Accessing the field : disability and the research process

Disability is as much a factor in interactional dynamics as ethnicity, age, gender or sexuality, and therefore its impact on the processes around qualitative research warrants much more systematic attention. Disabled researchers are not confined to disability studies research, although most accounts of the impact of disability on the research process have, thus far, been undertaken within this field. This paper moves beyond this narrow focus to consider the impact of disabled identities and the embodied experiences of impairment on studies involving, primarily, non-disabled people. By reflecting on our experiences as visibly disabled researchers, we highlight some of the practical, ethical and conceptual dilemmas we encountered. Impairments may assist rapport building with participants, but also introduce complex dilemmas concerning whether, when and how to disclose them, and the consequences of doing so. We highlight the centrality of the visibility of the disabled body in mediating these dilemmas, and its part in constraining our responses to them. While we value our commitment to positive readings of disability, we demonstrate that disabled researchers nevertheless undertake research in contexts where disability is assigned meanings disabled people may not share. We argue that all researchers should attend to their own ‘body signifiers’ (whether in relation to ethnicity, wealth, gender, age etc.) and embodied experiences of research processes, as these are integral to research outcomes, the ethics of research, and are a means by which to address power differentials between researcher and participant. This paper addresses a gap in the literature, using our experiences of research to highlight the negotiations and dilemmas faced by visibly disabled researchers. Negotiations of identity prompted by the disabled body in the research process require consideration and should not be ignored

Quantifying upper limb movements among wheelchair users using wheelchair propulsion monitoring devices

Wheelchair users face the challenge of using their arms to mobilize their bodies instead of their legs—resulting in pain and injury. Development of tools to measure motions occurring during wheelchair propulsion presents the opportunity to study patterns and activities of wheelchair users to help prevent pain and injury. This study combined measurement tools including accelerometers and a wheel rotation data logger to collect data on activities performed by manual wheelchair users. Twenty-six participants with spinal cord injury completed lab visits of data collection. A model was created from lab data to classify data as propulsion, rest, activities of daily living (ADLs), or being pushed. The best percent accuracies of the classifying model for each activity are as follows: 84.5% for propulsion, 85.6% for rest, 84.6% for ADLs, and 79.9% for being pushed. When applied to data from a user’s natural environment, this model can provide information on average time spent per day in each activity. With future work, the wheelchair propulsion monitoring devices of this study could quantify movement in manual wheelchair users’ natural environments

Changing children’s intergroup attitudes towards refugees: Testing different models of extended contact

The present research evaluated an intervention, derived from the "extended contact hypothesis," which aimed to change children's intergroup attitudes toward refugees. The study (n=253) tested 3 models of extended contact among 5- to 11-year-old children: dual identity, common ingroup identity, and decategorization. Children read friendship stories based upon these models featuring in- and outgroup members. Outgroup attitudes were significantly more positive in the extended contact conditions, compared with the control, and this was mediated by "inclusion of other in self." The dual identity intervention was the most effective extended contact model at improving outgroup attitudes. The effect of condition on outgroup intended behavior was moderated by subgroup identity. Implications for theoretically based prejudice-reduction interventions among children are discussed

A case study report : occupational therapy for an older adult with shoulder impingement syndrome

Capstone project (O.T.D.)

Ursus Americanus

This essay collection examines my experience as the single mother of a biracial child and uses it as impetus for posing larger questions about race and class in America. The piece Good Hair outlines my first attempt at explaining my son\u27s racial origins to him, Peacocks examines my choice to become a single mother by juxtaposing it with our culture\u27s mythology about spinsters and brides, and Ursus Americanus uses the initiating incident of a bear roosting in a city tree to examine the causes and consequences of human cultural and class migrations in Rochester, NY. Although grounded in the personal, these essays use techniques of accumulation, juxtaposition and non-linear chronology to reveal the fundamental misunderstandings that lead to White America\u27s problematic constructions of Black and Brown

Is Green Tea an Effective Aid in Weight Reduction?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to determine whether or not green tea extract is effective in aiding in weight reduction