorie implicite di sesso e genere e le opinioni sulle operazioni chirurgiche e le etichette diagnostiche. Tali risultati mostrano la necessità di strutturare un approccio olistico che promuova il supporto globale del genitore, affinché diventi a sua volta promotore della salute fisica, mentale, sociale e ambientale del/la figlio/a