Electioneering and Activism at the Turn of the Century and the Politics of Disablement: The Legacy of E.T. Kingsley (1856-1929)

The lost career of Eugene T. Kingsley (1856-1929), an American-Canadian socialist who ran for the House of Representatives, the Canadian House of Commons and the British Columbia Legislature, has much to teach disability studies scholars. A double amputee who walked with a cane and artificial limbs, Kingsley was radicalized after an industrial accident in California and went on to become a central leader of the Socialist Party of Canada. In this article, I document his career and reflect on his legacy

The Legal Politics of Hubert H. Harrison: Excavating a Lost Legacy

Critical race theorists (CRT) have cogently argued the need for anti-racist struggles in the post-civil rights era to address the fact that integration has hardly resolved the continued marginalization and discrimination of African Americans in housing, employment, and many other dimensions and to reflect on how law facilitates racial subordination in the post-civil rights era. However, this Essay suggests that these arguments can be better understood and enriched by a deep appreciation of the breathtaking legacy of Hubert Henry Harrison (1883-1927) and a close reading of his works. As a working class activist and intellectual in both the Socialist Party and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), Harrison was later a major influence in Marcus Garvey's nationalist movement and the New Negro Movement, editor of The Voice and The Negro World, and the founder of the Liberty League. Largely lost to history, Harrison's astonishing body of work on racism and the political issues of his time force us to rethink a period of African American history that typically has been regarded as a low point in the struggle against racism and white supremacy. Yet in fact, Harrison found answers to the questions that would haunt advocates of racial equality for years to come

The Legal Genealogy of the Duty to Accommodate American and Canadian Workers with Disabilities: A Comparative Perspective

In this Essay, I seek to analyze the origins of the duty to accommodate people with disabilities in Canadian law in order to present a counter-factual argument on why the duty to accommodate has not flourished in American law. Comparative legal approaches have the merit of shedding fresh light on old legal problems that might not otherwise be considered. In Part I, I trace the history of the concept of reasonable accommodation in leading Supreme Court of Canada decisions, and demonstrate how accommodation of workers with religious beliefs remained central to the development of the jurisprudence and helped make decision-makers more comfortable in adopting a broader theory of equality. I contrast this in Part II with American jurisprudence on the duty to accommodate workers with religious beliefs, which has been plagued by concerns that the mandatory nature of reasonable accommodation in the workplace may infringe the Establishment Clause. I conclude in Part III with some brief reflections on the implications of the argument

Has the Charter Made a Difference for People with Disabilities?: Reflections and Strategies for the 21st Century

This paper evaluates the role of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in promoting the equality rights of people with disabilities through the lens of the social model of disablement. This stands for the proposition that structural barriers and attitudes in society are the primary cause of the marginalization of people with disabilities. Through a critical examination of key Supreme Court of Canada cases such as Eaton v. Brant County Board of Education, Granovsky v. Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration), Eldridge v. British Columbia (Attorney General) and Council of Canadians with Disabilities v. Via Rail Canada Inc., the paper maintains that even in those cases where advocates for people with disabilities lost, the Court nevertheless articulated a cogent understanding of the social model of disablement. The paper the n identifies two important recent developments, Canada’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the passage of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, that hold promise for increased accessibility in the future

Has the Charter Made a Difference for People with Disabilities?: Reflections and Strategies for the 21st Century

This paper evaluates the role of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in promoting the equality rights of people with disabilities through the lens of the social model of disablement. This stands for the proposition that structural barriers and attitudes in society are the primary cause of the marginalization of people with disabilities. Through a critical examination of key Supreme Court of Canada cases such as Eaton v. Brant County Board of Education, Granovsky v. Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration), Eldridge v. British Columbia (Attorney General) and Council of Canadians with Disabilities v. Via Rail Canada Inc., the paper maintains that even in those cases where advocates for people with disabilities lost, the Court nevertheless articulated a cogent understanding of the social model of disablement. The paper the n identifies two important recent developments, Canada’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the passage of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, that hold promise for increased accessibility in the future

Microrna let-7: an emerging next-generation cancer therapeutic

In recent years, various rna-based technologies have been under evaluation as potential next-generation cancer therapeutics. Micrornas (mirnas), known to regulate the cell cycle and development, are deregulated in various cancers. Thus, they might serve as good targets or candidates in an exploration of anticancer therapeutics. One attractive candidate for this purpose is let-7 (“lethal-7”)

Country Paper Small group facilitation skills in problem-based learning

Abstract Medical schools are increasingly changing over to a problem-based system of learning. Students work in a small group to analyze a well-structured, clinically relevant patient case. Problem Based Learning (PBL) provides a logical approach in training students for practicing medicine in a complex environment by exposing them to simulated problems which may reflect real life situations. PBL requires a change in mindset on the part of both the learner and the teacher/facilitator. For tutors, metacognitive skills, i.e. the ability of active, positive, conscious monitoring and direction of activities carried out by the students who were confronted with a problem, clear communication, and awareness of the learning needs of the students are rated as important. The 'knowledgeable' teacher no longer dominates learning, and students and teachers became equal partners in the learning process. Teachers/facilitators are requested not to give answers but to provide students with more room for active self-learning. An effective PBL tutor has the ability to communicate informally with students and has an empathic attitude which creates an atmosphere in which open exchange of ideas is facilitated. Programmes to improve PBL facilitation skills have been carried out in various institutions in the South Asian region. The positive impact of these training programmes highlights the need for workshops to develop such facilitative skills among South Asian medical educators. Problem-based learning should gradually become the more important and more widely used method of learning compared to didactic lectures