RDS Volume 2, No. 3
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Book Review: A History of AIDS Social Work in Hospitals: A Daring Response to an Epidemic(University of Hawaii at Manoa -- Center on Disability Studies, 2006) Linn, J. GaryEditors: Barbara I. Willinger and Alan Rice Reviewer: J. Gary Linn, Ph.D., Professor, School of Nursing and Center for Health Research, Tennessee State University Publisher: Binghamton, NY: Haworth, 2003 Paper, ISBN: 0 7890-1587-0, 360 pages Cost: $39.95Item Book Review: Helping Your Teenager Beat Depression: A Problem–Solving Approach for Families(University of Hawaii at Manoa -- Center on Disability Studies, 2006) Gerum, ShirleyAuthors: Katharina Manassis and Anne Marie Levac Reviewer: Shirley Gerum, Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa Publisher: Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House, 2004 Paper, ISBN: 1-890627-49-6, 201 pages Cost: $19.95Item Book Review: The Down Syndrome Nutrition Handbook, A Guide to Promoting Healthy Lifestyles(University of Hawaii at Manoa -- Center on Disability Studies, 2006) Guinan, MarthaAuthor: Joan E. Guthrie Medlen, R.D., L.D. Reviewer: Martha Guinan, MPH, Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawai`i Publisher: Baltimore: Woodbine House, 2002 Paper, ISBN: 1-890627-23-2, 352 pages Cost: $19.95Item Disability Studies and Disaster Services: Putting the “DS” in “DS”(University of Hawaii at Manoa -- Center on Disability Studies, 2006) Johnstone, ChristopherThis article is a synopsis of articles found in this special issue of the Review of Disability Studies that focused on disability and disaster. In this article, information is gleaned and summarized from all the historical, research, and current events discussed in this issue. As part of the synopsis, the question is posed, “How can Disability Studies, as an academic and social endeavor, inform disaster services?” Examples from various articles are provided to inform readers how “DS” (disability studies) might influence “DS” (disaster services).Item Politics and the Pandemic: HIV/AIDS, Africa, and the Discourse of Disability(University of Hawaii at Manoa -- Center on Disability Studies, 2006) Behling, Laura L.In 2004, Africa News filed a report on then12-year old William Msechu, a young African who lost both of his parents to AIDS in 1999. He, too, was HIV positive. Msechu is characterized as a “very bright boy,” although, the article reports, he is “yet to come to terms with his HIV status.” “’I was told that I have tuberculosis and I am getting better,’” the article quotes William as saying to journalists (“HIV-AIDS and STDs,” 2004). William Msechu’s disbelief at having contracted HIV is unremarkable; persons diagnosed with severe diseases, including HIV/AIDS, often work through denial and incredulity. Just as unremarkable, however, is Msechu’s contention that he had not tested positive for HIV, but rather, had contracted tuberculosis, another widespread disease but not nearly as stigmatizing as HIV/AIDS. Substituting “tuberculosis” for “HIV” may be an affirming measure for Msechu, but it also provides one more example of the rhetorical slipperiness that historically, and still continues to accompany, the HIV/AIDS pandemic.Item Trauma, Grief and the Social Model: Practice Guidelines for Working with Adults with Intellectual Disabilities in the Wake of Disasters(University of Hawaii at Manoa -- Center on Disability Studies, 2006) Ballan, Michelle S.; Sormanti, MaryFormulating personal needs assessments and plans for self-protection have been the recent focus of disaster preparedness manuals for individuals with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers. Interventions to address the minimization of psychological ill effects of trauma and grief in the aftermath of disasters for this population, however, remain largely unexplored. In the wake of such events, persons with intellectual disabilities require trained mental health professionals to assist them in identifying and coping with trauma exposure and its associated, often sudden losses. Intervention should be based on the unique needs of this population within the context of disaster and each individual's cognitive strengths and capacities. Coupled with reviews of research and practice in the area of disaster mental health, the social model of disability served as a foundation for the formulation of best practice guidelines for tertiary interventions with adults with intellectual disabilities. The guidelines suggest approaches that will enable professionals to identify and minimize acute and chronic responses to disasters as well as foster resilience and enhance the valuable contributions of adults with intellectual disabilities in disaster-affected communities.Item Academic and Behavioral Reactions of Children with Disabilities to the Loss of a Firefighter Father: The New York City World Trade Center Attack 9/11/01(University of Hawaii at Manoa -- Center on Disability Studies, 2006) Christ, Grace H.; Christ, Thomas W.This five year comparative case study explores how children with disabilities responded to the loss of their firefighter father in the World Trade Center attack. Preliminary findings presented will be useful for teachers and researchers interested in designing appropriate interventions for children traumatized by the death of a parent.Item Natural Hazards, Human Vulnerability and Disabling Societies: A Disaster for Disabled People?(University of Hawaii at Manoa -- Center on Disability Studies, 2006) Hemingway, Laura; Priestley, MarkThe policy and research literature on disaster management constructs disabled people as a particularly “vulnerable group.” In this paper, we combine concepts from disaster theory and disability theory to examine this assumption critically. Drawing on primary, secondary and tertiary sources, we assess the vulnerability of disabled people in two globally significant disasters: Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and the Asian tsunami of December 2004. In both cases, disabled people were adversely affected in terms of their physical safety and access to immediate aid, shelter, evacuation and relief. Using a social model analysis we contest the view that this vulnerability arises from the physical, sensory or cognitive limitations of the individual and show how it may be attributed to forms of disadvantage and exclusion that are socially created. The paper concludes that “natural hazards” are realised disproportionately as “human disasters” for disabled people, and most notably for disabled people in poor communities. Social model approaches and strong disabled people’s organisations are key to building greater resilience to disaster amongst “vulnerable” communities in both high-income and low-income countries.Item Disaster Relief for Deaf Persons: Lessons from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita(University of Hawaii at Manoa -- Center on Disability Studies, 2006) White, BarbaraVictims of disasters who are deaf face unique and insurmountable obstacles in accessing disaster relief. The response to deaf disaster victims of Hurricane Katrina is an example of how the Federal government failed this population, particularly the community of Deaf African Americans who lived in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. In the aftermath of this disaster, the natural helping networks of the deaf community and its organizations proved to be more effective than the organized relief agencies. The author, a deaf social worker, spent two weeks in the Gulf region assisting deaf evacuees who fled both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita during the now infamous hurricanes of 2005.Item Ice Storm Experiences of Persons with Disabilities: Knowledge is Safety(University of Hawaii at Manoa -- Center on Disability Studies, 2006) Fichten, Catherine; Barile, Maria; Ferraro, VittoriaQuestionnaire responses of ice storm victims with and without disabilities were compared and 15 women with disabilities were interviewed about their experiences. Results are examined from the Social Model of Disability perspective in terms of dealing with unexpected environmental barriers to inclusion.