Matching Items (6)
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- All Subjects: Social Justice
- All Subjects: Disability studies
- Creators: Swadener, Elizabeth
Description
Autism has a unique history. The definition has broadened and changed over time, from an emotional disturbance with psychogenic origins to a neurodevelopmental disability with suspected environmental and genetic origins. Diagnosis occurs later than children born with obvious disabilities such as cerebral palsy or Down syndrome, but earlier than milder, high-incidence disabilities such as dyslexia or attention deficit disorder. Historically, parents have advocated for changes in the way children with autism receive services and how federal funding and educational services are provided. There is often tension between these parents and the medical establishment. There can also be tension between the community of parents and the community of adults who have high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome. Studies have examined individual aspects of autism, from the diagnosis, caring for a child with autism, educational interventions, and genetics to characteristics of the internet community of adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). This study includes interviews with mothers whose children were diagnosed with autism between 1974 and 2004, observations of appointments with developmental pediatricians at which diagnoses were given in 2010, and an analysis of media representations of autism over the same time period. These different data were analyzed together to create a new understanding about the history and present state of autism diagnosis.
ContributorsHornstein, Shana (Author) / Swadener, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor) / Mathur, Sarup (Thesis advisor) / Cheatham, Gregory (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
This project explores the function of art pedagogy as a tool for social justice, especially for youth. As a student pursuing the study of both education and social justice, the experience I've had in my life with art is hugely connected with these themes. In this exploratory project, I examined different creative youth development programs through the perspectives of art educators, exploring how, pedagogically, they contribute to the formation of social justice in the communities and students they serve through the teaching and creation of art. I began with the research question, how do different creative youth development contribute to social justice in the communities and students they serve using art as a pedagogical approach? My goal in asking this question was to develop a picture of the art pedagogies employed in these programs, and their relation to the broader topic of social justice. Then, after reviewing the literature related to this topic, which is outlined in the next section, I identified three components of social justice related to art education: self expression, cultural identity exploration, and critical engagement. All of these concepts emerged time and time again when reviewing literature about art education and youth, and also art and social justice. Focusing on these concepts, I explored the question of how these components of social justice are explored in particular creative youth development programs. My goal in asking these questions is to develop a picture of the art pedagogies employed in these programs, and their relation to the broader topic of social justice. In order to ask these questions, it was important I access the art educators behind art programs whose impact is connected to art and social justice. Through their perspectives, I was able to gain incite about the design, implementation, and outcomes of art pedagogy. I found that these programs, in employing art pedagogies, were powerful tools in helping youth connect to themselves and their communities, aiding in the production of social justice.
ContributorsFarrier, Merry Elise (Author) / Swadener, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Gonzales, Vanna (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Privilege is unearned advantages, access, and power reserved for a select group of people. Those that benefit from privilege manifest their power consciously and sub-consciously so as to maintain their exclusive control of the opportunities privilege affords them. The reach and power of one’s privilege rises and falls as the different social identities that one possesses intersect. Ultimately, if a society built on justice and equity is to be achieved, those with privilege must take tangible steps to acknowledge their privilege and work to end the unequal advantages and oppression that are created in order to perpetuate privilege. This thesis unpacks privilege through an autoethnographic examination of the author’s history. Through the use of creative nonfiction, personal stories become launching points to explore characteristics of privilege manifest in the author’s life which are emblematic of larger social groups that share many of the author’s social identities. The following characteristics of privilege are explored: merit, oppression, normalization, economic value, neutrality, blindness, and silence.
ContributorsBlack, Luke (Author) / Swadener, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor) / de la Garza, Amira (Committee member) / Scott, Kimberly (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
With an abundance of sunshine, the state of Arizona has the potential for producing large amounts of solar energy. However, in recent years Arizona has also become the focal point in a political battle to determine the value and future of residential solar energy fees, which has critical implications for distributed generation. As the debate grows, it is clear that solar policies developed in Arizona will influence other state regulators regarding their solar rate structures and Net Energy Metering; however, there is a hindrance in the progress of this discussion due to the varying frameworks of the stakeholders involved. For this project, I set out to understand and analyze why the different stakeholders have such conflicting viewpoints. Some groups interpret energy as a financial and technological object while others view it is an inherently social and political issue. I conducted research in three manners: 1) I attended public meetings, 2) hosted interviews, and 3) analyzed reports and studies on the value of solar. By using the SRP 2015 Rate Case as my central study, I will discuss how these opposing viewpoints do or do not incorporate various forms of justice such as distributive, participatory, and recognition justice. In regards to the SRP Rate Case, I will look at both the utility- consumer relationship and the public meeting processes in which they interact, in addition to the pricing plans. This work reveals that antiquated utility structures and a lack of participation and recognition justice are hindering the creation of policy changes that satisfy both the needs of the utilities and the community at large.
ContributorsGidney, Jacob Robert (Author) / Richter, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Jurik, Nancy (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
Description
Despite the changing social, legal, and political context in influencing the definition of mental disability, medical scholarship has maintained its position as the primary reference to interpret mental disability in the immigration system. This preliminary study examines the role of medical scholarship in attributing to the exclusion of undesired immigrants through its definition of mental disability. This paper focuses upon immigration cases to determine the patterns that emerge when immigration intersects with mental disability. The data consists of four immigration court cases in 1951-1985, 1986-2005, 2006-2015, which mark the shift of immigration policy in the United States of America (US). The court documents are collected from websites that provide online access to these documents. The examination of the cases focuses on three important criterions: a summary of cases, mental disability circumstances, and judges’ considerations. This paper uses the analysis of political deviance in courtroom settings to get an understanding of the shift in the definition of mental disability in the immigration court by tracing economic, political, and social environments that are intertwined and relevant in creating a ‘mental disabilitiy’ definition. This study suggests that medical scholarship has historically become powerful in shaping mental disability as a form of social control. From historical and case analysis, there have been changes in policies and processes toward immigrants appear to take place in the aftermath of major events—World War II, AIDS epidemic, 9/11 terrorist attack, and now Covid-19 pandemic. Preliminary examination of documented cases suggests future analysis could look at how these major events shape immigration processes and policies that more heavily rely on definitions of mental illness and use competency to stand trial proceedings to indefinitely detain people.
ContributorsArifianti, Estu Dyah (Author) / Lauderdale, Pat (Thesis advisor) / Lauderdale, Annamaria (Committee member) / Swadener, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
The passing of anti-immigrant legislation in the state of Arizona over the last decade has exacerbated an already oppressive system perpetuated by globalization and its byproducts, neoliberalism and neoconservativism. The social justice activist educators who live and work with the children and families most affected by these laws and policies must learn to navigate these controls if they hope to sustain their work. I have drawn from Freire's work surrounding the theories of praxis and conscientization to explain the motivation of these teachers, and the sociological theory of Communities of Practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998; & Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002), to explain how the group, Arizona Teachers for Justice serves as a space of learning and support for these educators. This dissertation is a multiple case study and has employed semi-structured interviews with four social justice activist educators to understand how social justice activist educators in Arizona cope and sustain their teaching and activism, particularly through their membership in groups such as Arizona Teachers for Justice. The teachers in this study are each at different stages in their careers and each teaches in a different setting and/or grade level. This cross section provides multiple perspectives and varied lenses through which to view the struggles and triumphs of social justice activist educators in the state of Arizona. The teachers in this study share their experiences of being singled out for their activism and explain the ways they cope with such attacks. They explain how they manage to fulfill their dedication to equity by integrating critical materials while adhering to common core standards. They express the anger that keeps them fighting in the streets and the fears that keep them from openly rejecting unjust policies. The findings of this study contribute to the discussion of how to not only prepare social justice activist educators, but ways of supporting and sustaining their very crucial work. Neoliberal and neoconservative attacks on education are pervasive and it is critical that we prepare teachers to face these structural pressures if we hope to ever change the dehumanizing agenda of these global powers.
ContributorsEversman, Kimberly A (Author) / Swadener, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor) / Sandlin, Jennifer (Committee member) / Schugurensky, Daniel, 1958- (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013