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What role do texts play in LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) parents’ experiences of disability service systems? In interviews with 15 LGBTQ parents of disabled children in Toronto, Canada, participants selected documents to be used as a focus for discussion. Parents considered how LGBTQ identity and other intersectional identities influenced their experiences of institutional texts including adoption certificates, intake forms, and assessments. Findings suggest that documentation practices can operate as forms of systemic gatekeeping. LGBTQ identity was sometimes very significant in parents’ accounts, and sometimes less central than other aspects of their families' identities and experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the intersection between migration, aging and lifelong learning with the aim of expanding our understanding of how lifelong learning enhances older migrants' active aging in a foreign land. Our study also offers insights into the learning activities of older immigrants in general. In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a conceptual framework of active aging, which has greatly influenced aging policies and seniors' everyday practices. Yet, there is a paucity of research that explicates and fully integrates lifelong learning into active aging discourse, and focuses on senior immigrants' lifelong learning in an aging society. Based on interviews, textual materials, and participatory observation in five Chinese seniors' immigrant associations in Toronto, we explore how Chinese senior immigrants' learning has been (re)shaped and practised through re-settling in Canadian society. Five categories of learning are explored, including a) learning language and computer skills, b) learning culture and history, c) learning civic engagement, d) learning leisure, and e) learning health. We argue that 'active learning' can be used as a dynamic conceptual framework that interacts with active aging theory, demonstrating how senior immigrants actively participate in the lifelong learning project for participation and integration in Canada. This paper provides insights to the understanding of culturally sensitive policy-making on integration, health, and lifelong learning of older immigrants in Canada and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the experiences of immigrant women with visual impairment in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) of Canada. Conceptually, the paper draws from feminist disability theory and critical scholarship on blindness to consider the discursive and material processes shaping women’s experiences across different socio-cultural contexts. Empirically, the paper draws from in-depth interviews with seven women. The analysis is organized around three themes. The first explores women’s understandings of visual impairment. The second examines the ways in which women’s experiences of visual impairment are shaped by meanings and attitudes that circulate within their cultural communities, and the extent to which immigration might challenge or reinforce these meanings. The third examines the shifting barriers and opportunities women face with respect to social and economic participation. We close by identifying the conceptual implications of our research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are several key differences between the codes of ethics developed by the American Psychological Association and the Canadian Psychological Association. This paper tells the story behind the key differences between the U.S. and Canada codes. It starts with an introduction to the two countries and a brief history of what led up to the American Psychological Association's (APA) decision to develop the world's first ethics code for psychologists. This is followed by a description of the development process used by APA, and the reasons why the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) originally adopted the APA code but subsequently chose to develop its own "made-in-Canada" code of ethics. The key differences of the CPA code, the cultural, legal, and philosophical contexts that help explain the rationale for those differences, and why the differences have been maintained are discussed. In particular, attention is given to the CPA code's strong focus on: (a) the concept of a contract with society; (b) aspiration vs. enforcement; (c) ethical reasoning and decision making; and (d) organizing standards around ethical principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the increasingly ubiquitous and frequent use of Facebook among college students, this study sought to explicate and unravel the salient determinants of Facebook use. Specifically, the main goal was to ascertain the factors influencingCollège d'enseignement général et professionnel(CEGEP) students’ Facebook use, for which a structural equation model was proposed to examine the relationships between constructs affecting this process. Using a recently proposed extended technology acceptance model, Dhammic Technology Acceptance Model (DTAM) for Facebook use, proposed by Teo and Jarupunphol [2015. Dhammic technology acceptance model (DTAM): Extending the TAM using a condition of attachment in Buddhism.Journal of Educational Computing Research,52(1), 136–151. doi:10.1177/0735633114568859], we present results of the study using 233 completed survey data from a sample of CEGEP students in Montreal, Quebec. The DTAM was originally tested using a sample of Thai university students; this leads to a natural question as to whether this extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model holds in a Western sample. The findings from the present study support the validity of the DTAM for explicating Facebook use, and add empirical evidence to the DTAM, according to which the condition of attachment exerts influence on Facebook use. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications, limitations, and future extensions of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose:In this paper we examine how the intersection of various social and political influences shapes discharge planning and rehabilitation practices in ways that may not meet the espoused aims of rehabilitation programs or the preferences of older adults and their families. Methods:Taking a critical bioethics perspective, we used microethnographic case study methods to examine discharge-planning processes in a well-established older adult inpatient rehabilitation setting in Canada. The data included observations of discharge-planning family conferences and semi-structured interviews conducted with older adults facing discharge, their family members and rehabilitation professionals involved in discharge planning. Results:From the time of admission, a contextual push to focus on discharge superseded program aims of providing interventions to increase older adults’ functional capabilities. Professionals’ primary commitment to safety limited consideration of discharge options and resulted in costly and potentially unnecessary recommendations for 24-hour care. The resulting “rehabilitation” stay was more akin to an extended process of “destination triage” biased towards the promotion of physical safety than optimizing functioning. Conclusions:The resulting reduction of rehabilitation into “destination triage” has significant social, financial and occupational implications for older adults and their families, and broader implications for healthcare services and overarching healthcare systems. Implications for RehabilitationCurrent trends promoting consideration of discharge planning from the point of admission and prioritizing physical safety are shifting the focus of rehabilitation away from interventions to maximize recovery of function, which are the stated aims of rehabilitation.Such practices furthermore promote assessments to determine prognosis early in the rehabilitation stay when accurate prognosis is difficult, which can lead to overly conservative recommendations for discharge from rehabilitation services, thus further negating the impact of rehabilitation.Further work is required to examine the social, occupational and functional implications of superseding rehabilitation interventions to maximize capabilities with practices that prioritize safety over quality of life for older adults and their family members. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Positive psychology has made significant advances in our understanding of well-being, yet agreement about the definition and nature of well-being remains elusive. This study explores theexperience of well-beingfrom a bottom-up, naturalistic point of view and compares these inductive notions with existing a priori theories. Using a qualitative-focused case study methodology, this paper explores how everyday people describe well-being in the context of job loss among a sample of 20 workers from the Ottawa, Canada technology sector. Findings support integrated conceptualizations of hedonia and eudaimonia while also potentially identifying new notions of well-being. Identified themes include (a) life evaluation, (b) transitory experiencing, (c) growth and grounding, (d) environmental mastery/stability, (e) mental ill-being/ill-health, and (f) motivational mindsets/conditions. This study shows well-being to be a rich, pluralistic construct which includes the non-dualistic notions of both subjectivity and objectivity as well as encompassing notions related to the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we examine how injection drug users who do not attribute their HIV infection to engaging in HIV risk behaviours take up and critique discourses of individual responsibility and citizenship relating to HIV risk and HIV prevention. We draw on data from a study in Vancouver, Canada (2006–2009) in which we interviewed individuals living with HIV who had a history of injection drug use. In this paper, we focus on six cases studies of participants whodid notattribute their HIV infection to engaging in HIV risk behaviours. We found that in striving to present themselves as responsible HIV citizens who did not engage in HIV risk behaviours, these participants drew on individually focused HIV prevention discourses. By identifying themselves in these ways, they were able to present themselves as ‘deserving’ HIV citizens and avoid the blame associated with being HIV positive. However, in rejecting the view that they and their risk behaviours were to blame for their HIV infection and by developing an explanation that drew on broader social, structural and historical factors, these individuals were developing a tentative critique of focus on individual responsibility in HIV transmission as opposed to dangers of infection arising from the socio-economic environment. By framing the risk of infection in environmental rather than individual risk-behaviour terms, these individuals redistributed responsibility to reflect the social-structural realities of their lives. In this article, we reflect on the implications of these findings for public health measures such as risk prevention messages. We argue that it is important that such messages are not restricted to individual risk prevention but also include a focus of broader shared responsibilities of HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among Canada’s visible-minority population 65 years of age or older, nearly four out of ten are Chinese. However, little research has been devoted to the examination of the role of the housing environment in building social capital for older Chinese despite the increase in this population and related social issues. The purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese elders’ experience of social capital and how it is affected by their residential environment in a Canadian context. In this qualitative study, forty-three Chinese elders in a Canadian context were interviewed with a focus group approach. Findings indicate that the environments in which these older adults lived either hindered or assisted them in building or increasing their social capital. A culturally and linguistically homogeneous residential environment does not necessarily provide positive support to older Chinese for their acquisition of social capital. Adversities in the environment, such as maltreatment or lack of support from their immediate micro environment (family), tended to motivate older adults to improve their social capital for problem-solving. The study offers implications from research findings to social work practice and concludes with an analysis of limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a case study that explored and reflected on the relationship between the beliefs and classroom practices of four English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in a university language school in Canada related to teacher questions. Data gathered consisted of interviews and classroom observations of all four teachers. The findings revealed that although for the most part the teachers implemented their classroom questioning practices in convergence with their stated beliefs, there were some instances of divergence observed for all teachers. Potential factors contributing to the patterns of convergence and divergence are further explored. In addition, this study found that through the reflective process whereby the teachers articulated and reflected on their beliefs about their use of questions, they became more aware of the meaning and impact of these beliefs on their classroom practices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The public–private partnership (PPP) paradigm emerged as a form of global health governance in the mid-1990s to overcome state and market failures constraining access to essential medicines among populations with limited purchasing power in low- and middle-income countries. PPPs are now ubiquitous across the development spectrum. Yet while the narrative that the private sector must be engaged if complex health challenges are to be overcome is now dominant in development discourse, it does not yet appear to be shaping government approaches to addressing health inequalities within high-income welfare states such as Canada. This is significant as both the actions and inactions of firms factor heavily into why low-income Canadians face a disproportionate risk of developing diet-associated chronic diseases, such as type II diabetes. In the same ways PPPs have been an effective policy tool for strengthening public health in poor countries, this paper illuminates how the PPP model may have utility for mitigating poverty-associated food insecurity giving rise to diet-associated non-communicable diseases within the context of wealthy states. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Throughout history different practices have attempted to silence the experiences of disabled people. In this paper we explore some of these practices including the medical, familial, and self-subjugating practices English-speaking Canadian polio survivors experienced throughout their lives. We analyze participant’s experiences of silence and silencing through a Foucauldian lens, drawing on the three modes of objectification to explain the institutional and cultural discourses around polio subjects that acted upon and through the polio body to silence it. Participants’ oral history accounts demonstrate how sociocultural and medical practices effectively silenced survivors from speaking about their polio experiences. However, the trope of silence is also uprooted within oral history traditions. We will demonstrate how participants broke their silence and shifted their perspectives on polio and disability, and how this process contributed to their resistance of hegemonic conceptualizations of disability as defective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A literature review regarding the social support of immigrant mothers of disabled children in Canada was undertaken with a focus on settings where supports need to be shored up. An integrative review of published papers and policy reports concerning key aspects of social supports for immigrant mothers and disabled children was undertaken. Immigrant mothers experience numerous barriers to social supports for themselves and their disabled children. Maternal immigrant populations experience unique challenges in the setting of childhood disability as well as the challenges of mothers in the dominant culture. There are negative impacts on maternal health as a result of inadequate policy offerings. Public health policy needs to be refashioned in light of weak systems and supports for both immigrant mothers and disabled children and to acknowledge that the current system poses concerning implications for the long-term health of both groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today’s youth face high unemployment and other labor-market challenges; these challenges are often worse for youth with disabilities. This paper explores what employers and employment counselors look for when hiring youth into entry-level jobs and whether they believe youth with disabilities have fewer skills than those without. This study used a qualitative design with a purposive sample of 19 youth employers and employment counselors. Our findings show that youth employers and employment counselors identify the following traits as enhancing young workers’ employability: a well-prepared job applicant; job fit and a good attitude; and soft skills. We find youth with disabilities are perceived to be at a disadvantage. Consistent with a rising body of research, the emphasis on soft skills, and pliability, opens the door for employment discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]