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Accessibility Care Beyond the University Disability Office
Get PDFWhen higher education institutions rely on a single office to provide primarily in-class accommodations for students with diagnosed disabilities, practitioners beyond this office receive little guidance on supporting the broader disabled community in daily practices. By critiquing the dominant models, theories, interventions, and solutions that create an ambiguous responsibility for how practitioners are to include and accommodate disabled people the project can outline alternative methods. A culture of ableism and rampant inaccessibility is innate to how North American higher education operates as an institutional practice. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is treated like a successful initiative that guarantees reasonable accommodations for disabled people when, in the lived experiences of the majority of disabled people, it is far from even useful. The bureaucratic structure that silos disabled needs is based on the Medical Model of disability, it fails to guarantee accommodations, it places all responsibility on the person requiring care, and it often demands more effort than the original tasks. Practitioners can make substantial contributions to meeting the needs of disabled people without the use of accommodations. After critically examining the current state of disability support, practitioners can identify inaccessibility within their local contexts and collaborate with disabled people to address their needs. Practitioners can address immediate challenges while assisting disabled people in navigating bureaucratic processes. The Ambi-Solutions Exercise supports the learning process by offering applied examples of alternative support methods that work in parallel with current standards. These digestible learning materials are sculpted from critical disability theory, mixed queer-crip cultural practices, social justice counseling competencies, and professional experiences in creating disability-centric communities, programs, and systems. If practitioners feel more comfortable actively helping disabled people, we can push our campus culture towards accessibility that goes beyond minimal compliance with federal regulations
Disrupting Foundation Culture: Lessons in Learning to Share Power and Decision-Making
Get PDFThere is much discussion of shifting organizational culture in philanthropies to share power and decision-making. However, examples of foundation learning endeavors to disrupt culture in service of systems change, racial equity, and responsiveness are less common.
Our article provides a window into the demanding work at The California Wellness Foundation and how internal collaboration and learning have led to progress in racial equity and power-sharing with communities. We focus on the introduction of Learning Labs, an action research model that framed and scaffolded the investigation of philanthropic terms and practices. This catalyzed collaborative decision-making within cross-functional teams while senior leaders acted as advisors.
Learning Labs were a response to community and consultants’ feedback, organizational assessments, and staff who longed for greater agency, a disruption of hierarchical culture, and trust-based philanthropic practices that center racial equity. Treated as an innovation, we examine how Learning Labs were disruptive, how different players responded, and what conditions and supports made progress possible. We offer reflections on the role of learning and internal collaboration and decision-making that can lead to foundations sharing power with the communities they serve
A Diatom Voucher Flora for the Pierce Ponds
Get PDFDiatoms are a diverse group of microalgae with silica cell walls that produce ~ 25% of the Earth\u27s oxygen. Due to their diversity and sensitivity to changes in water quality, diatoms are often used to monitor aquatic ecosystems. One such ecosystem is the Pierce Ponds, a series of small, constructed wetlands located southwest of the GVSU campus that were designed to limit erosion and remove contaminants from runoff and precipitation before entering the Lower Grand River Watershed. To explore the diatom populations of these ponds, we created a voucher flora to document the taxa present. In November, algal samples were collected from aquatic plants from four ponds and processed in nitric acid. Resulting rinsed materials were mounted on permanent slides to document the diatoms present. To date, the most common diatoms found were Achnanthidium minutissimum, Nitzschia palea var. tenuirostris, and Navicula veneta. A size series of each diatom taxon has been documented in a flora to assist future researchers in their identification and allow them to more closely monitor the water quality of the Pierce Ponds to ensure that the constructed wetland is functioning. Diatoms of the Pierce Ponds have not been documented previously, so this flora may also uncover new taxa to science
Analysis of Injection Molding Parameters for Defect Reduction of ABS and PP
No full textThis study investigates the influence of injection molding parameters—melt temperature, mold temperature, packing pressure, and cooling time—on volumetric shrinkage, air trap formation time, and total displacement in ABS and PP using simulation-based analysis and a Taguchi L9 DOE. Results highlight melt temperature as the most critical factor for controlling shrinkage in both materials. While packing pressure affects air trap time in ABS and melt temperature influences total displacement in PP at a 0.1 significance level, no single factor significantly impacts total displacement at a stricter 0.05 level. Complex part geometries, particularly curves, contribute to air trap formation and weld lines, leading to potential deformation. Optimizing injection parameters and mold design is crucial for minimizing these defects and enhancing part quality
Chapter 13: Climate Change, Ageism, and Intergenerational Solidarity
Get PDFIt examines disproportional impacts of climate change on healthy aging and their link to systemic and interpersonal ageism. Attention is given to adverse impacts of extreme weather on physiological, psychological, and socioeconomic health of older adults, particularly those who experience multiple inequalities. Intergenerational solidarity and its practical implications are explored
Developing Adolescent Word-Level Knowledge: Challenges and Opportunities in Professional Learning with Secondary Educators
Get PDFThis article aims to highlight the research base for disciplinary literacy approaches, emphasize foundational literacy components that apply to the majority of adolescent learners, and propose tangible approaches to attend to morphological development in multiple academic disciplines. The article will conclude with a call for additional research into the role of morphological awareness in strengthening adolescent reading comprehension, as well as further study of the implications for systemic approaches across all disciplines in secondary educational settings
Mentoring and Supporting All Writers: Strengthening Writing Instruction in PK to 5th Grade with Halpern’s “Interactive Writing” and Anderson’s “Mentor Texts”
Get PDFShared, co-authored book review by educators and researchers of Matt Halpern’s (2023) A Teacher’s Guide to Interactive Writing, Grades PreK-2 and Carl Anderson’s (2022) A Teacher’s Guide to Mentor Texts, Grades K-5 (Heinemann
A Structural Evaluation and Design Optimization of a Tow Bar for Disabled Snowmobiles
Get PDFSnowmobile tow bars are devices used to rigidly connect two snowmobiles, such that a disabled snowmobile can be recovered from a remote location with a working snowmobile. These devices, however, are not widely used or readily available. An existing tow bar design was evaluated and redesigned to improve its structural capacity and performance. This evaluation provided a baseline to quantify improvement and included Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (DFMEA), and Design for Assembly analysis (DFA). A review of existing snowmobile tow bar patents was also performed. An updated design was then fabricated and similarly evaluated. Additionally, experimental testing was performed to validate the new FEA. The new device was found to be structurally insufficient, oversized, and overweight, but to be significantly better in these regards than the initial design. Additional design work and FEA showed that a triangle shaped tow bar may be able to withstand load and collapse in size better than an “A” shaped or “T” shaped tow bar
Dosimetric Comparison of Organ-at-Risk Constraints Across Multi-Resolution Levels in Eclipse Planning Optimization
No full textBackground: In inverse treatment planning, the timing of applying organ-at-risk (OAR) constraints during the optimization process can influence dosimetric outcomes. This study investigates the effects of introducing OAR constraints at different stages of the multi-resolution optimization process within the Eclipse Treatment Planning System (TPS).
Purpose: To determine the optimal resolution level for applying OAR constraints that achieves the best dosimetric balance between target coverage and normal tissue sparing.
Methods: Thirteen prostate cancer treatment plans were generated using an anonymized pelvic CT dataset from The Cancer Imaging Archive. All plans were developed in GVSU Virtual Eclipse TPS using the Photon Optimizer and Acuros XB dose calculation algorithm. Clinical target volume (CTV) and planning target volume (PTV) objectives were consistently applied at Multi-Resolution Level 1, Step 1. OAR constraints for the bladder, rectum, penile bulb, and femoral heads were introduced at varying optimization steps across four planning scenarios. Dosimetric outcomes were assessed using metrics from the RTOG 0938 protocol. Statistical analysis was conducted with a significance threshold of p \u3c 0.003.
Results: Statistically significant differences in dosimetric outcomes were observed based on when OAR constraints were introduced. Plans with OAR constraints applied at run 3 (Level 1, Step 3) yielded the most consistent improvements across target coverage and OAR sparing. Run 1 (Level 1, Step 1) also demonstrated competitive results, particularly in rectum and femoral head sparing. The greatest bladder sparing was observed in run 5 (Level 1, Step 5).
Conclusions: The timing of OAR constraint application in Eclipse’s multi-resolution optimization process significantly affects dosimetric quality. Applying constraints at resolution Level 1, Step 3 offers the most favorable trade-off between target coverage and OAR sparing. These findings support the use of adaptive optimization strategies based on resolution level to improve radiotherapy treatment planning