Towards an Affirmation Model of Disability

In this paper we argue that a new model of disability is emerging within the literature by disabled people and within disability culture, expressed most clearly by the Disability Arts Movement. For the purposes of discussion we call it the affirmative model. It is essentially a non-tragic view of disability and impairment which encompasses positive social identities, both individual and collective, for disabled people grounded in the benefits of lifestyle and life experience of being impaired and disabled. This view has arisen in direct opposition to the dominant personal tragedy model of disability and impairment, and builds on the liberatory imperative of the social model. Critiques of the latter have been consistently expressed as, or interpreted as, re-affirmations of personal tragedy, particularly in relation to impairment. In this analysis the affirmation model addresses the limitations of the social model through the realisation of positive identity encompassing impairment, as well as disability.     

American forestry professionalism in the third world: Some preliminary observations

Forestry, with its fulsomely developed and articulated worldview, provides an excellent case study of cultural and professional biases in projects intended to aid developing countries. Much of the forestry professional's received wisdom is defined by the ideology of the progressive era conservation movement: a preeminent emphasis on technical expertise as the basis for decision making; a related tendency to prefer comprehensive government planning and to denigrate the expertise and priorities of local resource users, who are seen as political advocates serving their own interests; a preference for managing trees, for lumber and as distinct from other forest and tree uses. This mindset leaves the forester in a poor position to understand the uses which forest users in other cultures see as important, to utilize the expertise of locals in the design and implementation of proposed aid programs, and to enquire meaningfully into alternative systems of land and tree tenure which will determine the success of those programs. Foresters are not the only professionals with trained incapacities; however, greater sensitivity to the settings in which aid projects will succeed or fail would be especially useful for western-trained foresters working in nonwestern forests, and for local foresters trained in western concepts and priorities.A version of this paper appeared inEconomic and Political Weekly, Bombay, India.     

“We Actually Trust the Community:” Examining the Dynamics of a Nonprofit Funding Relationship in New Zealand

Funding relationships in nonprofit management are increasingly defined by a philosophy of rational management, characterized by measurement of outputs and benchmarking, which represents an audit culture system (Burnley, Matthews, & McKenzie, 2005). There is concern that these approaches are constantly undermining the mission of community service nonprofit organizations (Darcy, 2002). In this research, we analyzed the management of funding relationships by examining dynamics within a nonprofit funding relationship in New Zealand. Through focus groups we explored the relationship between 17 representatives from nonprofit organizations and four Board members of a funding Trust. The management of this funding relationship was characterized by an appreciation of the diverse nature of nonprofit organizations, a balance between trust and control, and communication. We suggest that elements of these dynamics could be incorporated into nonprofit funding relationships in order to challenge an over-reliance on audit culture systems, and to re-establish relationships characterized by interaction between nonprofit organizations and their funders. Finally, we call for future research in this area.     

Long-term treatment of emotionally disturberd adoptees and their families

A review of literature on outpatient treatment of emotionally disturbed adoptees is presented. Key issues in adoption therapy are discussed. A model featuring long-term support for adoptive children and their families is described with a menu of accompanying clinical strategies. Applications in mental health settings and directions for research are reviewed.     

Psi in the family

Summary The case of Mark, age four, is presented in which his viral infection and conversion symptom of tonic arm spasm disappear one afternoon after his father naps at his side. Later the same day, in play therapy with his grandmother, the boy verbalizes a fantasy concerning the manner in which her old dog had died some months ago. The same night, after the children are asleep, the father reports a nightmare which he had during the nap as he lay beside his son. In manifest detail and also interpretively, the nightmare corresponds closely to the boy's play therapy fantasy. At the time of his play fantasy Mark had no knowledge of the fact or content of the father's nightmare.The familial dynamics surrounding the parallel phenomena are discussed from a psychoanalytic viewpoint, with emphasis on the fusion of oral and oedipal correspondences between father and son during a period of situational stress for the family. The data are considered illustrative of the need to treat families as a unit rather than to focus on their most symptomatic members.A comparison is drawn between this type of involuntary transfer of the pain or sickness and the ritualized healing procedures among many so-called primitive ethnic groups, where such transfer as took place between father and son is ceremonially practiced between patient and shaman through various modes of physical contact.     

‘Parenting teenagers’ programmes: a UK perspective

The parenting of teenagers is an area of political and public debate at present, and many different forms of support are now available for this group of parents. There has been a particular increase in recent years in the number of group-based parenting programmes provided for parents of teenagers. This paper describes research which (i) surveyed the range and nature of ‘parenting teenagers’ courses currently available in the UK, and (ii) identified key characteristics of these courses, including aims, value bases, materials, methods, parents attending, outcomes, and evaluation. A number of key issues are identified, and recommendations for future practice, policy and research in this important area are made.     

Challenging the Image: the involvement of young people with disabilities in volunteering and campaigning

Much of the debate about young people with disabilities focuses on the difficulties these young people experience and their needs in terms of service provision. Rarely is there a focus on the positive contribution that disabled young people themselves make to society. The paper describes research which aimed to highlight the contribution that young people with disabilities make to their communities, by focusing on their participation in volunteering and campaigning. A national survey of disabled young people's participation was undertaken, as well as two case studies of particular projects. The paper describes the range of voluntary and campaigning activities being undertaken by young people with disabilities, highlights the effects of participation on the young people and those around them, and identifies issues for organisations wishing to enable more young people with disabilities to participate in this way.