This thesis explores the notion of whether or not race is a determining factor in how African-Canadians perceive their subjective well-being. To this end, this study seeks to understand Blacks perception of what constitutes their identity and how they resist against minority consciousness. Also examined are their integration aspirations and the set of strategies they use to claim mobility status in mainstream North American society. The areas explored reflect interviewees' perceptions of the social factors that determine how they view their well-being. The data for this inquiry is gathered from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Data from focus groups, are discussions that I facilitated while working on the Montreal Black Communities Demographic Project. Empirical research is used to support the data at specific points. / Analysis of the data does not support the view that Blacks perceive their well-being as dependent on their status as racialized subjects. Research findings do however show that the social determinant of race has an impact on the strategies Blacks choose to obtain socio-economic status.

This thesis is qualitative study of the perceptions of aged Italian women in receiving care. It examines intra-ethnic group differences between Italian-Immigrant and Italian-Canadian women, and their definition of the experience of receiving care. Also, it addresses gender, class, and ethnicity issues which have implications for social work practice, policy, and research. / Sixty-one interviews were conducted with thirty participants, over the age of sixty-five. Participants were interviewed in their treatment environments with follow-up interviews in their home settings. Semi-structured in-depth interviews documenting these women's life histories, as well as participant observation, were the qualitative methods used to collect data. Interview transcripts and field notes were analyzed qualitatively to identify similarities and differences in participants' perceptions as care-receivers. A feminist theoretical perspective was applied to the discussion of the data. / The study suggests that differences exist between aged Italian-Immigrant and Italian-Canadian women care-receivers. These differences are directly related to specific personal and social factors which nurture and oppress them. Aged Italian-Canadian women were found to have more resources, greater independence with their supportive alliances, and higher levels of self-esteem and life satisfaction than aged Italian-Immigrant women. The findings provide insight into resources these women developed to deal with the constraints imposed on them by their gender, class, and ethnicity. / The study suggests an integrated-interactive approach of practice, policy, and research to implement changes so as to meet the needs of these individuals. The study recommends that a feminist social work approach be adopted in the educational curriculum for the training of social work professionals.

The trend towards family care of children with developmental disabilities has lead us to examine ways to support families. One source of help primary caregivers have available to them is informal social support. Ninety mothers of children with severe developmental disabilities, residing in four Michigan counties (two urban and two rural) were interviewed face-to-face to determine the nature and extent of their informal social support systems. The types of support investigated were perceived, instrumental, emotional, informational and network. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate techniques. The findings indicate that mothers are primarily responsible for the day-to-day care of their children. However, the help they do receive is important to them. Assistance proffered to mothers comes mostly from immediate family members. Although married and working women perceive greater support from some family members, when help with daily tasks was measured, these women did not actually receive any greater assistance. Multivariate analysis revealed that perceived informal social support was associated with better ability to cope and lower levels of stress. The influence of informal social support on life satisfaction was less certain. Ability to cope was significantly correlated with decreased stress and increased life satisfaction. None of the various types of informal support explained coping, stress or life satisfaction. However, emotional support turned out to be a proxy for emotional problems, and so it was associated with higher stress, and lower coping and life satisfaction. None of the other independent variables included in the model (severity of handicap, formal support or life stress) explained the variance in the dependent variables. When actual regression coefficients were examined, it was concluded that increasing the amount of social support to mothers is not a very efficacious approach to helping them reduce their stress and improve their copin

The convergence of compelling evidence that transmission of HIV from a pregnant woman living with HIV to her foetus can be significantly interrupted due to advances in antiretroviral and obstetrical interventions, and worrisome epidemiologic data documenting a rise in HIV infection among Canadian women, spurred the development in Canada and world wide of policies and programmes aimed at increasing the number of pregnant women who are tested for HIV. Responding to innovative therapy reducing perinatal HIV transmission risk by increasing the number of pregnant women who agree to test for HIV is clearly an important prevention objective. However, the process must be accomplished in a way that is of most benefit to the pregnant woman herself and in a way that does not compromise a pregnant woman's rights to the established Canadian principles of HIV counselling and testing. / Working with pregnant women in Ontario, the province with the highest level of HIV infection among Canadian women, this thesis articulates and interprets their experiences of prenatal HIV counselling and testing and details their perspectives on best practices. The pregnant women's evidence-based recommendations for the re-design of prenatal HIV testing programmes are provided. These unique data have important utility for federal and provincial policy makers as HIV counselling and testing policies and programmes that encompass and are grounded in pregnant womens' experiences and perspectives are likely to be maximally acceptable and thereby increase the number of pregnant women who can be apprised of prophylactic treatment to take care of their own health needs as well as those of their unborn children. / In order for pregnant women to increase control over their own health and that of their unborn children, there is clear value in all pregnant women being afforded the opportunity to know their HIV status. However, the voices of the women in this study suggest that the autonomy rights of pregnant women may well be at risk in a programme in which the current emphasis is on potential HIV infection of the foetus rather than on potential or actual infection of the pregnant woman.

This thesis asks the following question: "how does race and ethnicity emerge in the daily practice of community organizers who work in low-income, multi-racial, multi-ethnic neighbourhoods?" Given that the concepts of race and ethnicity are understood to be social constructs, community organizing practice is analysed in this thesis in terms of its' constitutive role. By examining community organizing practice in one neighbourhood in Québec, Canada, I argue that issues of race and ethnicity are largely constructed in community organizing practice as distinct from relations of power. I demonstrate this construction of race and ethnicity using data gathered from 16 community organizers through interviews, textual analysis and observations. I analyse the data from three angles: first, actions regarding issues of race and ethnicity that are normalized (i.e. "possible"); second, actions regarding issues of race and ethnicity that are constrained (i.e. "not possible"); and, lastly, actions that are resistant to normalized and/or constrained practices, and that link race and ethnicity to power relations. In this way, I delineate Foucault's "field of action" (1982, p. 221) regarding race and ethnicity in neighbourhood community organizing and demonstrate how the structure of power in community organizing functions to render the connection between race and power largely invisible. / Cette thèse pose la question suivante : «Comment la race et l'ethnicité émergent dans la pratique quotidienne des organisateurs communautaires qui oeuvrent dans des quartiers à faible revenu, multiraciaux et multiethniques ?» Étant donné que les concepts de race et d'appartenance ethnique sont compris pour être des constructs sociaux, la pratique d'organisation des communautés est analysée dans cette thèse en termes de son rôle constitutif.En examinant la pratique d'organisation des communauté dans un quartier de Québec au Canada, je soutiens que les questions de race et d'appartenance ethnique sont en grande partie construites dans la pratique d'organisation de communauté par opposition aux relations de pouvoir. Je démontre cette construction de race et d'appartenance ethnique utilisant des données rassemblées auprès de 16 organisateurs communautaires par des interviews, l'analyse de textes et des observations. J'analyse les données de trois angles : d'abord, les actions quant aux questions de race et d'appartenance ethnique qui sont normalisées (c'est-à-dire «possible»); deuxièmement, des actions quant aux questions de race et d'appartenance ethnique qui sont contraintes (c'est-à-dire «non possible»); et, finalement, les actions qui sont résistantes aux pratiques normalisées et/ou contraintes et qui relie race et appartenance ethnique pour faire fonctionner des relations. De cette façon, je définis «le champ d'action» de Foucault (1982, p. 221) quant à la race et l'appartenance ethnique dans les organisations communautaires de quartier et démontrent comment la structure de pouvoir dans la communauté organisant des fonctions pour rendre la connexion entre la race et le pouvoir en grande partie invisible.

This study examined the caregiving identities of Taiwanese women who have siblings with cerebral palsy. It is based on 12 in-depth qualitative interviews with 6 women who were at least 20 years of age, each of whom self-identified either as the family member most involved in caregiving or as the only sister of the sibling with cerebral palsy. The results of the study suggest that the provision of current and future care to siblings with cerebral palsy is a complex phenomenon that contributes to how these women view themselves. Caregiving is informed by four processes associated with the provision of care to their siblings: (a) caring through interpretation (b) caring through transformation (c) caring through protection and (d) caring through sacrifice. Engaging in these four processes of providing care to others created unique considerations and tensions in carrying out other roles these women assume in their lives. More specifically, these tensions had to do with their negotiation of relationships with their mothers, considerations pertaining to who they will marry or have already married, the denial of their right to inherit family properties, as well as their desire and expectation to provide ongoing care to their sibling with CP after marriage. In the study, we observed that these women internalized the sexual division of labour in their families and in their culture; they perpetuated the gender system that requires mothers and sisters to engage in family care. Therefore, greater attention must be brought to the promotion of a more equitable sharing of caring tasks by men and women in the family and to the designing and implementing of long-term care policies adapted to the unique characteristics of Taiwanese society. / L'identité d'aidante naturelle des taïwanaises avec frères ou sœurs atteints de paralysie cérébrale Résumé Cette étude a examiné l'identité d'aidante naturelle des taïwanaises qui prennent soin de leurs frères ou sœurs atteints de paralysie cérébrale. Elle est basée sur 12 interviews détaillées avec 6 femmes âgées d'au moins 20 ans. Ces dernières se sont identifiées soit comme les uniques sœurs des personnes atteintes de paralysie cérébrale ou encore comme les personnes les plus impliquées dans la provision de soins. Les résultats de cette étude suggèrent que la provision de soins présents et futurs aux frères ou sœurs atteints de paralysie cérébrale est un phénomène complexe qui contribue à la perception de soi de ces femmes. Ce phénomène est influencé par quatre processus associés à la provision des soins : (a) soins par interprétation (b) soins par transformation (c) soins par protection (d) soins par sacrifice. L'implication dans ces quatre processus a crée pour ces femmes des considérations uniques et des tensions dans d'autres domaines de leur vie. Plus précisément, ces tensions sont liées à la négociation des relations avec leurs mères, à leurs choix de conjoints, à la répudiation de leurs droits à la succession, ainsi qu'à leurs aspirations et attentes relatives à la provision de soins continus à leurs frères ou sœurs atteints de paralysie cérébrale après le mariage. Étant donné que les femmes ont assimilé la division du travail dans leurs familles et dans leur culture, et qu'elles continuent à vivre dans un système qui demande que les mères et les sœurs s'impliquent dans les soins familiaux, plus d'attention doit être accordée à la promotion d'un partage plus équitable des soins prodigués par les hommes et les femmes dans les familles. Plus d'attention doit aussi être portée au développement de politiques de soins à long terme adaptés à la société taïwanaise.

Abstract Keywords: poverty; micro credit; good governance; international social work; Indonesia. Indonesia has experienced a shift from authoritarianism to democracy since the late 1990s. After the severe economic crisis of 1997, which ultimately forced Soeharto to relinquish power, Indonesia embarked on a more liberal and participatory form of democracy. To overcome the economic and social crisis that caused many to fall into poverty, the new government administration launched a number of poverty alleviation programs. This dissertation explores one such effort, namely, the Program Penanggulangan Kemiskinan di Perkotaan (P2KP), an extensive scheme that utilized democratic, participatory, and empowerment approaches to help the poor deal with unemployment and other problems of poverty. Using qualitative methodology, this study has explored and examined the process and outcomes of poverty alleviation programs in several villages in the southern parts of Sleman District, Yogyakarta Special Province, Indonesia, from February-May 2006. The thesis begins with a review of the literature on the factors leading to poverty, development and participation, globalization and its negative impacts, and various strategies for ending the problems of poverty, such as multiple occupations, empowerment, and human capital improvement. Findings were based on interviews, observation, and reviews of written documents concerning the P2KP poverty alleviation programs. Over 30 individuals were interviewed, ranging from government officials to facilitators and organizers of the programs, non-government activists, and the poor who benefitted or were excluded from the programs. The process of the es / Résumé Mots clefs : pauvreté, micro-crédit, bonne gouvernance, travail social international, Indonésie L'Indonésie a subi un décalage de l'autoritarisme à la démocratie depuis la fin des années 90. Après la crise économique sévère de 1997, ce qui a enfin poussé Soeharto de renoncer au pouvoir, l'Indonésie s'est embarque dans une forme de démocratie plus libérale et participative. Pour surmonter la crise économique et sociale qui a jeté plusieurs dans la pauvreté, la nouvelle administration gouvernementale a lancé nombre de programmes destinés à atténuer la pauvreté. Cette dissertation vise à explorer un de ces efforts, c'est-à-dire, le Program Penanggulangan Kemiskinan di Perkotaan (P2KP), un vaste projet qui a employé des approches démocratiques, participatives et autonomisantes pour aider les démuni s à affronter la chômage et d'autres problèmes liés à la pauvreté. En employant une méthodologie qualitative, cette étude a enquêté et examiné le processus et les résultats des programmes d'atténuation de la pauvreté dans plusieurs villages du secteur sud du district de Sleman, province spéciale de Yogyakarta, Indonésie, en février-mai 2006. La dissertation commence avec une revue de la littérature sur les facteurs qui mènent à la pauvreté, le développement et la participation, la mondialisation et ses impacts négatifs, et les stratégies multiples pour mettre fin aux problèmes de la pauvreté, tels que des emplois multiples, l'autonomisation et l'amélioration de capital humain. Les résultats sont fondés sur des entrevues, l'observation et la documentation écrite par égard aux programmes d'atténuation de pauvret

Social workers experience theoretical and practical problems with recording. This study examined the problems in the recording of initial psychosocial assessments, and evaluated a teaching procedure designed to improve recording. First, the content of 180 initial recordings from three hospitals and a community agency was compared to existing professional guidelines. Findings indicated that professional guidelines were not enough to ensure that the recommended content is recorded; the recording form, rather than the guidelines or literature, predicted the content recorded by workers; and a professional opinion was included in fewer than half the recordings. Second, a generic model, defining the essential elements for an initial recording, was developed from social work literature and taught to 37 BSW students during a university course in casework. Using a quasi-experimental design, assessments written by these students (before and after teaching) were compared to assessments written by students in matched BSW classes who had been taught only in field placements. / La rédaction de l'évaluation psychosociale pose des difficultés théoriques et pratiques aux travailleurs sociaux. La présente étude examine les lacunes des rapports d'évaluation psychosociale initiale et évalue une méthode d'enseignement destinée a les améliorer.. En premier lieu, on a compare le contenu de 180 rapports initiaux provenant de trois hôpitaux et d'un organisme communautaire avec les lignes directrices en vigueur dans la profession, pour constater que celles-ci ne suffisaient pas a assurer la rédaction du contenu recommande. Le formulaire de rapport, plutôt que les normes ou la littérature spécialisée, déterminait le contenu consigne et moins de la moitie des rapports comportaient une opinion professionnelle. En second lieu, on s'est inspire de la littérature spécialisée pour élaborer un modèle générique définissant les éléments essentiels d'un rapport initial, modèle qu'on a enseigne a 37 étudiants dans le cadre d'un cours universitaire en service social individuel. Suivant un protocole quasi expérimental, on a ensuite compare les évaluations rédigées par ces étudiants (avant et âpres la formation) avec les évaluations rédigées par des pairs formes uniquement en stage pratique. fr / The assessments were of two videotaped interviews. During a one-day workshop, the generic model was also taught to 22 experienced social workers, who assessed the same two videotapes. Two evaluation videos were used to control for a possible learning effect; four senior practitioners, with a wide range of experience, blind to time and group, rated which of a pair of recordings was better and by how much; a fifth senior practitioner judged the quality of the professional opinions. Judges were interviewed about their judging experience; a qualitative analysis of their responses revealed that they had no clear criteria in common for assessment quality. All four judges rated assessments written by the students who had been taught the generic model as significantly better than those written by students taught only by field supervisors. After teaching, the students also included more professional opinions in their recording. The quality of professional opinions in all assessments was related to years of experience. The generic model, defining the content of an initial recording, can be used to design forms, teach recording and establish criteria for quality—critical steps in the improvement of recording practice in social work. / Les évaluations portaient sur deux entrevues vidéo. On a également enseigne le modèle générique a 22 travailleurs sociaux d'expérience durant un atelier d'une journée et on leur a demande d'évaluer les mêmes entrevues vidéo. On a utilise deux vidéos d'évaluation pour contrôler l'effet d'apprentissage éventuel. Pour déterminer lesquelles des évaluations préformation ou postformation étaient supérieures et dans quelle mesure, on a demande a quatre professionnels chevronnes d'évaluer 1'ensemble a l'aveugle. Un autre devait juger de la qualité des opinions professionnelles. On a interroge les juges sur l'exercice; l'analyse qualitative de leurs réponses a révèle qu'ils ne partageaient aucun critère de qualité défini en matière d'évaluation. Les quatre juges ont estime que les évaluations rédigées par les étudiants auxquels on avait enseigne le modèle générique étaient considérablement supérieures a celles de leurs pairs formes uniquement en stage pratique. De plus, âpres la formation, elles comportaient un plus grand nombre d'opinions professionnelles. La qualité de ces opinions dans toutes les évaluations était liée aux années d'expérience. Le modèle générique définissant le contenu d'un rapport d'évaluation psychosociale initiale pourra servir a élaborer des formulaires, ...

This study examined the relationship between the principle of normalization and the concept of quality of life of intellectually challenged adults living in the community. The effect of demographic variables on the quality of life of this population was examined. The sample consisted of sixty respondents from four agencies (one from Montreal and three from Ottawa) providing services to intellectually challenged adults. Cummins' (1997) Comprehensive Quality of Life---Intellectual Disability Fifth Edition (ComQol-I5) was used. / Both objective and subjective quality of life scores were calculated. The major findings were: (1) the subjective scores were higher than the objective scores; (2) a number of subjective scores were positively correlated with the objective score for community (attending leisure/social activities, belonging to a group and/or holding a position of responsibility) and (3) higher functioning respondents (income, diagnosis, education and living arrangements) had significantly higher overall quality of life scores. Results were compared with two outside samples (Italian and Australian); all three samples showed a similar pattern of lower objective scores and higher subjective scores.

That refugeeness is a socially constructed subjectivity produced by immigration and refugee policy is the main argument of this thesis. Departing from the functionalist approach characterizing previous work on migrants, refugees in this study are defined as developing a particular migrant subjectivity, characterized by uprootedness and the crossing of borders. As well, this study argues that refugeeness is an addition to the general refugee experience. Immigration and refugee policy at the international and Canadian levels is defined as the main discourse in the production of refugeeness . How this state intersects with individual refugees' lives is the focus of this study which seeks to analyze the impact of immigration and refugee policy on refugee claimants in Canada. Deconstruction of immigration and refugee policy discourse provides core elements in understanding the construction of the refugee as an object defined by international law. Further, it is shown that increasingly restrictive policies, arising out of western nations' concerns over sovereignty of their borders have had an impact on the migratory trajectory of refugee claimants and on their pre-refugee subjectivities. It is argued that the process constituting the refugee claimant subjectivity is one of otherization where refugees are dispossessed of their pre-migratory subjectivity, creating a profound rupture with their past and present subjectivities. A qualitative approach is used to determine the subjective experience of claimants in Canada as it relates to three major areas of their lives: work, family and state which constitute the core areas of study in the construction of the refugee claimant subjectivity, as conceptualized by a materialist theoretical model. Conclusions raise issues for policy practices and social work practice.