This PhD Thesis has been immersed in investigating the holistic experience of way-finding in buildings by people who have a range of visual ability. Previous research studies, spanning across a broad spectrum of disciplines, have focused on various characteristics of human way-finding (Arthur and Passini, 1992;Lynch, 1960;Downs and Stea, 1973). It is specifically recognised that the built environment is failing people with visual loss (Barker et al., 1995) and the strategic task and skill of way-finding within a building is a particular problem (Arthur and Passini, 1992). Under the social model of disability (Oliver, 1990) this is recognised as a form of architectural disablement (Goldsmith, 1997). There are few evidence-based studies of way-finding in a building. Furthermore, there are no studies of real-life experiences of way-finding undertaken by real-life participants who have a range of visual ability within the context of a real-life building. This leads to a research question: What are the design issues revealed by participants who have a range of visual ability as they way-find in a large public building? This doctoral research, based within the discipline of architecture, focuses on the holistic experiential components of a Journey (Myerson, 2001;Harper and Green, 2000). It coins and defines the term Way-finding Hot-spot as it explores the events [positive and negative] which are experienced and therefore impact on a Way-finding Journey around a building. To fill an important gap in the current knowledge a research enquiry, based on a user-centred design approach, was implemented. Exploratory in nature, the methodology was inductive and it evolved throughout the study. A series of Research Principles, borrowed from the established methodologies of Grounded Theory (Glaser, 1968) and Case Study (Yin, 2003a;Yin, 2003b), guided this study. Ten participants [with varying degrees of visual ability, different ages and other forms of disability] undertook a Way-finding Scenario designed to evaluate both existing memories of way-finding and present way-finding experience. This was composed of a Purposeful Conversation (Burgess, 1982) and a context specific Way-finding Task. The study has produced a large amount of data based on user experience in a real-world way-finding context – this has not been done before. Participant data contributed to a new Theory of Way-finding – The Experiential Charting of a Way-finding Journey – which derived from experiential data, was found to be composed of three elements: Journey Stages, Tasks Components and Communication Requirements. This thesis presents detailed findings which generate dialogue in the design of way-finding systems suitable for a diverse range of way-finders. It provides a research-based foundation to open the problem area and provide an insight into the issues people with different visual abilities encounter as they undertake a Way-finding Journey around a building. It generates a greater understanding of the problems and joys of way-finding in a building which will be of use in professional practice across disciplines of architecture and design as well as in areas of rehabilitation, policy-making and academia. This research is a start, but it is not the end. Future research questions have been revealed and these, combined with further reviews of literature and creative use of method, will further explore the phenomenon of way-finding within the context of buildings.

This study aimed at exploring chronic illness from both the perspectives of the patient, living with the illness and the professional, treating the illness. The epistemological framework is social constructionism. Qualitative research was selected as the research approach. Three in-depth interviews with three patients, suffering with a chronic illness were conducted, as well as three interviews with professionals, who had experience with patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses. Thematic analysis was the method used for the analysis of data. The stories of the participants were reconstructed in terms of themes. A comparative analysis for both participants groups was done, and linked to the relevant literature This study created an understanding of the complexity of chronic illness. The themes identified, highlighted the importance of the patient-professional relationship, specifically in the context of chronic illness. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

The National Commission of Special Needs in Education and Training (NCSNET) Document (1997) which portrays the new Education Policy in South Africa. clearly states that one of the crucial outcomes is that all possible barriers to learning must be eliminated so that all learners are able to actualise their full potential. Inclusive education, as embedded within the Education Policy, is regarded as an approach which will allow learners to actualise their full potential. This study is a critical reflection on whether inclusive education is practised in primary schools in the Thohoyandou area. The research findings indicated that inclusive education is not practised in the Thohoyandou area. A major factor or barrier in this regard is that teachers and principals are not empowered in terms ofknowledge to practise inclusive education. Other factors acting as barriers to the implementation of inclusive education are that the school buildings do not cater for physically and visually impaired learners as well as the attitudes of teachers, parents and peers are inclined to be negative towards learners experiencing barriers to learning. The community should also be educated and empowered to assist and understand these learners, who will become the future members of the community, more effectively, As inclusive education is one of the means whereby all learners are given the opportunity to actualise their full potential, these barriers must be addressed so that inclusive education can be practised in all primary schools in the Thohoyandou area. A few strategies to implement inclusive education in the Thohoyandou area are suggested by the researcher. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Special Needs Education)

<p dir="ltr">Institutions of higher education within the United States have not had a reputation of inclusivity. The discrimination and oppression of people with disabilities is an important topic of conversation within these educational spaces, not only to change the way that society thinks of disability on a whole, but to incite discussions surrounding the best ways to support students with disabilities and their educational goals. This paper will provide a deconstruction of what ableism is, how it impacts mental health and wellness and how it shows up within institutions of higher education. This paper will also provide details on a training course for higher education faculty members that provides practical applications of the ethical ways of creating a supportive learning environment for students with disabilities. This paper will explore how critical disability theory, the social model and some aspects of the medical model can be utilized to provide faculty and staff with the competency to understand and interact with students with disabilities in ways that not only support their learning but contribute to positive social change and the deconstruction of ableist actions.</p>

This study looks at two community mental health facilities. The one setting is that of a state aided organisation, while the other is a non-government organisation (NGO). These two settings are contrasted in terms of how they conceptualise the concept 'community', their physical settings and facilities, and the activities and processes at each setting. The differences in the day-to-day operational processes, and activities according to their respective philosophies - psychiatric medical model and ecological model - are explored and captured from the participants through utilising qualitative data gathering methods such as interviews, observations and the personal experiences of the researcher. The information obtained from each participant in both settings reflect how they think, feel and behave towards their work. This information contributes to an understanding of how community mental health clinics operate. Finally the recommendations are of how work could be done differently, making them both more community orientated. / M. A.(Clinical Psychology)

This study looks at two community mental health facilities. The one setting is that of a state aided organisation, while the other is a non-government organisation (NGO). These two settings are contrasted in terms of how they conceptualise the concept 'community', their physical settings and facilities, and the activities and processes at each setting. The differences in the day-to-day operational processes, and activities according to their respective philosophies - psychiatric medical model and ecological model - are explored and captured from the participants through utilising qualitative data gathering methods such as interviews, observations and the personal experiences of the researcher. The information obtained from each participant in both settings reflect how they think, feel and behave towards their work. This information contributes to an understanding of how community mental health clinics operate. Finally the recommendations are of how work could be done differently, making them both more community orientated. / M. A.(Clinical Psychology)

Living Disability: Ways Forward from Decontextual Models of Disability consists of six articles that provide both theoretical and pragmatic commentaries on decontextual approaches to vulnerability and disability. In What Contemporary Models of Disability Miss: The Case for a Phenomenological Hermeneutic Analysis I argue many commonly accepted models for understanding disability use a vertical method in which disability is defined as a category into which people are slotted based on whether or not they fit its definitional criteria. This method inevitably homogenizes the experiences of disabled people. A hermeneutic investigation of commonly accepted models for understanding disability will provide an epistemological tool to critique and to augment contemporary models of disability. In A Phenomenological Hermeneutic Resolution to the Principlist- Narrative Bioethics Debate Narrative, I note narrative approaches to bioethics and principlist approaches to bioethics have often been presented in fundamental opposition to each other. I argue that a phenomenological hermeneutic approach to the debate finds a compromise between both positions that maintains what is valuable in each of them. Justifying an Adequate Response to the Vulnerable Other examines the possibility of endorsing the position that I, as a moral agent, ought to do my best to respond adequately to the other’s vulnerability. I contend that, insofar as I value my personal identity, it is consistent to work toward responding adequately to the vulnerability of the other both ontologically and ethically. Who Can Make a Yes?: Disability, Gender, Sexual Consent and ‘Yes Means Yes’ examines the ‘yes means yes’ model of sexual consent, and the political and ethical commitments that underpin this model, noting three fundamental Ph.D. Thesis – C. Kavanagh; McMaster University - Philosophy v disadvantages. This position unfairly polices the sexual expression of participants, particularly vulnerable participants such as disabled people, it demands an unreasonably high standard for defining sexual interaction as consensual, and allows perpetrators of sexual violence to define consent. In Craving Sameness, Accepting Difference: The Possibility of Solidarity and Social Justice I note realist accounts typically define solidarity on the basis of a static feature of human nature. We stand in solidarity with some other person, or group of people, because we share important features in common. In opposition to such realist accounts, Richard Rorty defines solidarity as a practical tool, within which there is always an ‘us’, with whom we stand in solidarity, and a ‘them’, with whom we are contrasted. I argue that by understanding Rorty’s pragmatic solidarity in terms of the relational view of solidarity offered by Alexis Shotwell, it is possible to conceptualise solidarity in a manner that allows for extending the boundaries of the community with whom we stand in solidarity. In Translating Non-Human Actors I examine Bruno Latour’s position that nonhuman things can be made to leave interpretable statements, and have a place in democracy. With the right types of mediators, the scientist can translate for non-humans, and those voices will allow for nonhuman political representation. I wish to suggest that, like scientists, people with disabilities are particularly capable of building networks that facilitate translation between humans and non-humans. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Living Disability: Ways Forward from Decontextual Models of Disability consists of six separate articles that provide both theoretical and pragmatic commentaries on decontextual approaches to vulnerability and disability. The first three articles examine contemporary approaches to understanding vulnerability and disability, and explore what a contextual theoretical approach, one that puts the experiences of people with disabilities at the centre, might look like. The second three articles provide a bioethical examination of practical ethical questions associated with the treatment of people with disabilities when it comes to social and political positions on disability and sexuality, solidarity with people with disabilities, and the relationship between people with disabilities and objects.