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The Myth of Post-Graduate Employment: How Ableism and a Minority-Rights Approach to Equality Creates Barriers to Employment for University Graduates with Disability
Get PDFDespite continued growth in the number of people with disability completing university studies in Australia, this has not been reflected with an increase in employment participation post-graduation. In comparison with non-disabled graduates, university graduates with disability have lower rates of employment participation and higher levels of underemployment. This research explores the reasons for this disadvantage from the perspective of the university graduates with disability, using a qualitative methodological approach to gain new insights and to prioritise their voice, their lived experience, and their expertise. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with university graduates with disability who had graduated from 2009 onwards. The findings were analysed using a combination of the following frameworks: ableism, a human rights approach, the social model of disability and the universal model of disability and equality. This research found that many participants experienced attitudinal, internalised, and structural barriers to participation in employment and argues that these barriers persist due to everyday ableism reinforced in the neoliberal workplace. Ableist representations of disability as a deficit and negative experience, overshadowed participants’ academic achievements and manifested as negative attitudes of colleagues and employers, preventing equitable participation. Some participants showed the effects of internalising ableism with increased levels of anxiety, stress, and worry. Many research participants attempted to emulate ableist normative expectations of an ideal worker through ‘passing’ as non-disabled or less disabled. For some graduates ‘passing’ resulted in internalised barriers to employment, preventing them from gaining meaningful employment and limiting their career aspirations. Ableist and segregationist planning resulted in graduates with physical impairments encountering structural barriers in the workplace. 6 Moreover, participants in this study reported limited access to reasonable adjustments, discrimination in interviews, difficulties when sharing information about impairments and non-inclusive recruitment processes. This research argues that the persistence of these structural barriers is due to a minority-rights approach to equality in employment, which is reinforced in Article 27 of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Participants were forced to ‘other’ themselves in the workplace to participate on an equal basis, which put them in a precarious position in terms of potential discrimination, and future career progression. Further, this process simultaneously reinforced disability as an individual problem and an exception to the norm. This research shows that equal participation in employment is prevented because of the persistence of disability being framed as distinctive from the norm, as a deficit, and as an individual problem. This research argues that a universal model approach to disability and equality in employment is needed to reframe disability from an individual and deficit perspective to a valued part of human diversity and to facilitate a more inclusive labour market. This research demonstrates that attitudinal, internalised, and structural barriers to participation in employment are not removed by the completion of university qualifications and that systemic change is required
Gender-inclusive language in midwifery and perinatal services: A guide and argument for justice
No full textEffective communication in relation to pregnancy and birth is crucial to quality care. A recent focus in reproductive healthcare on “sexed language” reflects an ideology of unchangeable sex binary and fear of erasure, from both cisgender women and the profession of midwifery. In this paper, we highlight how privileging sexed language causes harm to all who birth—including pregnant trans, gender diverse, and non-binary people—and is, therefore, unethical and incompatible with the principles of midwifery. We show how this argument, which conflates midwifery with essentialist thinking, is unstable, and perpetuates and misappropriates midwifery\u27s marginalized status. We also explore how sex and gender essentialism can be understood as colonialist, heteropatriarchal, and universalist, and therefore, reinforcing of these harmful principles. Midwifery has both the opportunity and duty to uphold reproductive justice. Midwifery can be a leader in the decolonization of childbirth and in defending the rights of all childbearing people, the majority of whom are cisgender women. As the systemwide use of inclusive language is central to this commitment, we offer guidance in relation to how inclusive language in perinatal and midwifery services may be realized
The novel anticancer aryl-ureido fatty acid CTU increases reactive oxygen species production that impairs mitochondrial fusion mechanisms and promotes MDA-MB-231 cell death
No full textCancer cell mitochondria are functionally different from those in normal cells and could be targeted to develop novel anticancer agents. The aryl-ureido fatty acid CTU (16({[4-chloro-3- (trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-carbamoyl}amino)hexadecanoic acid) is the prototype of a new class of targeted agents that enhance the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that disrupt the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) and kill cancer cells. However, the mechanism by which CTU disrupts the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) and activates apoptosis is not clear. Here, we show that CTU-mediated ROS selectively dysregulated the OMA1/OPA1 fusion regulatory system located in the IMM. The essential role of ROS was confirmed in experiments with the lipid peroxyl scavenger α-tocopherol, which prevented the dysregulation of OMA1/OPA1 and CTU-mediated MDA-MB-231 cell killing. The disruption of OMA1/OPA1 and IMM fusion by CTU-mediated ROS accounted for the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria and the activation of apoptosis. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that CTU depolarises the mitochondrial membrane, activates ROS production, and disrupts both the IMM and OMM, which releases cytochrome c and activates apoptosis. Mitochondrial-targeting agents like CTU offer a novel approach to the development of new therapeutics with anticancer activit
Predictors of mortality post-gastrostomy in motor neuron disease patients
No full textIntroduction/Aims: Motor neuron disease (MND) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition with a limited life expectancy. There is very little data on mortality and its associated factors beyond 30 days following gastrostomy. We explored the demographic, clinical, and nutritional predictors for early mortality at 30, 90, and 180 days following gastrostomy in these patients.
Methods: This was a retrospective study involving 94 MND patients in Western Australia who underwent gastrostomy between 2015 and 2021. Patients were divided into two groups based on mortality at 30, 90, and 180 days postgastrostomy. T-test (or Mann–Whitney), chi-square test and Fisher\u27s exact test were used for detecting between-group differences in various factors. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with post-gastrostomy mortality at 90 and 180 days.
Results: No mortality was attributable to gastrostomy-related complications. Lower forced vital capacity (FVC) (p = .039) and greater weight loss (%) (p = .022) from diagnosis to gastrostomy were observed in those who died within 30 days postgastrostomy. Older age (p = .022), male sex (p = .041), lower FVC (p = .04), requiring but not tolerating noninvasive ventilation (p = .035), and greater weight loss (%) (p = .012) were independent predictors of 90-day post-gastrostomy mortality. However, only older age (p = .01) and greater weight loss (p = .009) were predictors of mortality at 180 days post-gastrostomy.
Discussion: Our data indicated that mortality at 90 and 180 days was influenced by the weight loss (%) from diagnosis to gastrostomy, highlighting the importance of nutritional care in the MND population. Gastrostomy placement prior to substantial weight loss may reduce the risk of weight loss-associated mortality and warrants further investigation
The Light of Hope: Representations of Salvation in the Great North Window of St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney
Get PDFSt Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney is considered to be the Mother Church of Australia. Yet, the rich architectural and artistic heritage contained therein has been little studied. This is an interdisciplinary study of John Hardman Powell’s Great North Window in that cathedral. It draws on theological and art historical research methods to interrogate the window’s underlying meanings, and the aims of its patrons. An examination of the doctrinal, devotional, and theological writings of the nineteenth century shows that this stained-glass window reflects the period’s understanding of salvation history. The window, firstly, tells the story of salvation through the stories about the women of the Old and New Testament. It further shows how salvation can be attained by living a life of virtue. Finally, the window reveals the promise of salvation in its depiction of the heavenly kingdom through the anticipated eschatology of the Eucharist. The window also demonstrates Powell’s context within the liturgical and theological revival of the newly emancipated English Catholic Church, as well as the nineteenth century’s focus on Mariology through the choices of female figures. The narratives of salvation are caught up within representations of prayer and worship, encouraging the faithful to participate in the act of devotion.
Will they come back? Evaluation of health student placements in remote and very remote regions of Australia
No full textBackground: Despite the benefits of rural placements in attracting healthcare professionals to rural areas, there remains a gap in understanding the specific impact of placements in remote and very remote areas of Australia, particularly within the unique context of the Kimberley region. There is a need to elucidate differences across geographical areas and contribute to the knowledge about the specifics of where and how student placement programs work. This research explored the impact of a remote placement program at Majarlin Kimberley Centre for Remote Health (‘Majarlin’) on educational outcomes and workforce intentions of participating students.
Methods: This research evaluated student placement data and post-placement surveys of allied health, dentistry, midwifery and nursing students who had completed remote placements in the Kimberley region between 2018 and 2024. Placement numbers and demographic data from 2018 to 2023 were descriptively analysed, while postplacement surveys collected between January 2023 and June 2024 were used to examine educational outcomes, placement satisfaction, and rural practice intention.
Results: Between 2018 and 2023, Majarlin hosted 1111 students from 20 universities in remote and very remote regions, completing a total of 6068 weeks from 2018 to 2023. Post-placement surveys showed high levels of student satisfaction, with 96.2% also reporting improved clinical knowledge. Many students participated in voluntary positions in the community while completing their clinical placements, with 97.1% feeling that they had a positive impact on the community. All students reported that their cultural awareness and ability to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples improved. Notably, intention to work in remote areas significantly increased post-placement (p\u3c.001).
Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated that the remote student placement program improved students’ self-rated clinical knowledge, cultural awareness, and community engagement skills. The program significantly influenced students’ intention to work in remote areas after graduation. These results can be used to inform the design and delivery of similar remote student placement programs which aim to improve the rural health workforce pipeline, paving the way for a more equitable and effective healthcare system across Australia