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Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) are university-sanctioned initiatives for students in recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. Given the ever-rising rates of alcohol and opioid use and misuse, a great need exists to understand how to provide support for those who are considering recovery or who choose a recovery lifestyle

Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) are university-sanctioned initiatives for students in recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. Given the ever-rising rates of alcohol and opioid use and misuse, a great need exists to understand how to provide support for those who are considering recovery or who choose a recovery lifestyle in college. The purpose of this action research study was to examine peer-to-peer support for students in recovery. The development of two training innovations, Recovery 101 and Recovery Ally, were delivered to health and wellness peer educators called the Well Devil Ambassadors (WDAs) with the goal of equipping them to better support their peers in recovery. Learning objectives for the training were to gain knowledge about addiction and recovery and to enhance positive attitudes toward students in recovery, which could thereby increase self-efficacy and behavior intention to work with their peers in recovery. Mindfulness was included in the trainings to enhance the WDAs’ experience and provide tools for a self-care skillset. Quantitative data included pre, post, and follow-up surveys for the Recovery 101 training. Qualitative data included short-answer questions following Recovery 101 training and in-depth interviews following Recovery Ally training. Findings indicated that the information provided in Recovery 101 built the WDAs’ knowledge on the topics of addiction and recovery; hearing multiple perspectives from students in recovery allowed the WDAs to increase empathy toward students in recovery; and the building of knowledge, empathy, and mindfulness allowed the WDAs to gain self-efficacy and behavior intention when supporting their peers in recovery.
ContributorsGueci, Nika (Author) / Henriksen, Danah (Thesis advisor) / Moses, Karen (Committee member) / Ruth, Alissa (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
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News outlets frequently portray people with disabilities as either helpless victims or objects of motivation. Portrayal of people with disabilities has improved over the years, but there is still room to grow. News outlets tend to make disability the center of the story. A story about a disabled person is

News outlets frequently portray people with disabilities as either helpless victims or objects of motivation. Portrayal of people with disabilities has improved over the years, but there is still room to grow. News outlets tend to make disability the center of the story. A story about a disabled person is primarily about their disability, with their other accomplishments framed by it.

As one example of the victimhood narrative, ABC News used to run a special called My Extreme Affliction as part of 20/20 until 2012. As the name implies, the specials covered people with disabilities, specifically extreme versions. One 2008 episode on Tourette’s syndrome described Tourette’s like it was some sort of demonic possession. The narrator talked about children who were “prisoners in their own bodies” and a family that was at risk of being “torn apart by Tourette’s.” I have Tourette’s syndrome myself, which made ABC’s special especially uncomfortable to watch. When not wringing their metaphorical hands over the “victims” of disability, many news outlets fall into the “supercrip” narrative. They refer to people as “heroes” who “overcome” their disabilities to achieve something that ranges from impressive to utterly mundane. The main emphasis is on the disability rather than the person who has it. These articles then exploit that disability to make readers feel good. As a person with a disability, I am aware that it impacts my life, but it is not the center of my life. The tics from my Tourette’s syndrome made it difficult to speak to people when I was younger, but even then they did not rule me.

Disability coverage, however, is still incredibly important for promoting acceptance and giving people with disabilities a voice. A little over a fifth of adults in the United States have a disability (CDC: 53 million adults in the US live with a disability), so poor coverage means marginalizing or even excluding a large amount of people. Journalists should try to reach their entire audience. The news helps shape public opinion with the stories it features. Therefore, it should provide visibility for people with disabilities in order to increase acceptance. This is a matter of civil rights. People with disabilities deserve fair and accurate representation.

My personal experience with ABC’s Tourette’s special leads me to believe that the media, especially the news, needs to be more responsible in their reporting. Even the name “My Extreme Affliction” paints a poor picture of what to expect. A show that focuses on sensationalist portrayals in pursuit of views further ostracizes people with disabilities. The emphasis should be on a person and not their condition. The National Center for Disability Journalism tells reporters to “Focus on the person you are interviewing, not the disability” (Tips for interviewing people with disabilities). This people-first approach is the way to improve disability coverage: Treat people with disabilities with the same respect as any other minority group.
ContributorsMackrell, Marguerite (Author) / Gilger, Kristin (Thesis director) / Doig, Steve (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Optometry is an important field in medicine as it allows people a chance to have their vision corrected and it serves as a health screening opportunity for those who receive a dilated eye examination. One of the largest barriers to receiving a dilated eye exam is insurance coverage. Most health

Optometry is an important field in medicine as it allows people a chance to have their vision corrected and it serves as a health screening opportunity for those who receive a dilated eye examination. One of the largest barriers to receiving a dilated eye exam is insurance coverage. Most health insurance policies have limited optometric coverage. By expanding health insurance plans to be more inclusive of optometric care, people who use these health insurance plans will have a better access of care.

ContributorsFurey, Colleen (Author) / Ruth, Alissa (Thesis director) / Mullen, Tyler (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Physics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05