published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The aim of this study was to examine how Russian press represents people with disabilities. The study was conducted using the method of qualitative content analysis. The material for the analysis consisted of sixty articles selected from Russian's four national newspapers. The study covered a period of the year 2011. Labeling theory and stigma were used for the analysis of the results. The results showed that Russian press described discrimination of people with disabilities, social support provided to them by the Government and their active way of life. The newspaper articles mentioned that the Russian Government tries to integrate disabled people into society. The study did not find any significant differences in the representation of people with disabilities in various newspapers. It was found that the articles covered physical disabilities, such as mobility, hearing and visual impairments.

People with disability have been an underprivileged group in our society for long. As the problems that face them are multi-dimensional, the health care provided to them seems burden-heavy. The development of civil rights has raised the advocacy for deinstitutionalized welfare for people with disability. However, it needs to note that the roles of family major caregivers can not be omitted when discussing deinstitutionalization or the health care to people with disability. The government should look squarely at this issue in its public policies and address the family-based or female health care work. People with intellectual disability seldom get married. As a result, the female relatives or mothers play a pivotal role in providing care work. The experiences of mothers therefore will enormously assist in investigating the process of care-giving. Mothers were the main participants for the purpose of this research. Nine mothers and one father within Kaohsiung metropolitan area who perform health care to their children with disability were recruited. This study used in-depth interview in attempt to apply labeling theory to portray the stigma and unfair treatment they encountered in the society. Its particular conclusions were as follows: 1.This study consistent with some previous quantitative studies supported the finding that the problems that mothers face include metal disorders¡Bemotional depressions¡Beconomical difficulties and educational difficulties. 2.In tradition, care work is always viewed for granted as a responsibility to mothers. When health care work is needed, the responsibility undoubtedly will be distributed to them, but the decision making process does not always concern their willingness. 3.Because of the overlap between care work and paid work, mothers only seek those jobs that are un-technical, flexible and low waged. It is apparent that they still are trapped in so-called female poverty. 4.The discrimination and labeling against people with disability still exist in our society. The findings revealed that mothers take both positive and negative strategies to cope with this. The positive strategy is to strengthen their own self-confidence which is always from their participations in the society. Ignorance and avoidance however were reported as negative strategies. 5.Four mother types were constructed as a result of the enlightenment of labeling theory in the study and they are self-blamed¡Britualism¡Bself-salvation and utilitarianism from which four different types of care processes and coping strategies are developed respectively.

No description available.

Society’s views about mental illness can influence their views regarding police-response strategies used with the mentally ill. The purpose of this study is to analyze the question: does mental illness impact perceptions of delinquent behavior and police responses? It is important to understand the effects of these interactions to better assist those affected by mental illness and avoid uncertain risks/injuries to the police and citizens involved in an incident. Labeling theory suggests that people may come to identify and act in ways that reflect how others label them as well as come to define mentally ill individuals in accordance with the label. My interest in understanding how police label mentally ill individuals as either deviant (out-of-the-norm) or criminal because of their condition motivated me to explore what other people thought about this. This study used survey analysis to collect data from 349 Facebook participants. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 scenarios (excerpt A and excerpt B). The only difference between these two scenarios is that excerpt B directly relates to mental illness while excerpt A does not mention mental illness. In relation to labeling theory, I predict mental illness will impact the perception people have about how police may respond to situations involving the mentally ill. Further studies should expand this research to examine this connection more thoroughly. The broader implications of this research is that it could create awareness as to ways in which to improve police training tactics that could in turn result in better support between mental health services and law enforcement.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

In recent years, the state of Illinois has joined the "ban the box" movement which typically prohibits employers from inquiring about a prospective employee's criminal history until it has been determined whether the candidate meets the core qualifications for the position. Little, however, is known whether this legislative change has impacted how private employers use criminal history information and to what extent knowledge of criminal history impacts final hiring decisions. Using Kingdon's policy streams concept as a guide, the purpose of this general qualitative study was to understand whether implementation of "ban the box" principles impacts final hiring decisions. Data were collected through interviews with 27 hiring authorities in the state of Illinois. These data were transcribed, inductively coded, and then subjected to a thematic analysis procedure. Findings revealed that when previously convicted applicants were hired for positions, the most common reasons were noted as the quality and presentation of the candidate during the interview, possession of relevant job-related skills, and the candidate appeared remorseful of past behavior. When candidates were rejected by employers, it was most commonly because of a perceived nexus between the convicting offense and essential job requirements. Implications for positive social change include recommendations policy makers to consider future policy development that focuses on balancing the positive consequences of successful offender reentry with concern for public safety. Doing so may encourage lower recidivism and prosocial behavior including improved employment sustainability for those convicted of crimes, thereby promoting overall public safety objectives.

Kunskap gällande barn och ungdomar som har olika funktionsnedsättningar är underutvecklad både i skolsituationen och i det sociala arbetet. Därmed är syftet med studien att studera hur kunskapsläget ser ut bland kuratorer respektive lärare som arbetar i särskilda klasser för elever som har Asperger syndrom. Vidare syftar studien till att granska vilka riktlinjer som finns uppsatta för kuratorer och lärare som möter ungdomar med särskilda behov samt hur ett professionellt bemötande beskrivs och tillämpas i praktiken. En kvalitativ metod har använts och studien omfattar sju intervjuer med kuratorer och lärare från två olika särskilda gymnasier. Resultatet visar att skolpersonalen lägger ett stort fokus på bemötandet av dessa elever och detta är en central del i det sociala arbetet med eleverna. För ett gynnsamt utfall hjälper inte enbart Skolverkets riktlinjer gällande hur arbetet med eleverna ska se ut. De båda verksamheterna har valt att utforma ytterligare riktlinjer för att skapa en god miljö där eleverna ska utvecklas och stärkas i sig själva. Detta arbetssätt går i linje med empowerment som tillsammans med stämplingsteorin har varit analysverktyg i studien. I diskussionen gällande vilka för- och nackdelar som finns med särskilda klasser för elever med Asperger syndrom kan ses att fördelarna väger tyngre än de nackdelar som råder. / The knowledge in children and adolescents who have various disabilities are under-developed both in school as well as in social work. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine how the state of knowledge appears among social workers and teachers working in special classes for students with Asperger syndrome. Furthermore, the study aims to examine the guidelines that are set for counselors and teachers who work with adolescents with special needs and how a professional approach is described and applied in practice. A qualitative method was used and the study includes seven interviews with counselors and teachers from two special schools. The result shows that school staff places a strong focus on treatment of these students and this is a central part in social work with adolescents. To achieve a favorable outcome for the students with Asperger syndrome not only the Agency's guidelines are helpful for work with these students. The two schools have therefor chosen to develop their own additional guidelines for creating a good environment in which students will be developed and strengthened in themselves. This approach is in line with empowerment along with labeling theory, and these two have been research tools in the study. The discussion shows that the advantages of special classes for students with Asperger syndrome outweigh the few disadvantages that exist.