title: Access to Sexual Rights for all People with Disabilities: The Need to See and Include the Experiences of People with Intellectual Disability

authors: Frawley, Patsie

abstract: The Target Article by Benoit et al. (2022) discusses disability as an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions, with an evolving understanding promoted by the World Health Organization and the United Nations. However, the application of this understanding, particularly for people with intellectual disabilities, may not adequately address their unique experiences of sexuality. People with intellectual disabilities face various barriers to sexual rights, including restrictive policies, practices, and negative social attitudes. The review by Benoit et al. (2022) lacks differentiation in addressing these specific challenges. Narrative research with people with intellectual disabilities highlights their agency, challenges restrictive practices, and emphasizes the importance of inclusive research and self-advocacy. The UNCRPD falls short in addressing the sexuality rights of people with intellectual disabilities, and there is a need for alliances between disability rights and sex worker advocacy to ensure inclusive sexual assistance services. The holistic approach should consider physical support, education, cultural change, and a differentiated understanding of sexual rights for people with intellectual disabilities. The Commentary raises questions about the appropriateness of a broad approach when addressing the barriers to sexual rights and emphasizes the need to recognize the unique experiences of people with intellectual disabilities in shaping laws, policies, and practices related to their sexual citizenship.

text: Access to Sexual Rights for all People with Disabilities: The Need to See and Include the Experiences of People with Intellectual Disability The Target Article by Benoit et al. (2022) discusses disability as an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions, with an evolving understanding promoted by the World Health Organization and the United Nations. However, the application of this understanding, particularly for people with intellectual disabilities, may not adequately address their unique experiences of sexuality. People with intellectual disabilities face various barriers to sexual rights, including restrictive policies, practices, and negative social attitudes. The review by Benoit et al. (2022) lacks differentiation in addressing these specific challenges. Narrative research with people with intellectual disabilities highlights their agency, challenges restrictive practices, and emphasizes the importance of inclusive research and self-advocacy. The UNCRPD falls short in addressing the sexuality rights of people with intellectual disabilities, and there is a need for alliances between disability rights and sex worker advocacy to ensure inclusive sexual assistance services. The holistic approach should consider physical support, education, cultural change, and a differentiated understanding of sexual rights for people with intellectual disabilities. The Commentary raises questions about the appropriateness of a broad approach when addressing the barriers to sexual rights and emphasizes the need to recognize the unique experiences of people with intellectual disabilities in shaping laws, policies, and practices related to their sexual citizenship.

year: 2023-04-13

title: Young children developing meaning-making practices in a museum: the role of boundary objects

authors: Carr, Margaret

subjects: museum education

abstract: A kindergarten, housed in a museum building in the centre of the capital city of New Zealand, has provided a unique opportunity for young children, teachers and university researchers to explore opportunities to learn with, and from, a museum's artefacts and exhibitions. The authors have researched the ways in which the children constructed meaning from the displays and the knowledge offered by the museum. This article explores the children's learning when they visited one of the special exhibitions during the first year of an action research project. We highlight their developing boundary-crossing competence and meaning-making practices and explore the role of ‘boundary objects’ in this learning. This article focuses on some of these objects and considers the way in which (associated with dialogue) they contributed to highlighting and strengthening the learning opportunities in the museum.

text: Young children developing meaning-making practices in a museum: the role of boundary objects A kindergarten, housed in a museum building in the centre of the capital city of New Zealand, has provided a unique opportunity for young children, teachers and university researchers to explore opportunities to learn with, and from, a museum's artefacts and exhibitions. The authors have researched the ways in which the children constructed meaning from the displays and the knowledge offered by the museum. This article explores the children's learning when they visited one of the special exhibitions during the first year of an action research project. We highlight their developing boundary-crossing competence and meaning-making practices and explore the role of ‘boundary objects’ in this learning. This article focuses on some of these objects and considers the way in which (associated with dialogue) they contributed to highlighting and strengthening the learning opportunities in the museum.

year: 2012

title: Decolonisation as a social change framework and its impact on the development of Indigenous-based curricula for Helping Professionals in mainstream Tertiary Education Organisations

authors: Moeke-Pickering, Taima Materangatira

subjects: Indigenous Education

abstract: This research examined the social and political approaches that Indigenous peoples undertook to situate Indigenous-based education programmes in mainstream post-secondary/tertiary education organisations. Indigenous-based helping programmes assist to progress Indigenous aspirations for self-determination and are sites that center Indigenous worldviews. A decolonisation analysis framework that is embedded in the curriculum deepens students’ understanding about the impacts of imperialism, colonisation and post colonial issues. This thesis involved researching two Indigenous-based programmes that are based within mainstream tertiary institutes. The first is the Te Whiuwhiu o te Hau Maori Counselling degree programme which is based at the Waikato Institute of Technology (WINTEC) in Hamilton, Aotearoa, New Zealand. The other is the Native Human Services Social Work degree programme which is based at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. I start this thesis with “opening the circle” and situating the context for my research. Next is the literature review chapter. This chapter provides a review of decolonisation-colonisation, decolonisation frameworks within Indigenous education, self-determination and Indigenous peoples, and Maori and Native self-determination strategies relevant to health and education. I used a case study method combined with an Indigenous methodology to guide the research. This involved gathering key pieces of information as well as interviewing participants (graduates, tutors/faculty/developers) from each programme. In chapter four is the Te Whiuwhiu o te Hau case study and in chapter five is found the Native Human Services case study. Each case study covers pre-colonial and colonisation contexts and examines assimilative legislation on Indigenous education and health. The backgrounds of social work and counselling, Native social work and Maori counselling are also presented. In the case studies is the background and rationale for the development of each programme, as well as pertinent information on the course content. Chapter six presents on the findings and conclusion and chapter seven “closes the circle”. The main findings highlighted that Indigenous curricula and pedagogies embrace Indigenous theories and discourse relevant to the helping practice fields. Secondly, each programme fosters students to make positive changes for themselves, for their communities, and for their professions. Another finding is that faculty/tutors promote an inclusive Indigenous pedagogy in the classroom that incorporates cultural ceremonies, encourage personal introspection, builds cultural and professional skills, and teaches critical education. Both programmes reflected a pedagogy that taught students to counter negative narratives while instilling a critical analysis of decolonisation and colonisation. I propose that a decolonisation analysis is both a reflective and healing tool, in that students are provided with the hard evidence about their histories and what happened to their communities. I contend that Indigenous-based programmes contribute to the continuity of Indigenous culture and wellbeing of their communities and, that they play a vital role in advancing Indigenous education priorities.

text: Decolonisation as a social change framework and its impact on the development of Indigenous-based curricula for Helping Professionals in mainstream Tertiary Education Organisations This research examined the social and political approaches that Indigenous peoples undertook to situate Indigenous-based education programmes in mainstream post-secondary/tertiary education organisations. Indigenous-based helping programmes assist to progress Indigenous aspirations for self-determination and are sites that center Indigenous worldviews. A decolonisation analysis framework that is embedded in the curriculum deepens students’ understanding about the impacts of imperialism, colonisation and post colonial issues. This thesis involved researching two Indigenous-based programmes that are based within mainstream tertiary institutes. The first is the Te Whiuwhiu o te Hau Maori Counselling degree programme which is based at the Waikato Institute of Technology (WINTEC) in Hamilton, Aotearoa, New Zealand. The other is the Native Human Services Social Work degree programme which is based at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. I start this thesis with “opening the circle” and situating the context for my research. Next is the literature review chapter. This chapter provides a review of decolonisation-colonisation, decolonisation frameworks within Indigenous education, self-determination and Indigenous peoples, and Maori and Native self-determination strategies relevant to health and education. I used a case study method combined with an Indigenous methodology to guide the research. This involved gathering key pieces of information as well as interviewing participants (graduates, tutors/faculty/developers) from each programme. In chapter four is the Te Whiuwhiu o te Hau case study and in chapter five is found the Native Human Services case study. Each case study covers pre-colonial and colonisation contexts and examines assimilative legislation on Indigenous education and health. The backgrounds of social work and counselling, Native social work and Maori counselling are also presented. In the case studies is the background and rationale for the development of each programme, as well as pertinent information on the course content. Chapter six presents on the findings and conclusion and chapter seven “closes the circle”. The main findings highlighted that Indigenous curricula and pedagogies embrace Indigenous theories and discourse relevant to the helping practice fields. Secondly, each programme fosters students to make positive changes for themselves, for their communities, and for their professions. Another finding is that faculty/tutors promote an inclusive Indigenous pedagogy in the classroom that incorporates cultural ceremonies, encourage personal introspection, builds cultural and professional skills, and teaches critical education. Both programmes reflected a pedagogy that taught students to counter negative narratives while instilling a critical analysis of decolonisation and colonisation. I propose that a decolonisation analysis is both a reflective and healing tool, in that students are provided with the hard evidence about their histories and what happened to their communities. I contend that Indigenous-based programmes contribute to the continuity of Indigenous culture and wellbeing of their communities and, that they play a vital role in advancing Indigenous education priorities.

year: 2010