Ontario is a culturally diversified society. Its population composition has changed drastically in the past few decades to include large numbers of individuals with cultural norms differing from that of the majority. This poses challenges to public health, such as HIV prevention. Identifying practices that promote social inclusion in these communities is an important step toward the maintenance of cultural diversity and elimination of social exclusion. Culturally competent health promotion is one example of socially inclusive practices. Cultural competence refers to practices that take into consideration the cultural and linguistic nuances of a specific community or group. This thesis will be guided by the research questions: (1) What are the main health promotion practices of Community-based AIDS Service Organizations (CBAOs)? (2) How do the activities of these organizations promote social inclusion? This thesis uses qualitative methodology to study the CBAO as the unit of analysis. Data were collected from operators at three ethno-cultural CBAOs in Ontario: South Asian; Black, African, and Caribbean; and Portuguese. CBAOs are organizations within the community that provide HIV prevention resources, as well as support for persons living with HIV/AIDS in the community. The practices demonstrated at CBAOS in these communities illustrate three related mechanisms present that promote social inclusion: (a) community networking, (b) community knowledge and involvement, and (c) community-specific resources. These mechanisms can be used to inform practices at other community-based organizations in Ontario.

My big interest in sports was what shaped my choice of subject for the essay. The purpose of this study has been to explore the social meaning of team sports for functionally impaired persons. In order to fulfil the purpose of the essay I formed following questions: How do the actives experience their participation in team sports? And how important is the social intercourse in team sports to the individual welfare? The methods I’ve used have been qualitative with an ethnographic approach. I have used participant observations and field interviews to gather my empirical material. To analyze this material I have used theoretical concepts such as: group membership, social skills, social interaction, social inclusion and social exclusion. In this essay I have found out that team sports promotes people’s social skills. Therefore team sports are, according to my studies, a beneficial form of social work.

This report is the result of a field study conducted in urban Bolivia on women‘s group in which women are organised in order to work, get social support and personal capacity building under the responsibility of a licensed psychologist. The study sought to examine the groups by focusing on the experiences of the women in relation to the process of empowerment and the development of the community. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with half of the women participating in the group. Results showed that weekly capacity building workshops and social inclusion have positive effects on the women‘s development in terms of self-confidence and communication skills. The economic development has not been what the women expected and they showed great disappointment regarding that. The results were further analysed by the use of Bronfenbrenner‘s bioecological perspective, an analysis in which the main conclusion drawn was the positive effects of strong development from interaction between actors within the women‘s microsystems. A conclusive analysis has proposed more active participation from the women and more control over the progress of the groups to further promote the process of empowerment.

Ontario is a culturally diversified society. Its population composition has changed drastically in the past few decades to include large numbers of individuals with cultural norms differing from that of the majority. This poses challenges to public health, such as HIV prevention. Identifying practices that promote social inclusion in these communities is an important step toward the maintenance of cultural diversity and elimination of social exclusion. Culturally competent health promotion is one example of socially inclusive practices. Cultural competence refers to practices that take into consideration the cultural and linguistic nuances of a specific community or group. This thesis will be guided by the research questions: (1) What are the main health promotion practices of Community-based AIDS Service Organizations (CBAOs)? (2) How do the activities of these organizations promote social inclusion? This thesis uses qualitative methodology to study the CBAO as the unit of analysis. Data were collected from operators at three ethno-cultural CBAOs in Ontario: South Asian; Black, African, and Caribbean; and Portuguese. CBAOs are organizations within the community that provide HIV prevention resources, as well as support for persons living with HIV/AIDS in the community. The practices demonstrated at CBAOS in these communities illustrate three related mechanisms present that promote social inclusion: (a) community networking, (b) community knowledge and involvement, and (c) community-specific resources. These mechanisms can be used to inform practices at other community-based organizations in Ontario.

The purpose of this study is to understand how teachers in the preparatory class and regular class, in the meeting with newly arrived pupils, plan and carry out their teaching. This in order to facilitate social interaction and learning in the classroom, from an intercultural perspective. The examination was conducted through interviews with four teachers from the schools that I selected. The teachers gave their perspective on their approach to newly arrived pupils, through interviews. The result shows that the teachers have ambitions to start from the newly arrived pupils' own ideas and from their prior knowledge. They use these aspects as a starting point in the child's continued learning. You can see the tendencies of the intercultural approach in education that involves respectful responses that relate to the pupils' background, life and knowledge. The intercultural approach that largely pervades the teaching of the researched school allows the newly arrived pupils to have access to a school that accepts and respects them. The conclusion is that when these teachers educate, they use various teaching methods and they also offer each pupil the opportunity to gain knowledge and feel socially included. Teaching strategies that benefit the newly arrived pupils and that includes the pupil both educationally and socially in the classroom, has been described by every teacher. And the result shows that each pupil has individual abilities and needs for learning. The newly arrived pupils are included in the regular classroom with the other pupils, but yet they are excluded from the regular lessons because of teacher's teaching strategies that can be seen as flawed from an intercultural perspective. This result shows that the newly arrived pupils are prevented from participating in the didactic and the social inclusion in the regular classroom with the other pupils, which also can result in them falling outside and pointed out as different.

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Research shows that there is a gap between interest and experience in the area of sexuality for individuals with autism. Also, although these individuals have unique learning requirements pertaining to their sexuality, there is no consensus on the provision and content of such education. Using a socially inclusive theoretical lens founded on existing models of disability and competence, this bilingual study (a) developed a conceptual framework of sexuality education, as understood by adolescents living in Ontario with a diagnosis of high-functioning autism and their caregivers; (b) used extant texts to support the conceptualization provided by youth and caregivers; and (c) identified personal strengths and barriers, as well as societal supports and barriers that impact sexuality education for these youth. Using a qualitative orientation, this study employed in-depth interviews, surveys, and a literature review to better understand the topic under investigation. Twenty participants from 8 families took part in these interviews, including 9 adolescents and 11 caregivers. Survey and extant textual-analysis data were used to support the findings. Sexuality education content was conceptualized as a combination of facts and sociosexual norms, with emphasis on outcomes. Additionally, safety and pleasure were identified as important content areas, including the historically absent aspect of shared enjoyment. Some content areas were part of a greater discourse of normalization. Sexuality education was seen as a combination of formal and informal activities that are developmentally appropriate, proactive, and take place across various settings and groupings. Caregivers were cited as the primary providers of informal education, whereas schools and other community partners were seen as formal providers of education. Various supports and barriers were identified, some of which were viewed as both. Themes related to media and technology pervaded all findings. This study provides further emic and etic understanding of the subject with implications for practice, policy, and theory.

Does the Internet really improve the lives of older adults? The literature around information and communication technology would suggest that use of the Internet can help to promote social inclusion but is this the case for older adults? The aim of this study was to understand the relationship older adults have with the Internet. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 15 participants aged 70 to 90 in Fall 2014 to explore the perceived benefits and barriers older adults experience with regards to Internet use. The Internet was found to plays an important role in the lives of older adults who use it. Light Internet users were the group most dissatisfied with their Internet abilities. Light users and non-users both expressed feeling left out due to their perceived lack of abilities. Non-users had no intention of learning to use the Internet despite having access to potential support, whereas light Internet users indicated feelings of frustration around perceived lack of support. Users and non-users discussed feelings of concern and suspicions related to the Internet and their ability to access the resource. Medium and avid users stated that the Internet played an important role in their lives and that they would be lost without it. This research explores the lived experience of older adults and the Internet, offering a better understanding of how the Internet impacts their lives and ability to maintain social inclusion. This research can inform policy around promoting the use of the Internet among older adults and whether it is necessary to focus efforts on bridging the digital divide. / February 2016

A intenção desta pesquisa foi a de construir subsídios para o estudo do lugar a partir da ótica de alunos com SD, sob a perspectiva de seus diversos indicadores cotidianos. Considerando-se que há uma ausência de estudos nesse âmbito e, principalmente, na área do ensino em Geografia, esta peculiaridade tornou-se, um estímulo a mais para que este trabalho se realizasse. Compreender o lugar no qual se está inserido nos leva a conhecer a história do lugar e, dessa forma, compreender o que ali ocorre. Nesta conjuntura, o ensino de Geografia ligado a meios midiáticos e tecnológicos e direcionado a alunos com SD, em relação ao estudo do lugar de pertencimento, possibilita inúmeras formas de aprendizagem através de uma “geoconexão”, permitindo que informações geográficas conectem-se aos conteúdos e abram espaços de relação entre o virtual e o real, concretizando inclusões entre a Geografia ideal, a real e a possível de se construir no mundo contemporâneo onde todos os conhecimentos interagem entre si, onde todas as áreas do saber se encontram e onde a criatividade de quem aprende extrapola o livro e o caderno, sob um universo globalizado. O processo metodológico desta pesquisa ocorreu através de atividades pedagógicas desenvolvidas com os alunos com SD e realizou-se em três etapas, a saber: 1) Textual-Descritiva; 2) Produção de Histórias em Quadrinho com figuras pré-selecionadas; e, 3) Produção de uma atividade em computador usando o programa Power Point, imagens da cidade de Porto Alegre e produção textual. Além disso, o diálogo e a proximidade com os outros docentes despertaram o interesse da pesquisadora pela escuta dos docentes envolvidos no processo de ensino através de uma entrevista informal. Posteriormente à análise dos dados, verificou-se que o lugar onde os alunos com SD se percebem e percebem o seu próprio lugar no mundo através de sua identidade subjetiva, proporciona uma leitura do mundo destes alunos no espaço real e virtual de Porto Alegre. Desse modo, os lugares por eles referenciados estão intimamente ligados a história de cada um, e, desta forma, até mesmo sem perceberem, eles enfatizaram durante o processo desta pesquisa, a sua existência não apenas em um determinado lugar, mas, em um mundo que é vivido tanto no ambiente virtual quanto real, à nível individual e social, que representa a história de cada um, onde os signos e significados do lugar são caracterizados pelo sentimento de pertencimento do ser humano. / The intention of this research was to build subsidies for the study of the place from the perspective of students with Down syndrome, from the perspective of its various indicators daily. Considering that there is a lack of studies in this area and especially in the area of teaching in geography, this peculiarity has become a stimulus to which this work is accomplished. Understand the place in which it is inserted leads us to know the history of the place and thus understand what happens there. In this way, the Geography teaching linked to media and technologic sources and directed to students with DS, worried about the study of the belonging place, generates several ways of learning through a “geoconnection”, allowing that geographical information get together to the contents and open spaces of relation between the real and the virtual, promoting inclusions among the ideal Geography, the real one and the possible one that can be built in our contemporary world where all knowledge is connected to the other, where all awareness fields meet and where the learner‟s creativity goes beyond the book and the notebook, involved in a globalized universe. The methodological process of this research took place through pedagogical activities developed with the students with DS and had three steps: 1) Descriptive-textual; 2) Production of cartoon stories with pre-determined pictures; and 3) Production of an activity in the computer using Power Point program, pictures of Porto Alegre city and text production. Besides that, the dialogue and the closeness to the other teachers increased the interest of the researcher to the opinions of the educators involved in the learning process through an informal interview. After the data analysis, we verified that the place where the students with DS realize and realize their own place in the world through their subjective perspective provides them a reading of the world in the real and virtual space of Porto Alegre. Because of that, the places referred by them are closely connected to their own stories and, for this reason, without they realize it, they have confirmed during the process of this research, their existence not just in a determined place, but, in a world that is lived as much as in a virtual space as real, in a social and individual grade, that represents the story of each one, where the signs and meanings of place are characterized by the sense of belonging of the human being.

A intenção desta pesquisa foi a de construir subsídios para o estudo do lugar a partir da ótica de alunos com SD, sob a perspectiva de seus diversos indicadores cotidianos. Considerando-se que há uma ausência de estudos nesse âmbito e, principalmente, na área do ensino em Geografia, esta peculiaridade tornou-se, um estímulo a mais para que este trabalho se realizasse. Compreender o lugar no qual se está inserido nos leva a conhecer a história do lugar e, dessa forma, compreender o que ali ocorre. Nesta conjuntura, o ensino de Geografia ligado a meios midiáticos e tecnológicos e direcionado a alunos com SD, em relação ao estudo do lugar de pertencimento, possibilita inúmeras formas de aprendizagem através de uma “geoconexão”, permitindo que informações geográficas conectem-se aos conteúdos e abram espaços de relação entre o virtual e o real, concretizando inclusões entre a Geografia ideal, a real e a possível de se construir no mundo contemporâneo onde todos os conhecimentos interagem entre si, onde todas as áreas do saber se encontram e onde a criatividade de quem aprende extrapola o livro e o caderno, sob um universo globalizado. O processo metodológico desta pesquisa ocorreu através de atividades pedagógicas desenvolvidas com os alunos com SD e realizou-se em três etapas, a saber: 1) Textual-Descritiva; 2) Produção de Histórias em Quadrinho com figuras pré-selecionadas; e, 3) Produção de uma atividade em computador usando o programa Power Point, imagens da cidade de Porto Alegre e produção textual. Além disso, o diálogo e a proximidade com os outros docentes despertaram o interesse da pesquisadora pela escuta dos docentes envolvidos no processo de ensino através de uma entrevista informal. Posteriormente à análise dos dados, verificou-se que o lugar onde os alunos com SD se percebem e percebem o seu próprio lugar no mundo através de sua identidade subjetiva, proporciona uma leitura do mundo destes alunos no espaço real e virtual de Porto Alegre. Desse modo, os lugares por eles referenciados estão intimamente ligados a história de cada um, e, desta forma, até mesmo sem perceberem, eles enfatizaram durante o processo desta pesquisa, a sua existência não apenas em um determinado lugar, mas, em um mundo que é vivido tanto no ambiente virtual quanto real, à nível individual e social, que representa a história de cada um, onde os signos e significados do lugar são caracterizados pelo sentimento de pertencimento do ser humano. / The intention of this research was to build subsidies for the study of the place from the perspective of students with Down syndrome, from the perspective of its various indicators daily. Considering that there is a lack of studies in this area and especially in the area of teaching in geography, this peculiarity has become a stimulus to which this work is accomplished. Understand the place in which it is inserted leads us to know the history of the place and thus understand what happens there. In this way, the Geography teaching linked to media and technologic sources and directed to students with DS, worried about the study of the belonging place, generates several ways of learning through a “geoconnection”, allowing that geographical information get together to the contents and open spaces of relation between the real and the virtual, promoting inclusions among the ideal Geography, the real one and the possible one that can be built in our contemporary world where all knowledge is connected to the other, where all awareness fields meet and where the learner‟s creativity goes beyond the book and the notebook, involved in a globalized universe. The methodological process of this research took place through pedagogical activities developed with the students with DS and had three steps: 1) Descriptive-textual; 2) Production of cartoon stories with pre-determined pictures; and 3) Production of an activity in the computer using Power Point program, pictures of Porto Alegre city and text production. Besides that, the dialogue and the closeness to the other teachers increased the interest of the researcher to the opinions of the educators involved in the learning process through an informal interview. After the data analysis, we verified that the place where the students with DS realize and realize their own place in the world through their subjective perspective provides them a reading of the world in the real and virtual space of Porto Alegre. Because of that, the places referred by them are closely connected to their own stories and, for this reason, without they realize it, they have confirmed during the process of this research, their existence not just in a determined place, but, in a world that is lived as much as in a virtual space as real, in a social and individual grade, that represents the story of each one, where the signs and meanings of place are characterized by the sense of belonging of the human being.