Who\u27s Allowed to Ride the Short Bus? Un-Defining Disability

This article uses personal testimony as a vehicle for deconstructing the theory and literature of disability studies. The definition of disability is traced from the term\u27s origins to its present-day representations in popular culture, and I end with a look toward the future of the subject in academic settings and in society at large. The fictional character of Artie Abrams is considered alongside the real-life figure of Oscar Pistorius in an attempt to analyze the dangers and motives behind stereotypes surrounding the disabled character. Throughout the article, anecdotal excerpts are included to emphasize the importance of the personal perspective in better understanding the disabled experience. The ultimate goal is to turn the disabled figure from object into subject by un-defining what it means to be disabled

Who\u27s Allowed to Ride the Short Bus?: Un-Defining Disability

However easy it may be to do, criminalizing - or less maliciously, categorizing - disability does not make it easier to accommodate. Clumping people with special needs together does not meet those needs any more efficiently and labeling those needs as special is vague and ineffective. The disabled aren\u27t pegged into their roles for practical reasons, but because of inherited stigmas that are continuously encouraged by institutional policies, popular culture, and art. My thesis is in part an attempt to uncover and articulate a personal and social history of disability. In it I try to puzzle out how misconceptions regarding disability are formed, and I question how these can be transfigured. The movement to embrace Disability Studies (DS) is already well underway. It can be (and has been) appropriated for academics to study and teach, but I worry that it lacks personal experience and opinion. In this sense, I\u27m concerned about the future of the field. A brief point about the methodology that I follow in my thesis should be addressed: as my opening anecdote illustrates, this essay will not only call for more personal experience, but offer some as well. While I feel it is critical for myself and for those who are interested in the field to read and incorporate the theoretical interpretations of disability, I insist that disability studies (or any engagement with disability) be embedded in pragmatism, readability, and artistry. After all, disability - the signifier, and not the sign - is a human condition, whether it is constructed or not. If we expect society to actively approach disability, the literature that engages it or is invested in it and represents it as human experience must be relatable and above all else, teachable

Myth y la magia: Magical Realism and the Modernism of Latin America

The similarities between Latin American magical realism and European surrealism have long been regarded as part of a shared, cohesive movement in literature and art. After all, they share certain nonsensical and fantastical traits that place both movements far away from the Realism that modernism, as a whole, refutes. But in light of postcolonial theory, it becomes more and more necessary to explore magical realism as a geographically and politically situated movement with its own unique value in discussions of Modernism; not an offshoot of surrealism, but a sister genre, born in the distinct atmosphere of a region trying to self-identify in the face of postcolonial modernization. By exploring the conventions of the genre through some of its foundational texts—A Universal History of Infamy, The Kingdom of this World, and particularly, Men of Maize—we can then reinsert magical realism into a larger discussion about modernism in order to enrich and complicate what its global iterations mean outside of Europe. After a quick historical background regarding the origins of magical realism, first as a regional genre and then as a field of academic study, the thesis will engage with a close reading of some of the mythological elements of Miguel Angel Asturias’ Men of Maize. The novel will be read in light of mythmaking, postcolonial theory, and theory regarding both genre and novel conventions. The claim in the end is that Men of Maize showcases a Latin American encounter with modernism and modernity that results in a fractured identity, which Asturias ultimately attempts to heal through myth and magical realism

Soybean Production in North Dakota

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Rheumatoid arthritis is getting less frequent—results of a nationwide population-based cohort study

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to examine changes in incidence and prevalence of RA between 1990 and 2014, and to explore if there is any geographic variation in incidence and prevalence of RA in the UK Methods: Design Prospective cohort study Setting Primary care Participants People contributing acceptable data to Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) between 01/01/1990 and 31/12/2014 were included. Read codes were used to identify RA cases ≥18 years in age. Outcomes Prevalence and incidence rates for each year standardised to the 2014 population. Region specific incidence and prevalence of RA for the year 2014 standardized to the overall population. Results: The incidence and prevalence of RA was 3.81 per 10,000 person-years and 0.67% respectively in 2014. The annual incidence of RA reduced by -1.6%(-0.8% to - 2.5%) between 1990 and 2014, with significant joinpoints at 1994 and 2002. The prevalence of RA increased by 3.7%(3.2% to 4.1%)/year from 1990 to 2005; and reduced by -1.1%(-2.0% to -0.2%)/year between 2005 and 2014. There were significant differences in the occurrence of RA throughout different regions of the UK, with highest incidence in East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber; and highest prevalence in North East, and Yorkshire and Humber. Conclusion: The incidence of RA is decreasing, with a reduction in prevalence in recent years. There is significant geographic variation in occurrence of RA in UK. Further research is required to identify the reasons underlying this phenomenon so that public-health interventions can be designed to further reduce the incidence of RA

Antiphospholipid Antibody Testing in a General Population Sample from the USA: An Administrative Database Study

We sought to characterized patterns of aPL testing in a large general population sample from the United States. Using Truven Health MarketScan laboratory data from 2010-2015 we identified individuals tested for lupus anticoagulant(LA), anti-cardiolipin (aCL), and anti-beta2-glycoprotein1(aGP1). Our research was approved by the McGill institutional review board (A04-M47-12B). We identified 33,456 individuals with at least one aPL test. Among these, only 6,391 (19%) had all three tests (LA, aCL, aGP1) performed. Confirmatory aPL testing was performed at least 12 weeks later in 77%, 45%, and 41% of initially positive LA, aCL, and aGP1, respectively. Of those re-tested after ≥12 weeks, only 255 (10.6%) were found to have a confirmatory positive aPL test. These findings highlight that aPL testing may often be incompletely performed. Further investigations will be required to better understand the low rate of a confirmatory positive aPL test ≥12 weeks after the initial test

Facteurs influençant le choix du futur lieu d’exercice chez les résidents en rhumatologie

Background: There are regional disparities in the distribution of Canadian rheumatologists. The objective of this study was to identify factors impacting rheumatology residents’ postgraduate practice decisions to inform Canadian Rheumatology Association workforce recommendations. Methods: An online survey was developed, and invitations were sent to all current Canadian rheumatology residents in 2019 (n = 67). Differences between subgroups of respondents were examined using the Pearson χ2 test. Results: A total of 34 of 67 residents completed the survey. Seventy-three percent of residents planned to practice in the same province as their rheumatology training. The majority of residents (80%) ranked proximity to friends and family as the most important factor in planning. Half of participants had exposure to alternative modes of care delivery (e.g. telehealth) during their rheumatology training with fifteen completing a community rheumatology elective (44%). Conclusions: The majority of rheumatology residents report plans to practice in the same province as they trained, and close to home. Gaps in training include limited exposure to community electives in smaller centers, and training in telehealth and travelling clinics for underserviced populations. Our findings highlight the need for strategies to increase exposure of rheumatology trainees to underserved areas to help address the maldistribution of rheumatologists. Contexte : Au Canada, il existe des disparités régionales dans la répartition des rhumatologues. La présente étude recense les facteurs qui influencent les choix des résidents en rhumatologie concernant leur lieu d’exercice futur afin de guider les recommandations de Société canadienne de rhumatologie relatives aux effectifs. Méthodes : Après l’élaboration d’un sondage en ligne, une invitation a été envoyée à tous les résidents en rhumatologie au Canada en 2019 (n = 67). Les différences entre les groupes ont été examinées à l’aide du test Pearson χ2. Résultats : Trente-quatre des 67 résidents contactés ont répondu au sondage. Soixante-treize pour cent des répondants prévoyaient d’exercer dans la province où ils avaient fait leur formation en rhumatologie. La majorité des résidents (80 %) ont classé la proximité des amis et de la famille comme le facteur le plus important dans leur choix de lieu d’exercice. La moitié des participants s’étaient familiarisés avec d’autres modes de prestation de soins (par exemple, la télésanté) pendant leur formation en rhumatologie et 15 d’entre eux (44 %) avaient fait un stage en rhumatologie communautaire. Conclusions : La majorité des résidents en rhumatologie déclarent avoir l’intention d’exercer près de chez eux, dans la province où ils ont fait leurs études. Les lacunes dans la formation comportent l’exposition limitée à des stages dans les petits centres en milieu communautaire, en télésanté et dans les cliniques mobiles ciblant les populations mal desservies. Nos conclusions soulignent le besoin de stratégies visant à augmenter l’exposition des résidents en rhumatologie à des zones mal desservies afin de remédier à la mauvaise répartition géographique des rhumatologues