Opportunities For Inclusion Research Articles

Apprenticeships and Internships: Opportunities for Equity and Inclusion

Key TakeawaysOn‐the‐job training programs can help the water industry build and maintain a skilled and diverse workforce.The benefits are numerous for participants in apprenticeship and internship programs, with a well‐organized plan that offers training in specific skills, job assurance and potential for advancement, personal development, and financial stability.Where small or medium‐sized water utilities don't see the feasibility of developing their own formalized on‐the‐job training, a regional program is a possible solution.

Settlement Inequality and Social Exclusion of People with Epilepsy

Introduction. Patients with epilepsy, due to the presence of the chronic disorder, belong to deprived social groups. The results of many studies confirm the discrimination of patients with epilepsy on various social parameters, such as the availability of high-quality medical care, education and jobs. The settlement factor aggravates the deprived situation of patients with epilepsy and significantly affects their socio-psychological well-being. Based on the materials of the study conducted, the article identifies the interconnection between the characteristics of the place of residence of a patient with epilepsy, indicators of social exclusion, and the level of emotional-volitional and cognitive disorders. Materials and Methods. The data from a survey of 157 patients with epilepsy registered in neuropsychiatric dispensaries in Penza, Saransk, and Alatyr were used as materials for the study. The survey was conducted using the authors’ tools in May – December 2020 as formalized interviews. The results were processed using mathematical statistics methods in the SPSS software package. Results. The survey data have confirmed the stigmatization and deprivation of patients with epilepsy: they are less likely to marry, have limited opportunities for vocational education, and are more often unemployed. The settlement factor manifests itself in the unequal availability of modern medical services and provision of drugs, inclusive educational programs and opportunities for occupational socialization. The performed cluster analysis of the data has made it possible to single out three groups of respondents that differ significantly in terms of indicators and the degree of social exclusion: “educational deprivation”, “exclusion in the labor market” and “coping with stigma”. Analysis of these categories regarding the settlement factor shows that the share of the most deprived groups is inversely related to the population of the cities under study. Discussion and Conclusion. The authors have drawn the conclusions that the availability of social integration mechanisms reduces the likelihood of developing negative consequences of epilepsy, and the corresponding opportunities are largely due to the size of the city. The data obtained can be used to identify categories of patients with similar social problems, which will facilitate more targeted emotional and instrumental support for patients with epilepsy, with regard to the settlement factor.

Linking sports registration information and player feedback to enhance netball participation

BackgroundSports should endeavour to provide inclusive opportunities for all people to participate. More evidence is required to understand who joins sports clubs and what keeps participants engaged throughout their lifetime. Little is known about who plays netball or what drives participation and retention of players in netball. This study aimed to identify the sociodemographic characteristics of Netball New South Wales (NSW) members, their odds of re-registering in the sport, and explore their motivations to play, experiences during participation and the perceived benefits of playing netball.MethodsWe used longitudinal sport registration data from all Netball NSW members in 2018 and 2019. A cross-sectional online survey was sent to all players registered during the two-year study period (n = 157,152). We used logistic regression to determine the odds of individuals returning to netball in 2019 after playing in 2018 and linked the sports registration data with the survey responses, calculating frequencies and proportions.ResultsNetball NSW members were mostly female (98 %) and aged less than 18 years old (69 %). Netball NSW retained 68 % of members in 2019 who played the previous year. Members who were male, aged 18–44 years old, lived in low SES areas, lived in regional/remote locations, identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, spoke a language other than English at home or were born outside Australia had lower odds of returning to play from 2018 to 2019. Survey participants (n = 10,795) rated their experience playing netball highly and reported that playing netball improved their health and wellbeing. The main reason to play netball reported was ‘fun and enjoyment’ while the main reason to consider quitting was the ‘skill/experience of umpires and officials’.ConclusionsThis study highlights the strengths of netball in engaging and retaining females, who often participate in less sport than males. The positive experiences reported by netball participants should be fostered to retain current participants throughout the lifecourse. The data provided by members should be inform strategic actions to enhance netball participation for sociodemographic groups who had greatest odds of dropout. Routine surveillance using linked registration and player feedback should be utilised by sports to enhance sport delivery and increase participation.

“There’s nothing here”: Perspectives from rural parents promoting safe active recreation for children living with autism spectrum disorders

BackgroundChildren with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families experience challenges and barriers at multiple levels that influence their activity participation. The purpose of this study was to develop understanding about factors influencing how families can promote safe, active recreation for their children 3–12 years living with ASD across rural settings and how supports for these families can be enhanced. MethodsThis qualitative study used an interpretive descriptive approach. Twelve in-depth, semi-structured interviews with parents of children with ASD were conducted. Data was analyzed thematically. ResultsFour main themes emerged: 1) ASD specific child vulnerabilities impeding safe recreation. 2) Importance of safe outdoor spaces in rural settings for children with ASD. 3) Diverse parent strategies to address risks and needs. 4) Perceived needs for training of recreation providers. ConclusionFindings highlight family-centred priority issues including parental safety concerns related to elopement and risk of injury linked to environmental and outdoor hazards prominent in rural settings. Autism awareness and recreational training is needed and could incorporate collaborative development of child specific safety plans to foster inclusive opportunities. Program planners can use this information to encourage policy making to aid families’ safe activity participation.

Decommissioning normal: COVID-19 as a disruptor of school norms for young people with learning disabilities.

Accessible summary The COVID‐19 pandemic has forced everyone to live at a social distance from other people. This has changed the way people live and are included socially.This paper focuses on the unexpected ways schools have altered and deepened social inclusion for children with learning disabilities during the COVID‐19 pandemic.We interviewed six people: two people who work for a Local Authority, one Headteacher of a special school, one Special Educational Needs and Disability Consultant, one young person with a learning disability and her mother.The findings and conclusions show the “new normal” caused by COVID‐19 can help to deepen social inclusion for children with learning disabilities. For example, it can help children communicate in alternative ways with their teachers and friends. It can help families to understand more about their son/daughter's educational abilities; this means they can advocate better for them. It can help professionals to meet the needs of children with learning disabilities more quickly.We do not enjoy living at a social distance from everyone else, but we do want to make sure that lessons can be learnt from this moment in time. BackgroundTo slow the spread of COVID‐19, on 20 March 2020, nurseries, schools and colleges across England were closed to all learners, apart from those who were children of key workers or were considered “vulnerable.” As young people with learning disabilities, families, professionals and schools become acquainted with the Erfahrung of the new horizon brought about by COVID‐19, the negativity of altered social inclusion is becoming the “new normal.” Capturing this transitory moment in time, this paper reflexively analyses the curiously productive variables of altered ecological pathways to social inclusion for people with learning disabilities.MethodsTaking a hermeneutic stance, this paper draws on Gadamer's construction of the nature of new experiences. Focussed on the experience of social inclusion during the COVID‐19 pandemic, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with six key stakeholders. As the phenomenon in question was new, an inductive approach to thematic analysis was applied.FindingsThe critical tenet of this paper is that the Erfahrung of COVID‐19 has created the conditions for a “new normal” which have afforded children with learning disabilities altered opportunities for social inclusion, whether that be through increased power/agency for them and their families and/or new modes of connectedness leading to enhanced relationships.ConclusionWhilst the impact of COVID‐19 has been a negative one for many aspects of society, application of Simplican and Gadamer's theories on social inclusion and the nature of new experiences has permitted the surfacing of new possibilities for the social inclusion of children with learning disabilities.

Extracurricular Education And Education In The Republic Of Moldova. Context: Social, Political, Economic, Educational

Abstract Education in contemporary society is a strategic resource for sustainable human development, in a space and time determined from a historical, political, cultural, socioeconomic point of view, etc. Lifelong learning has become a fundamental requirement of society under these conditions. Learning to learn and wanting to continually improve are requirements of lifelong learning; responding to them, man learns to be receptive to change, able to anticipate and adapt to them, offering himself as a participant in the process of social evolution due to his intellectual and moral autonomy. The design, organization, functioning and development of the education system in the Republic of Moldova aims at the complementary quality of extracurricular education that takes place in educational institutions and aims to develop the cognitive, affective and action potential of children and young people, to respond to their interests and options for free and its ability to provide additional opportunities for information, documentation, communication, development, social inclusion and self-realization.

Social Prescribing and Therapeutic Recreation: Making the Connection

An increasing number of people are experiencing social isolation and loneliness and this trend is becoming cause for concern around the world. Considering that isolation and loneliness give rise to a number of health problems, it is essential to find innovative ways to address this issue. One such approach is to enhance experiences of belonging within communities. Social prescribing (SP) is a method that can promote belonging by connecting people to the social support they need. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential relationship that can exist between therapeutic recreation (TR) and SP. As we explain, TR can complement SP efforts by ensuring people have access to inclusive, social leisure and recreation opportunities. In this sense, TR professionals are well positioned to be key players in SP processes. We contend that TR practice is best positioned to work in tangent with SP to nurture socially connected communities when it focuses on building community capacity, facilitates welcoming and inclusive leisure and recreation experiences that foster regular social interaction, and adopts principles of community development as part of a social justice model of practice.

Children's Experiences of Their Journey to School: Integrating Behaviour Change Frameworks to Inform the Role of the Built Environment in Active School Travel Promotion.

Childhood obesity is a public health problem with multiple effects on children’s life. Promoting Active School Travel (AST) could provide an inclusive opportunity for physical activity and shape healthy behaviours. Data for this cross-sectional study were drawn from questionnaires carried out in five primary schools located in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, in neighbourhoods chosen for their variability in IMD (index of multiple deprivation) and spatial structure of street networks (measured through space syntax measure of integration). A randomly selected and heterogenic sample of 145 pupils (aged 9–10) completed an open-ended questionnaire to state what they like and dislike about their journey to school. Thematic analysis identified four typologies (environmental context, emotions, social influences and trip factors) based on the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and specific themes and sub-themes underlying children’s affective experiences of their journeys to school. This study is the first known to authors to attempt to adapt the Capability, Opportunity and Motivation Behaviour (COM-B) model into AST and children’s experiences and associated behavioural domains with design aspects. Such an insight into children’s attitudes could inform urban planners and designers about how to apply more effective behaviour change interventions, targeting an AST increase among children.

Gender disparity in the digitalization of financial services: challenges and promises for women's financial inclusion in India

Digital financial services present unprecedented opportunities for the financial inclusion of vulnerable sections of society by overcoming the barriers of cost, distance, transparency, and by providing financial services tailored to their needs. Despite rapid strides in the digital financial inclusion in India, women face barriers to access and usage of digital financial services. The study uses secondary data to examine the regional profile of the gender gap in digital financial inclusion in India. The analysis shows that the economic development of the state does not determine the gender disparity in digital financial inclusion. The study also identifies key barriers to women’s access to digital financial services. Based on a primary survey of women in rural and urban areas the study shows that digitalization can help enhance women’s social and financial autonomy. Hence, these findings suggest that a gender sensitive approach to financial inclusion is imperative for the success of policy initiatives.

Evaluating and implementing an opportunity for diversity and inclusion in case-based learning.

Implication StatementProblem-based learning (PBL) and case-based learning (CBL) often mention social identities only if this information is directly relevant to diagnosis, which can inadvertently perpetuate stereotypes in trainee learning. Using a student-developed resource entitled “Portraying Social Identities in Medical Curriculum: A Primer,” we analyzed cases for social identities, identified gaps, and proposed changes, including use of a validated name bank to reflect diversity as represented by local census data. Through this innovation, suggestions were provided to represent the social determinants of health in CBL cases. Other medical schools can use our innovation to improve the social diversity of their medical curriculums.

Refugees to the Rescue? Motivating Pro-Refugee Public Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic

AbstractMigrants are often scapegoated during public health crises. Can such crises create opportunities for migrant inclusion instead? As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, many refugee organizations have stepped up their outreach with stories of refugees helping out in the crisis. We have partnered with the country’s leading refugee advocate organizations to test whether solidarity narratives increase public engagement with refugee advocates. We employ a Facebook experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of refugee narratives. We test whether (1) migrant narratives framed in the context of COVID-19, (2) COVID-19 migrant narratives targeted to more or less local communities, and (3) COVID-19 migrant narratives labeled as refugee vs. immigrant efforts enhance public engagement with refugee organizations. Our results indicate that migrant narratives framed in the context of COVID-19 do not motivate greater engagement than those that make no mention of the pandemic. Our results provide suggestive evidence that locally targeted efforts motivate greater engagement. Finally, we find no difference between the “refugee” and “immigrant” label, but we show that both labels can motivate greater engagement than ads that include neither. Importantly, this is true even in the context of COVID-19, an uncertain environment where worries of backlash might be warranted. These results suggest promising strategies for migrant policy organizations to promote engagement during and possibly after the pandemic.

Reviving and Reorienting Growth after the Pandemic: The Role of Local Infrastructure Investments

As many countries are seeing the first signs of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also shifting their policies from limiting the immediate economic impact of the pandemic on households and businesses to designing strategies that will revive long-term growth. Systemic challenges, such as climate change and growing inequality, are compounded by new ones because production and consumption patterns have been greatly modified by the pandemic, which has also led to major disruptions in global value chains. At the same time, the acceleration of the digital transformation is providing new opportunities for growth. A key success factor will be the capacity to restart and reorient infrastructure investments at a time when public finances have shifted from capital to current expenditure and private investments have been held back by the uncertain course of the pandemic. The focus of this paper is on the role that local government can play in promoting infrastructure investments and transforming the problems that the crisis has highlighted into opportunities for sustainable recovery and social inclusion. After an overview of the current infrastructure gaps and of the investment needs that the crisis has highlighted, the paper focuses on how to improve the enabling environment and the range of financial instruments that are available at subnational level. Local challenges are greater than those at national level because subnational authorities generally have more limited fiscal capacity and greater difficulty in attracting private investors. The paper also looks at specific experiences that can provide interesting insights on how to implement and finance infrastructure projects. Finally, it proposes a set of policy principles that could be taken into account to promote effective investments in local infrastructure.

Teachers’ readiness for inclusive education in a developing country: fantasy or possibility?

ABSTRACT This article aims to examine teacher readiness for inclusive education with the contextual influence of gender, age, academic qualification, teachers’ teaching experience, involvement in teaching students with special educational needs, and teacher training. Using a quantitative research design, a survey questionnaire was administered to 628 teachers in 77 government schools. The results from the survey were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 27.0. Findings indicate teachers’ rating of their knowledge, understanding, skills, abilities and attitude for an inclusive education. In addition, results for the inferential statistics of t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) based on teacher’s gender, age, academic qualification, teaching experience, involvement in teaching students with special needs, and teacher training are presented. The findings from this research highlight the important role of teachers’ knowledge, understanding, skills, abilities and attitude in further enhancing the inclusive educational opportunities for students with special needs.

O desafio conceitual MIL para as cidades pequenas: proposições a partir do caso de Jaú, Brasil

The MIL cities framework establishes a new perspective of human integration based on different data processing technologies, social inclusion, and urban innovations. This essay proposes an overview of possibilities and threats of MIL proposes for small and medium­sized cities, which do not have many resources to promote a MIL agenda, what may stimulate the grow of inequality between large cities and the countryside. Thus, it proposes a systematic reflection of Jaú (Brazil) experiences of local community partnerships, exploring (a) the local opportunities for development and inclusion even outside the large

Youth, poverty, and interpersonal violence: a recipe for PTSD

Substantial efforts have focused on physical rehabilitation to help speed the recovery process post-trauma. Despite intensive physical therapy, many trauma patients never return to their pre-injury status. This finding suggests...

Participation of young children with developmental disabilities: parental needs and strategies, a qualitative thematic analysis

ObjectivesParticipation refers to a person’s involvement in activities and roles that provide interaction with others as well as engagement in family and community activities. Young children with developmental disabilities (DD)...

Citizen Consultation on Problematic Usage of the Internet: Ethical Considerations and Empirical Insights From Six Countries.

Citizens and scientists can work together to improve the collective well-being, if citizens are inspired to help the advancement of science, and researchers motivated to listen to the voices of citizens. The benefits of such collaboration are increasingly recognized by both citizens and scientists, as reflected in the growing number of related publications and initiatives. This is especially relevant for emerging areas of research, where early involvement of citizens could help to envision, prioritize, and plan prospective studies. The Problematic Usage of the Internet (PUI) is one such area, which is fast becoming a public mental health concern. However, there remains a lack of clarity regarding the practical guidelines and ethical requirements for citizen involvement at the earliest stages of PUI. In our paper, we propose a conceptual framework and a template for initial involvement of citizens in PUI. They are derived from our community case studies, conducted in six European countries (Georgia, Greece, Malta, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Spain) and consisting of consultation with diverse groups of interested citizens (students, parents, teachers, and health professionals). Informed by our consultation exercises, we also highlight four ethical aspects for citizen involvement in the research on PUI or novel disciplines in general. They follow simple guiding principles to ensure that scientists will: enable a long-term commitment and inclusive opportunities for citizens, challenge established power hierarchies, and support collaboration, co-production and co-authorship with citizens. We believe that the proposed practical guidelines and ethical considerations, provide a valuable foundation on which to advance our understanding and generate international strategies for citizen involvement in PUI.

Open strategy: what is the impact of national culture?

PurposeThis paper aims to argue that national cultural context variables influence open strategy formation processes. This study suggests that country-specific differences may influence open strategy, a form of strategic decision-making and present propositions linking national culture dimensions, national trust orientation and open strategy.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual framework links the literature on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions to the open strategy paradigm. This paper adopts a contingency approach linking national culture to open strategy.FindingsThe theoretical arguments demonstrate that uncertainty avoidance, time orientation, power distance, individualism versus collectivism and national trust culture all have a moderating influence on the antecedents and outcomes of open strategy. The findings extend the external validity of the open strategy paradigm and show that a culture-bound explanation of open strategy may be useful to the understanding of open strategy.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the challenges and opportunities that managers face when they adopt open strategy processes in multinational settings and across different cultures. Managers need to be aware that national cultural variables affect how employees behave and how they are likely to act when faced with opportunities for inclusion, shared decision-making and transparency. The findings suggest that training employees ahead of time on the cultural effects of their behavior may aid the successful adoption of open strategy in different cultures.Originality/valueThis manuscript to our knowledge, maybe one of the first to make a direct link between openness and national cultural values. In the process, the conceptual framework extends research on the role of context on openness, as well as research at the nexus of cross-cultural issues and strategic decision-making.

Skin-of-color article representation in dermatology literature 2009-2019: Higher citation counts and opportunities for inclusion

To the Editor: There is a paucity of skin-of-color (SOC) images and content in dermatology educational materials and research.1,2 Dermatologists and dermatology residents have identified a need for more training materials to address the knowledge gap concerning unique SOC considerations.3 The inclusion of SOC content is instrumental in ensuring high-quality care for diverse patient populations.4 As many dermatologists rely on literature for education, ensuring the inclusion of SOC content is critical.

How Do Platforms Empower Consumers? Insights from the Affordances and Constraints of Reclame Aqui

Abstract Consumer feedback platforms offer consumers tools to provide feedback on their market and consumption experiences. Beyond broad prior characterizations, little is known about the specific means by which platforms affect empowerment. Elements of empowerment identified in extant studies include voice, choice, justice, inclusion, catalysis, and consciousness-raising. We research a popular Brazilian platform to learn how platforms facilitate and constrain consumer empowerment. Our approach is immersive, a more-than-human netnography of the platform involving depth interviews with twenty-one of its consumer and corporate users. Findings show same-side and cross-side network effects driving the ability of the platform to offer consumers empowerment. Furthermore, affordances are critically important. Affordances provide opportunities for consumer choice, voice, justice, and inclusion. However, platforms’ cross-side network effects create economic considerations that limit those opportunities in theoretically and practically important ways. Although other feedback platforms might offer catalysis and consciousness-raising elements of empowerment, our focal platform does not. Earlier studies of consumer empowerment on the Internet may have been overly general and exuberant because they failed to recognize the constraining impacts of network effects, affordances, and algorithms. Consumer-citizenry, collective action, and consumer power are thoroughly transformed in the age of the platform, opening up new spaces for further investigation.