Via their frequency of contact alone, Corrections Officers (COs) have maximal opportunity to role model pro-social behaviour and further rehabilitative outcomes for offenders. Yet previous research indicates that one of the barriers to COs adopting this additional and sometimes contradictory job requirement, is that COs generally maintain largely punitive attitudes towards inmates. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether one reason for CO punitiveness is that these frontline workers lack knowledge of basic forensic practice (FP) research findings which describe elements that lead to offender change. Utilizing mixed-methods, the nature of the relationship between FP knowledge and the Correctional Orientation of COs, consisting of support for rehabilitation (SR) and support for punishment (SP), was explored. Further examined was how FP knowledge, SR and SP related to COs self-reported engagement in Core Correctional Practices (CCPs) which delineate the quality of interactions that facilitate positive rehabilitative outcomes. Employing a new measure of Correctional Orientation developed and piloted on an undergraduate sample (N=148) in Study 1, Study 2 involved surveys of Corrections Workers (CWs) (N=227) employed in the four provincial adult correctional facilities in Saskatchewan. Hierarchical multiple regressions including demographic covariates confirmed a robust relationship between FP knowledge and SR, and FP knowledge and SP. Likewise, though FP knowledge was significantly positively correlated with CCPs, the addition of SR and SP to a third multiple regression on CCPs rendered the contribution of FP knowledge non-significant. SR was a better predictor of CCPs than SP. Finally, in Study 3, eight CWs varying in their survey responses were interviewed. Utilizing thematic analysis three broad models were produced which described the reasons CWs may or may not support rehabilitation or punishment and engage in CCPs. Additional themes describing how interviewees responded to FP research were also generated. In the discussion the findings of all three studies were combined. Notably, SR appears to be more responsive to FP knowledge than SP, while salient job-related experiences of CWs are likely to increase SP. Yet, CWs can increase their SR without a comparable decrease in their SP and vice versa. Interviewees felt that the largest obstacle to their engagement in CCPs were the current features of the institutional settings which generated a cynical, burnt-out and punitive staff culture whereby peer pressure was employed to maintain prescribed modes of interaction. Comprehensive recommendations for reducing stress and burnout, education and training targets, and hiring criteria which could screen out problematic applicants are provided.

Advanced devices that can assist the therapists to offer rehabilitation are in high demand with the growing rehabilitation needs. The primary requirement from such rehabilitative devices is to reduce the therapist monitoring time. If the training device can autonomously adapt to the performance of the user, it can make the rehabilitation partly self-manageable. Therefore the main goal of our research is to investigate how to make a rehabilitation system more adaptable. The strategy we followed to augment the adaptability of the GENTLE/A robotic system was to (i) identify the parameters that inform about the contribution of the user/robot during a human-robot interaction session and (ii) use these parameters as performance indicators to adapt the system. Three main studies were conducted with healthy participants during the course of this PhD. The first study identified that the difference between the position coordinates recorded by the robot and the reference trajectory position coordinates indicated the leading/lagging status of the user with respect to the robot. Using the leadlag model we proposed two strategies to enhance the adaptability of the system. The first adaptability strategy tuned the performance time to suit the user’s requirements (second study). The second adaptability strategy tuned the task difficulty level based on the user’s leading or lagging status (third study). In summary the research undertaken during this PhD successfully enhanced the adaptability of the GENTLE/A system. The adaptability strategies evaluated were designed to suit various stages of recovery. Apart from potential use for remote assessment of patients, the work presented in this thesis is applicable in many areas of human-robot interaction research where a robot and human are involved in physical interaction.

Submitted by Marlene Santos (marlene.bc.ufg@gmail.com) on 2014-10-15T21:29:54Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao - Fabrício Leonardo Leopoldino - 2013.pdf: 15282157 bytes, checksum: d2e674ff7b57f0a88c10f3ee9a9b248d (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Jaqueline Silva (jtas29@gmail.com) on 2014-10-16T17:22:45Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao - Fabrício Leonardo Leopoldino - 2013.pdf: 15282157 bytes, checksum: d2e674ff7b57f0a88c10f3ee9a9b248d (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-16T17:22:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao - Fabrício Leonardo Leopoldino - 2013.pdf: 15282157 bytes, checksum: d2e674ff7b57f0a88c10f3ee9a9b248d (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-09-18 / This study proposes a Virtual Environment to support the functional rehabilitation of the upper limbs, using the Microsoft Kinect sensor motion capture. It is organized in five chapters: 1) Use of Virtual Environments in the process of functional rehabilitation of people affected by an Encephalic Vascular Accident; 2) Technologies used, 3) AVARFMS development; 4) Discussion; 5) Conclusions. Sequelae of Encephalic Vascular Accident impair the development of the Activities of Daily Living. Rehabilitation does not consist in a process that seeks only the adaptation of the patient, but in a real effort with the goal of promoting the development of people creative and inclusive functionality. With the emergence of Virtual Environments and greater integration between the areas of rehabilitation medicine and information systems as well as the appearance of low cost motion sensors (Microsoft Kinect, for example), a new paradigm begins to be postulated between researchers in these two areas: the study and development of virtual environments to assist in the rehabilitation process. With the goal of providing a fun tool to patients who have been affected by an encephalic vascular accident and offering therapists ways to measure (qualitatively and quantitatively) the evolution of the patient treatment, it is proposed a virtual environment that uses the motion sensor Kinect, created by Microsoft. The findings presented in this study show that the proposed objectives were achieved. / O presente trabalho propõe um ambiente virtual de apoio à reabilitação funcional de membros superiores, utilizando o sensor de captura de movimento da Microsoft, Kinect. Está dividido em cinco capítulos: 1) Utilização de Ambientes Virtuais no Processo de Reabilitação Funcional de Pessoas Acometidas por um Acidente Vascular Encefálico; 2) Tecnologias Utilizadas; 3) Desenvolvimento do AVARFMS; 4) Discussão e 5) Conclusões. O Acidente Vascular Encefálico (AVE) deixa sequelas que comprometem o desenvolvimento das Atividades de Vida Diária. A reabilitação não consiste em um processo que busca apenas a adaptação do paciente, mas em um esforço concreto, com o objetivo de promover o desenvolvimento máximo da funcionalidade criadora e inclusiva das pessoas. Com o surgimento dos Ambientes Virtuais (AVs) e a maior integração entre as áreas da medicina de reabilitação e sistemas de informação, bem como o aparecimento de Sensores de Movimento (Microsoft Kinect, por exemplo) de baixo custo, um novo paradigma começa a ser postulado entre pesquisadores destas duas áreas: o estudo e desenvolvimento de AVs para auxiliar no processo de reabilitação. Com o objetivo de fornecer uma ferramenta divertida aos pacientes que foram acometidos por um AVE e oferecer aos terapeutas maneiras de medir (qualitativamente e quantitativamente) a evolução do tratamento de um paciente, é proposto um Ambiente Virtual que utiliza o sensor de movimentos Kinect, criado pela Microsoft. As conclusões apresentadas neste trabalho mostram que os objetivos propostos pelo ambiente foram atingidos

This essay addresses and treats the employer's obligation to work adaptation for people with a physical disability according to discrimination law and the work environment law. Furthermore it also treats the employer's obligation to rehabilitation of employees that has a reduced working ability as consequence of their work. The essay also intends to investigate if there are any differences in the employer’s obligation to work adaptation when recruiting and the employer’s obligation to work adaption for an existing employment.   In this work, there is a background chapter which describes the UN and the European Union's approach to work reduction ability and disability. Furthermore, there is a detailed description of the work environment law, the discrimination law, the social insurance code and the employment protection legislation. A description of the laws and the legal practice on work adaptation and rehabilitation is presented where relevant judgments from labor court are described and a preliminary ruling from the European Court.   The work includes an analyzing part which summarizes important parts of the work. Here I have analyzed the legislative texts, the legal usage and the preliminary work of the laws and there content. In the end the conclusions are presented. For a person with a physical disability the employer has an obligation to take appropriate support - and adaptation measures. What is legitimate is depending on which possibility the employer have to take the measures, what effect the measures will provide, how extensive the employee's disability is, what economic situation the employer is located in, what resources that are necessary to take, how cost requiring the measures become and which kind of employment it is. What obligations a employer has to rehabilitation of an employee with reduced working ability is different from one situation to another. Factors to considerate are the size on the workplace, if the employee agreed to go through the rehabilitation and had a good attitude and if a proper rehabilitation, work adaptation and reassignment investigation is done. The employer can become forced to reorganize the work in order to make the employee able to resume his work. The obligation to reorganize the organization is depending on whether or not it is legitimate to require this of the employer. What are essential is which possibilities there is to make reorganization, what viable and organizational means there is and whether or not reorganization can mean that other employees are exposed to risks. As a rule, reduced working ability or a disability is not at justified dismissal ground if the employee can carry out work of significance for the employer. / Denna uppsats behandlar och tar upp arbetsgivarens skyldighet till arbetsanpassning för personer med fysisk funktionsnedsättning enligt diskrimineringslagen och arbetsmiljö lagen. Dessutom behandlar uppsatsen också arbetsgivarens skyldighet till rehabilitering av anställda som har en reducerad arbetsförmåga som följd av sitt arbete. Uppsatsen avser också att undersöka om det finns några skillnader i arbetsgivarens skyldighet till arbetsanpassning vid rekrytering respektive arbetsgivarens skyldighet till arbetsanpassning vid en befintlig anställning. I detta arbete finns det en bakgrund som beskriver FN och EU: s syn på nedsatt arbetsförmåga och funktionsnedsättning. Dessutom finns det en detaljerad beskrivning av arbetsmiljön lagen, diskrimineringslagstiftningen, socialförsäkringsbalken och lagen om anställningsskydd. En beskrivning av de lagar och den juridiska praxis om arbetsanpassning och rehabilitering presenteras där relevanta domar från arbetsdomstolen beskrivs och ett förhandsavgörande från EG-domstolen. I arbetet ingår en analys del som sammanfattar viktiga delar av arbetet. Här har jag analyserat lagtexterna, den juridiska användningen och förarbeten till lagarna och dess innehåll. I slutet presenteras slutsatserna som arbetet har lett fram till. För en person med ett fysiskt funktionshinder har arbetsgivaren en skyldighet att vidta lämpliga stöd - och anpassningsåtgärder. Vad som är legitimt beror på vilken möjlighet arbetsgivaren har att vidta de åtgärder som är nödvändiga, vilken effekt åtgärderna kommer att ge, hur omfattande den anställdes funktionshinder är, vilken ekonomisk situation arbetsgivaren befinner sig i, vilka resurser som behövs, hur kostnadskrävande åtgärderna blir och vilken typ av arbete det är. Vilka skyldigheter en arbetsgivare har till rehabilitering av en medarbetare med nedsatt arbetsförmåga skiljer sig från en situation till en annan. Faktorer att ta hänsyn till är storleken på arbetsplatsen, om arbetstagaren gått med på att gå igenom rehabiliteringen och har en bra attityd, och om en ordentlig rehabilitering, arbetsanpassning och omplaceringsutredning utförts. Arbetsgivaren kan bli tvungen att omorganisera arbetet för att möjliggöra för den anställde att återgå till sitt arbete. Skyldigheten att omorganisera organisationen är beroende av huruvida det är legitimt att kräva detta av arbetsgivaren. Vad som är viktigt är vilka möjligheter det finns att göra en omorganisation, vilken livskraftiga och organisatoriska medel som finns och huruvida en omorganisation kan innebära att andra anställda blir utsatta för risker. Som regel utgör nedsatt arbetsförmåga eller funktionshinder inte saklig grund för uppsägning om arbetstagaren kan utföra arbete av betydelse för arbetsgivaren.

Abstract Unemployed are known to be in poorer health and to use less health care services compared to those employed. However, evidence on the work ability of the unemployed remains scarce. The methods of assessing work ability are very divergent, not least because a shared understanding on the concept of work ability is lacking. Furthermore, the aspect of marginalization gives rise to further challenges when assessing work ability among the unemployed. This study explored the work ability of long-term unemployed, their needs for medical care and rehabilitation as well as the methods of assessing work ability. The aims were to find out to which amount and how the work ability was restricted among the unemployed and to clarify the needs for medical care and rehabilitation among them. Additionally, differences between the methods for assessing the disease-oriented and multidimensional work ability, as well as the need for rehabilitation were analysed. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this multi-method research in three different studies. The multidimensional work ability assessments were conducted among long term unemployed individuals in three Labour Force Service Centres (Oulu, Raahe region and Kainuu) and in one municipality (Paltamo). Furthermore, an illustrated case study was conducted to compare the materials and background theories of disease-oriented and multidimensional work ability assessment methods. The work ability was significantly decreased for a great proportion of long term unemployed, mostly because of mental disorders. In one municipality, 27% of the long term unemployed were found disabled for open labour market, in addition 20% of them were considered to need medical care and rehabilitation to enable return to work. By using multidimensional work ability assessment method, restrictions in work ability as well as the needs for rehabilitation appeared to get identified more accurately than by using the disease-oriented method. The latter had missed potential rehabilitation avenues and had led to under-rehabilitation, misrehabilitation and over-rehabilitation. The results indicate that the practices of assessing work ability should be based on biopsychosocial and not only on biomedical approach of health and therefore existing information from the multidisciplinary network concerning the clients’ functioning should be routinely collected and used. The health care services as well as the work ability assessment procedures should be tailored to meet the special needs of the long term unemployed to support their work ability and potential of returning to work. / Tiivistelmä Työttömien terveydentila on heikompi ja he käyttävät vähemmän terveyspalveluja kuin muu samanikäinen väestö. Sen sijaan työttömien työkyvystä ei ole olemassa kattavaa tutkimustietoa. Toisaalta työkyvyn arvioinnin menetelmät ovat epäyhtenäiset, koska työkyvyn käsitteestäkään ei ole yhtenäistä ymmärrystä. Syrjäytymiseen liittyvät ilmiöt aiheuttavat työttömien työkyvyn arviointiin omat erityishaasteensa. Tämän tutkimuksen kohteena olivat pitkäaikaistyöttömien työkyky, sairauksien hoitoon ja kuntoutukseen liittyvät tarpeet sekä työkyvyn arvioinnin menetelmät. Tavoitteena oli selvittää, kuinka suurella osalla ja millä tavoin pitkäaikaistyöttömien työkyky on heikentynyt sekä minkälaista hoidon ja kuntoutuksen tarvetta heillä on. Lisäksi selvitettiin sairauslähtöisen ja monialaisen työkyvyn ja kuntoutustarpeen arvioinnin eroja. Monimenetelmätutkimuksen kolmessa osatutkimuksessa käytettiin sekä laadullisia että määrällisiä menetelmiä. Aineistoina olivat kolmen työvoiman palvelukeskuksen (Oulu, Raahen seutukunta ja Kainuu) ja yhden kunnan (Paltamo) alueella asuville vaikeasti työllistyville henkilöille monialaisesti toteutetut työkyvyn arvioinnit. Lisäksi aineistona analysoitiin sairauslähtöisessä ja monialaisessa työkyvyn arvioinnissa käytettävät tietoaineistot ja tulokset yhdellä esimerkkiasiakkaalla havainnollistaen. Suurella osalla pitkäaikaistyöttömistä työkyky oli merkittävästi heikentynyt, sairausluokista eniten mielenterveyden häiriöiden takia. Yhden kunnan kaikista pitkäaikaistyöttömistä todettiin avoimille työmarkkinoille työkyvyttömiksi 27 % ja näiden lisäksi 20 %:lla todettiin työkykyä kohentavan hoidon ja kuntoutuksen tarvetta. Monialaisen arviointimallin avulla tunnistettiin työkyvyn heikkeneminen ja kuntoutustarve osuvammin kuin perinteisellä sairauslähtöisellä toimintatavalla, joka hukkaa kuntoutuksen potentiaalia ja johtaa alikuntoutukseen, väärinkuntoutukseen tai ylikuntoutukseen. Tulosten perusteella työkyvyn arvioinnin käytännöt tulisi perustaa biopsykososiaaliseen eikä vain biomedikaaliseen terveyskäsitykseen ja niissä tulisi nykyistä enemmän hyödyntää monialaisessa verkostossa olevaa informaatiota tutkittavan toimintakyvystä. Työkyvyn tukemiseksi työttömien terveyspalvelut sekä työkyvyn ja kuntoutustarpeen arvioinnit tulisi aiempaa enemmän suunnitella ja kohdentaa pitkäaikaistyöttömien erityistarpeet huomioiden.

This research explores the perception and practice of participatory communication for development. To this end, the study focuses on a leading local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) named Organisation for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara (ORDA), Ethiopia. This qualitative case study was based on the participatory development communication model which has been assumed to bring about sustainable socio-economic change of a country (Melkote & Steeves, 2001; Mefalopulos, 2008; Servaes, 2008). The data were collected using in-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), document analysis and field observation. The collected data were organised and analysed in the form of content and thematic analysis. The results revealed economic oriented and top down approach to development communication as the dominant conceptions, and majority of the research participants perceived the concept ‘participation’ as mere contributions of labour and materials which are not real participation, but co-option. Only a few of the management members of ORDA conceptualized the idea of ‘participation’ as an empowerment process in which the organisation’s official document is also stated. Besides, the results showed no genuine participation of the local community in ORDA’s development process. Generally, these results could lead us to conclude that participatory communication was the missing link in the development process. That is, communication was perceived as a transmission of development information and an image building activity, not a process of empowerment. The major communications practices of ORDA were also best described as one-way top down which could reveal the legacy of modernisation and dependency theories of the development literature. The study further indicated pressing factors such as individual, organisational and environmental related affecting the implementation of ORDA’s participatory development communication. The results of study further indicated that participatory development communication was not used a means of liberation from the chain of poverty, dependency syndrome and other underdevelopment problems which deeply persist in the region. Based on the findings, the study commends the mainstreaming of participatory development communication both at the perceptual and practical level for achieving sustainable development in rural Amhara region, Ethiopia. / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication) / Communication