Planned Change in the Disability Community

Abstract

Planned change with people, who are physically or mentally disabled, as with other special populations, requires a range of skills and knowledge; several specific aspects of the change process are identified and discussed in this article: the characteristics of the change agent, the timing of the change event, and creating a vision for change. These aspects are illustrated through the writer's own experiences as a change agent working a long-range change event to improve access¹ to mental health services in the US with and for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.     

Children's Perceptions of Their Relationships with Coresiding and Non-Coresiding Fathers

In this study the perceptions of children who reside with their fathers and children who live apart from their fathers are compared on a number of relationship qualities. Residential status significantly affected the likelihood of a father being named as some- one who was important in thc life of the child, as well as the likeli- hood of the father being named as someone the child went to for help with a reccnt srressful event. However, for those fathers who were named by their children, the child's perception of the general quality of the relationship and the amount of social support it provided did not differ by residential status. In addition, noncoresiding fathers were seen as filling the functional roles of teacher, supporter, and challeng- er at a higher level than co-residing faUiers. It appears that residential status may reduce the child's access to his or her father, but that those fathers who maintain contact remain important, functional people in their children's lives and important sources of support in times of stress. The need to change the common rception that noncoresid- ing fathers are unimportant in the lives o P" their children is discussed.     

The material and immaterial in conflict: Spirituality reduces conspicuous consumption

Many spiritual leaders have argued that materialistic pursuits are incompatible with following a spiritual life. Consistent with this view, we found that higher levels of spirituality correspond to a decreased desire to consume material goods in a conspicuous manner. Study 1 was correlational, and found that people who reported having spiritual experiences reported a decreased desire to spend lavishly for visible consumer goods, such as a cell phone. Study 2 was experimental, and found that participants assigned to recall a spiritual event also demonstrated a decreased desire to consume conspicuously, relative to participants assigned to recall an enjoyable event.     

Physical Disability in 1986 and Beyond: A Response to Simon Brisenden

The report of the Royal College of Physicians Physical Disability in 1986 and Beyond has been criticised by some disabled people because it deals exclusively with medical aspects of disability and not with the whole range of services and resources that disabled people require. This criticism is unfair since it would be totally inappropriate for a committee composed only of doctors to make recommendations other than of a medical or N.H.S. managerial nature. There are many deficiencies in the medical support of disabled people, particularly those with complex impairments and those with brain damage. Correcting these deficiencies needs a change in medical practice and in the N.H.S. resources devoted to rehabilitation medicine. The College report has defined very clearly the scale of this problem, suggested specific practical solutions and how they should be audited, and provides guidelines which all those concerned with disabled people can use to check on the medical services that should be available and to identify those who are responsible for providing them.     

Disablism in the lives of people living with a chronic illness in England and Portugal

This article is based on research about the daily lives of people living with chronic illnesses in England and Portugal. Through the first-person narratives of participants, I argue that the lives of people living with debilitating chronic illnesses are affected by disablism, discrimination and exclusion. These aspects affect them in several important realms of life such as lack of or poor social support, difficulties in obtaining reasonable adjustments or the inability to obtain any kind of state support at all. These aspects are also widespread and compound and greatly influence their lives, beyond or in addition to the physical experience of the illness itself. I conclude that it is fundamental to change these structural and policy aspects and that people should have access to what I have termed a paradigm of sustained well-being, despite the illness.     

On the Accuracy of Retrospective Attitudinal Data

Survey researchers usually assume that retrospective data becomeless accurate with the passage of time between event and interview.Available research focuses on retrospective behavioral data,although the findings may be assumed to generalize to retrospectiveattitudinal data. The present study tests the assumption thatattitudes in the past are recalled less accurately over timeand finds it unwarranted. Data from a national sample surveyshow that people who recall attitudinal information about abureaucratic encounter which occurred 10 or more years in thepast generally showed the same pattern of relationships amongaspects of the encounter as did people who had contacted a governmentagency only two or three months prior to the interview.     

Changing Facebook profile pictures as part of a campaign: who does it and why?

People changing their Facebook profile picture in support of social and political campaigns has recently become relatively common, particularly among young people. The current study presents an analysis of young people who change their profile picture and their motivations to do so. Using original data collected among less than 35 years old Facebook users (N?=?267), we find that besides the intensity of Facebook use, offline engagement in protest and boycotts has a significant and positive effect on the likelihood to change one's profile picture as part of a campaign. Hence, the opportunity for Facebook users to engage in politics by changing a profile picture to support a campaign seems to be seized more often by young people who are politically engaged offline than by those who are not. Among those who change their profile picture, raising awareness seems to be the primary motivation to do so. Identity formation is also a crucial motivation, in particular for profile pictures changes to support a political party and the marriage equality campaign.     

The politics of sexual citizenship: commercial sex and disability

This paper breaks a long silence by bringing together two areas of literature that have generally been considered separately: that of sexuality and disability with findings from studies on sex work. Presenting empirical findings from two studies, one with sex workers who work from indoor sex markets and the other with men who buy sex, this paper exposes the existing relationships and practices between men with physical and sensory impairments who seek out commercial sexual services from female sex workers. In the discussion the politics surrounding sexual rights and commercial sex will be addressed. In the context of commercial sex, quality of life issues, complex power dynamics and the common ground between disabled people and sex workers rights are discussed. This paper considers the negative aspects of promoting commercial sex for people with impairments, as well as the positive aspects regarding the wider campaign for sexual citizenship. Finally, I set out recommendations and a new research and policy agenda that investigates the complexities of commercial and facilitated sex.     

Illusion of control and gambling in children

This paper outlines a cognitive theory to explain persistent gambling behavior. The major thesis is that people who persist in gambling in the face of significant losses do so, in part, because they misattribute the locus of control of the outcome of gambles to themselves rather than a random environmental event. Stated differently, this implies that people who are involved in gambling situations and win, find ways to take responsibility for winning, and that people will seek to exert control and direction over future gambles as well. This explanation is not intended to totally supplant existing theoretical analyses of persistent gambling such as models of addictive processes, or psychodynamic motivations, but rather to add a cognitive process dimension. Indeed, the different models are not mutually exclusive. In all probability, parts of each are useful in explaining pathological gambling. This study suggests that more importance and more research is need in the cognitive area to fully understand pathological gambling.     

Examining the role of cognitive dissonance in crisis fundraising

Fundraising scholarship has focused on the application of public relations theory to the process particularly in exploring the predictive power in applying relationship management theory to the non-profit organization–donor relationship. However, people often are impacted by catastrophic events and want to donate to relief efforts even though they may not be connected to the region. A survey of two American Red Cross chapters’ donors revealed that individuals who contributed to the December 2004 tsunami relief efforts were more likely to experience feelings of cognitive dissonance than non-donors, and their donations resulted in a consonance restoration. These results support an argument for non-profits, particularly those in crisis response, to have an active crisis communication plan in place that deals not only with responding to the event but also having a proactive plan established to publicize how to donate to relief efforts. Highlighting the consonance restoration, non-profits should also discuss the positive aspects of donating to their efforts, such as the work being done for the disaster victims.     

Citizenship in action: the lived experiences of citizens with dementia who campaign for social change

This article examines the experiences of citizens with dementia who campaign for social change, with a particular focus on the effects of campaigning on citizenry identity and psycho-emotional well-being. In diary-interviews, 16 people with dementia recorded and described their experiences of campaigning. Findings revealed that although campaigning can be energising and reaffirming of citizen identity, because it (re)located a person within the realm of work, individuals may experience dementia-related fatigue and oppression linked to normative expectations about what someone with dementia ‘should’ be like. The discussion is linked to critical debates within disability studies about the psycho-emotional aspects of impairment and disability, and concludes that the struggle for citizenship has only just begun for people with dementia.     

The Diverse Fathering Practices of Men Who Perpetrate Domestic Violence

Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from in-depth interviews with 17 Australian fathers who were participating in a men's behaviour change program. The study found that men's fathering varied and posed significant, yet different, risks to women, children, and young people. Variations were particularly evident when analysing narratives of masculinity with perceptions of control over the use of domestic violence. Other aspects of men's identities such as class, culture, and health intersected with gender and contributed to the diversity of harmful fathering practices. This paper spotlights the substantive issue of men's domestic violence and its impact on all aspects of family life, rather than current practices which frequently focus on women and their mothering practices.     

Whose ‘Ordinary Life’ Is It Anyway?

This paper offers a feminist critique of current community care policy and of the normalisation ideology which underpins it. Drawing on experience in services for people with learning difficulties and people who use mental health services, the authors draw a series of parallels between 'clients' and women in our society. They discuss the mechanisms whereby groups of people are accorded second class status and the ways in which such oppression is experienced. Strategies for change are discussed with reference to feminist scholarship and the development of the women's movement. The prevailing philosophy of normalisation, which is both apolitical and highly individualistic, is challenged to take more account of collective and communal ways forward and to acknowledge the interdependence of people who need care and their carers. Despite the rhetoric of community care, the work of carers (most of whom are women) is undervalued and unsupported. Mainstream values such as competitiveness and self-reliance are incompatible with the integration of people with disabilities and a theoretical framework which confronts such conflicts of interest is required.     

Sustainable lifestyles for all? Disability equality,sustainability and the limitations of current UK policy

In recent years, various environmental threats have been highlighted in relation to disability. Growing knowledge of the effects of climate change and particular impacts on disabled people have been highlighted by a number of authors, including a recent critique of disabled people’s ‘vulnerability’ with respect to environmental hazard. This article focuses on the issue of citizen involvement with climate change mitigation – and more broadly individual and household-level efforts to reduce our impact on the environment. These more mundane aspects of climate change mitigation, for example through transitions to more sustainable lifestyles, also have significant implications for disabled people. The article argues that disability equality is a key component of sustainability. Limitations are demonstrated in policy designed to address these issues using the example of current UK policy, and it is suggested that policy approaches to sustainability should also be a concern of disability studies.     

The Researched Opinions on Research: disabled people and disability research

Thirty-five disabled people with a range of physical, sensory and mental impairments were interviewed about (1) their experiences of research; (2) their general opinions concerning research; (3) whether they thought research had served/was serving disabled people well; (4) how research on disability should be conducted; (5) who should conduct research on disability; and, finally, (6) what they would like to be researched. In this paper, the results of aspects two to five are reported. It was found that the opinions of disabled people mirror quite strongly the recent arguments forwarded by disabled academics concerning the need for emancipatory and empowering research strategies. In particular, the respondents articulated a need for inclusive, action-based research strategies, where disabled people are involved as consultants and partners not just as research subjects, There were few arguments, however, for an exclusive approach, where disability research would be conducted solely by researchers who were themselves disabled.     

Networks of action and events over time. A multilevel discrete-time event history model for longitudinal network data

Longitudinal network data recording the moment at which ties appear, change, or disappear are increasingly available. Event history models can be used to analyze the dynamics of time-stamped network data. This paper adapts the discrete-time event history model to social network data. A discrete-time event history model can easily incorporate a multilevel design and time-varying covariates. A multilevel design is needed to account for dependencies among ties and vertices, which should not be ignored in a small longitudinal network. Time-varying covariates are required to analyze network effects, that is, the impact of previous ties. In addition, a discrete-time event history model handles constraints on who can act or who can be acted upon in a straightforward way. The model can be estimated with multilevel logistic regression analysis, which is illustrated by an application to book reviews, so network evolution can be analyzed with a fairly standard statistical tool.     

GUILTY CONSCIENCE AND INCENTIVES WITH PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT ERRORS

This study examines the effects of guilty conscience on incentive in the situation where an agent performance assessment has errors. There are two types of assessment error: undervaluation and overvaluation. In overvaluation, agents will not correct the assessment because their wages would then decrease. Although agents will want their undervaluation corrected, principals will not correct the error due to increased wage cost. Hence, correcting errors is complicated. However, this type of selfish behavior by agents and principals produces feelings of guilt, particularly when others trust them. In this situation, a high incentive is desirable for conscientious people with a strong sense of guilt or for nonconscientious people who do not feel guilt, but it is undesirable for intermediate‐type people who are conscientious only to a certain extent. (JEL D03, D82, J41)