The Pathic Model of Disability: Identity,Moral Force and the Politics of Pain

Critics of the ‘strong social model’ of disability developed in the U.K. commonly claim that it focuses too one-sidedly on social oppression, thereby neglecting the role of individual impairment. In this theoretical article, we contrast that model with what we call the ‘pathic model’ of disability, which we characterise through the case of people living with chronic pain in the U.S.A. We argue that the difference between these two models is due to differing socio-political contexts and national policies concerning welfare and addiction as well as normative assumptions regarding the moral force of focusing on individual pain. We conclude that the political goals of proponents of the ‘pathic model’ present a challenge to the presumption that the ‘strong social model’ is the most or only politically effective way to rectify disability-related social oppression.     

An approach to investigate anxiety and hostility in consultee-centered consultation

This paper presents an approach to investigating affect in the process of consultee-centered consultation. The anxiety and hostility of three consultants and consultees was assessed from an intensive analysis of their verbal behavior during consultation. Comparisons to normative data suggested that the anxiety and hostility expressed by consultees was high, relative to that expressed under more neutral conditions, and a relationship was observed between consultee anxiety and consultation outcome. It was concluded that this provides a potentially productive direction for future research in consultation.     

The training and analysis of consultation process using transactional analysis

The present investigation was an attempt to examine the possibility of experimentally manipulating the process of consultation. In this instance, the process of consultation was conceived in terms of the Transactional Analysis paradigm. The study employed a small-N analogue to consultee-centered consultation with the experimental treatment consisting of a training session in Transactional Analysis for the consultants. The treatment effect was assessed against three dependent measures: (a) the subjective evaluations of the consultant-consultee pairs; (b) the percent of behavioral change toward goal; and (c) the number of Adult-Adult transactions characterizing the consultation exchange. The data indicate increases in the number of Adult-Adult transactions, the Average Subjective Evaluation, and the Percent of Goal Attainment for two of the four experimental subject pairs. However, the result for only one subject met the requirements of the multiple baseline design, so that it could be concluded that the observed gains for this subject probably could be attributed to the T.A. training session. In addition to suggesting the influence of Adult-Adult transactions on consultation, this study is felt to offer insight to researchers seeking appropriate experimental designs for manipulating relevant process variables in consultation and detecting the effects of these manipulations.     

Inventive and uninventive clusters: The case of Canadian biotechnology

We examine factors influencing the relative productivity of different geographic locations. Our analysis of the Canadian biotechnology industry during the 1990s reveals that inventive and uninventive locations are distinguishable within small geographic areas corresponding to roughly 7000 postal addresses. Inventive locations exhibit greater resource scale and technological focus, as well as greater emphasis on R&D investment and public and private collaboration. Comparison of inventive locations across three major metropolitan areas – Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal – indicates, however, that inventive locations vary in their emphasis on technological scale and focus relative to collaboration, and thus that location advantages can develop in distinctive ways.     

Error 404: or, what is the shelf-life of printed Internet guides?

Many publishers are producing books loaded with directions for finding useful Internet sites in a particular subject area. The moderate costs make them seem to be attractive additions to a collection. However, given the ephemeral nature of the World Wide Web, can a print resource be published with sufficient shelf life to justify purchase? This study evaluates some of these Internet guides for post-publication accuracy. In evaluating nine books published between two and three years ago, the researchers checked 3,941 URLs. In reviewing the data, the authors found that some books retained their value quite well, whereas others did not. The article presents the details of this study and offers selection criteria for identifying those web guidebooks that will increase the value of the collection.     

Performance Differences between National Football League and High School American Football Combine Participants

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine magnitudes of differences for anthropometric and athletic performance scores between high school and elite college-level American football players. Method: Participants included high school-age (n = 3,666) athletes who participated in American football combines, as well as elite college-level (n = 5,537) athletes who participated in the National Football League (NFL) scouting combine. Combine data included position; height; weight; 10-, 20-, and 40-yard dash; pro-agility (PA); L-cone drill (LC); vertical jump (VJ); and broad jump (BJ). Athletes were separated into their respective position group, defensive back (DB), wide receiver (WR), linebacker (LB), quarterback (QB), running back (RB), tight end (TE), defensive line (DL), and offensive line (OL) for analysis of performance differences. Percent differences for each dependent variable were calculated to quantify magnitudes of differences. Results: NFL combine participants scored 3% to 25% better on all measurements, with the largest differences between weight and VJ (14%–25%). Conclusion: The largest measurement-specific differences between high school-age and elite college-level American football players were body size and power. Although it may seem intuitive that elite college-level players would perform better, these data provide a unique perspective to high school players, parents, and coaches, giving new information to use when designing measurement-specific athletic development programs. Thus, strength and conditioning professionals may benefit from emphasizing increases in muscle mass and power output in strength and conditioning programs.     

The threat of global economics to multicultural studies

When viewed through the lens of critical pedagogy, children's literature offers a viable avenue for tapping the "funds of knowledge" abounding in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. It is an effective means for promoting dialogue, arousing critical consciousness, and facilitating the "coming to voice" of oppressed people. In this article I examine the tenets of critical pedagogy as practiced in the Libros y Familias Program, a family literacy program for Spanish-speaking families in Independence, Oregon. It gives practical examples of how children's literature can be used as a vehicle for building community and personal transformation and presents a model adaptable to other communities.