scholarly journals The intersection of dwarfism and gender in Alisa’s tale: Raising awareness through graphic narratives.

Author(s):  
Erin pritchard

This note explores how experiences of people with dwarfism are explored in the graphic narrative Alisa’s Tale (A short story) by Al Davison. The purpose of Alisa’s tale is for young people to emphasise the lived experiences of people with dwarfism. This demonstrates how the graphic narrative uses imagery to convey the everyday social and spatial encounters experienced by people with dwarfism and subsequently Alisa’s experiences of psycho-emotional disablism. Unlike conventional forms of awareness raising, the graphic narrative forces the reader to stare at the dwarf body and witness the common reactions towards it through multimodal forms of representations. Graphic narratives provide expressive possibilities for vivid meaning-making through multimodal forms of representations (Garland-Thomson, 2016). Unlike conventional stories, the use of graphics within Alisa’s tale aids in situating the reader within Alisa’s perspective. This helps to demonstrate the world seen through the gaze of a young woman with dwarfism and position the average sized person as problematic. In the narrative, the average sized people who react negatively towards Alisa are depicted as monsters. According to Garland-Thomson (2016), the most distinct representational opportunity comics offer is hyperbole. Presenting average sized people as monsters helps to situate them as villains. How the narrative uses imagery to construct other people, who react negatively to Alisa’s presence, as monsters do two things. Firstly, as a reader with dwarfism, I can relate to the story. For average sized readers, it helps them to question their ableist beliefs and reactions towards people with dwarfism. According to Foss, Gray and Whalen (2016), graphic narratives offer the unique potential for transforming our understanding of disability in truly profound ways. This note will demonstrate how graphic narratives are beneficial in raising awareness about dwarfism. 

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Knauss ◽  
Daria Pezzoli-Olgiati

In this introductory article to the special issue of Religion and Gender on gender, normativity and visuality, we establish the theoretical framework to discuss the influence of visual culture on gender norms. This introduction also provides a reflection on how these norms are communicated, reaffirmed and contested in religious contexts. We introduce the notion of visuality as individual and collective signifying practices, with a particular focus on how this regards gender norms. Two main ways in which religion, gender and normativity are negotiated in visual meaning making processes are outlined: on the one hand, the religious legitimation of gender norms and their communication and confirmation through visual material, and on the other hand, the challenge of these norms through the participation in visual culture by means of seeing and creating. These introductory reflections highlight the common concerns of the articles collected in this issue: the connection between the visualisation of gender roles within religious traditions and the influence of religious gender norms in other fields of (visual) culture.


Author(s):  
Lise Kouri ◽  
Tania Guertin ◽  
Angel Shingoose

The article discusses a collaborative project undertaken in Saskatoon by Community Engagement and Outreach office at the University of Saskatchewan in partnership with undergraduate student mothers with lived experience of poverty. The results of the project were presented as an animated graphic narrative that seeks to make space for an under-represented student subpopulation, tracing strategies of survival among university, inner city and home worlds. The innovative animation format is intended to share with all citizens how community supports can be used to claim fairer health and education outcomes within system forces at play in society. This article discusses the project process, including the background stories of the students. The entire project, based at the University of Saskatchewan, Community Engagement and Outreach office at Station 20 West, in Saskatoon’s inner city, explores complex intersections of racialization, poverty and gender for the purpose of cultivating empathy and deeper understanding within the university to better support inner city students. amplifying community voices and emphasizing the social determinants of health in Saskatoon through animated stories.


Author(s):  
Jill C. Fodstad ◽  
Rebecca Elias ◽  
Shivali Sarawgi

Gender diversity refers to gender expressions and/or gender identity experiences that vary from the common experiences of gender. Gender-diverse people may be gender nonconforming, gender nonbinary, gender fluid, gender exploring, transgender, and so forth. Some gender-diverse individuals experience gender dysphoria and/or gender incongruence and may require gender-affirming supports, including gender-affirming medical interventions. The co-occurrence of autism and gender diversity has been highlighted in a series of studies internationally as well as through rich community expressions. Studies in gender-referred individuals reveal high rates of autism traits as well as high rates of existing autism diagnoses. Studies in autistic populations reveal greater gender diversity characteristics. The long-term course of gender diversity in autistic individuals is poorly understood. Clinical guidelines have been developed for adolescents with the co-occurrence, but much work remains: No gender-related measures have been developed and tested for use in neurodiverse populations, no programs exist to support gender-diverse neurodiverse adults, and little is known about co-occurring mental health profiles, risks, or protective factors for people with the co-occurrence. The inclusion of this chapter on co-occurring autism and gender diversity within a book on “co-occurring psychiatric conditions” is problematic, because gender diversity is not a “psychiatric condition,” but instead a form of human diversity. The diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria is useful only insomuch as it allows individuals to obtain necessary gender-related supports. The authors’ choice to include this chapter in this book reflects a compromise, motivated by the need for educating both autism and gender specialists in this common co-occurrence.


Author(s):  
Piercarlo Dondi ◽  
Marco Porta ◽  
Angelo Donvito ◽  
Giovanni Volpe

AbstractInteractive and immersive technologies can significantly enhance the fruition of museums and exhibits. Several studies have proved that multimedia installations can attract visitors, presenting cultural and scientific information in an appealing way. In this article, we present our workflow for achieving a gaze-based interaction with artwork imagery. We designed both a tool for creating interactive “gaze-aware” images and an eye tracking application conceived to interact with those images with the gaze. Users can display different pictures, perform pan and zoom operations, and search for regions of interest with associated multimedia content (text, image, audio, or video). Besides being an assistive technology for motor impaired people (like most gaze-based interaction applications), our solution can also be a valid alternative to the common touch screen panels present in museums, in accordance with the new safety guidelines imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Experiments carried out with a panel of volunteer testers have shown that the tool is usable, effective, and easy to learn.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
A. I. Ibraimov

<p class="1Body">Common cold (CC) is referred to the most widespread human illnesses and affects people all over the globe. Till now there is no standard theory explaining the development mechanism(s) of СС. The etiology of the CC is known - over 200 virus strains are implicated in the cause of the common cold; the rhinoviruses are the most common. As for pathogenesis, it is conventional, that cold plays the important role in development of СС. It is believed that cooling causes blood circulatory disturbance and permeability of vessels that consequently deteriorates the tissue nutrition and its resistance against infectious agents, and its resistibility in relation to infection. It is also known that the CC sickness rate is affected by the age (children get sick more often than adults) and gender (male individuals are more susceptible to CC than females, regardless of their age). Among the issues that have not received an answer is another question: why CC affects only upon humans and apes? It is hypothesized that the cause of these higher primates susceptibility to CC is the highest level of their body heat conductivity in the animal world. Just this circumstance contributes to the rapid and deep cooling of the bodies of people and apes when it is cold, with all the ensuing negative consequences for the organism.</p>


2019 ◽  
pp. 82-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin O’Brien ◽  
Helen Berents

In recent years, digital games have emerged as a new tool in human trafficking awareness-raising. These games reflect a trend towards ‘virtual humanitarianism’, utilising digital technologies to convey narratives of suffering with the aim of raising awareness about humanitarian issues. The creation of these games raises questions about whether new technologies will depict humanitarian problems in new ways, or simply perpetuate problematic stereotypes. This article examines three online games released in the last five years for the purpose of raising awareness about human trafficking. In analysing these games, we argue that the persistent tropes of ideal victims lacking in agency continue to dominate the narrative, with a focus on individualised problems rather than structural causes of human trafficking. However, the differing approaches taken by the games demonstrate the potential for complexity and nuance in storytelling through digital games.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hang Xiang ◽  
Tianyuan Xiang ◽  
Muyang Yan ◽  
Sheng Yu ◽  
Matthew John Horwedel ◽  
...  

Abstract Background­-- Our previous studies have identified that both gender and genotype of MTHFR C677T were independent variables for plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels. Based on these results, we want to further explore their systemic information, in order to find specific risk factors for each genetic group, which might be used as predictors or targeting markers for lowering Hcy levels. Patients and Methods­--This cross section study was performed through November 2017 to July 2019. A total of 4534 adults aged 20-75y were selected for this study, and all of them underwent a physical examinations and MTHFR C677T genotyping. Results--The average of Hcy level was higher in TT genotype than CC and CT genotypes (P=0.000). Multiple linear regression analysis found that except the common protective factors (folate and Vit B12) and risk factor (Cr), each group has it specific risk factors for HHcy---female-CT (age, SBP and Hb), female-TT (SBP and AST); male-CC (age, AST and Hb), male-CT (age and AST) and male-TT (SBP, AST and Hb).Conclusion--The plasma Hcy level was influenced by different risk factors for specific gender and genotype. These risk factors might be useful for prediction or prevention of HHcy in the future.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 1398
Author(s):  
Troy Steiner ◽  
Joe Brandenburg ◽  
Reginald Adams, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
The Gaze ◽  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Sinnenberg ◽  
Craig A Umscheid ◽  
Frances S Shofer ◽  
Damien Leri ◽  
Zachary F Meisel

BACKGROUND The use of graphic narratives, defined as stories that use images for narration, is growing in health communication. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe the design and implementation of a graphic narrative screensaver (GNS) to communicate a guideline recommendation (ie, avoiding low-value acid suppressive therapy [AST] use in hospital inpatients) and examine the comparative effectiveness of the GNS versus a text-based screensaver (TBS) on clinical practice (ie, low-value AST prescriptions) and clinician recall. METHODS During a 2-year period, the GNS and the TBS were displayed on inpatient clinical workstations. The numbers of new AST prescriptions were examined in the four quarters before, the three quarters during, and the one quarter after screensavers were implemented. Additionally, an electronic survey was sent to resident physicians 1 year after the intervention to assess screensaver recall. RESULTS Designing an aesthetically engaging graphic that could be rapidly understood was critical in the development of the GNS. The odds of receiving an AST prescription on medicine and medicine subspecialty services after the screensavers were implemented were lower for all four quarters (ie, GNS and TBS broadcast together, only TBS broadcast, only GNS broadcast, and no AST screensavers broadcast) compared to the quarter prior to implementation (odds ratio [OR] 0.85, 95% CI 0.78-0.92; OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.82-0.97; OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.80-0.95; and OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.75-0.89, respectively; <i>P</i>&lt;.001 for all comparisons). There were no statistically significant decreases for other high-volume services, such as the surgical services. These declines appear to have begun prior to screensaver implementation. When surveyed about the screensaver content 1 year later, resident physicians recalled both the GNS and TBS (43/70, 61%, vs 54/70, 77%; <i>P</i>=.07) and those who recalled the screensaver were more likely to recall the main message of the GNS compared to the TBS (30/43, 70%, vs 1/54, 2%; <i>P</i>&lt;.001). CONCLUSIONS It is feasible to use a graphic narrative embedded in a broadcast screensaver to communicate a guideline recommendation, but further study is needed to determine the impact of graphic narratives on clinical practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 247-258
Author(s):  
Máximo Aláez Corral

In this article I intend to analyse Nuala Ní Chonchúir’s short story “As I Look,” from her 2009 collection Nude, in relation to the concept of dysfunction, the representation of the nude female body, and the deconstruction of the conventional male gaze. My analysis will be backed up by a theoretical framework on objectification and will focus on dysfunction in the gaze and representation, and also in narration. I aim at highlighting dysfunction as an instrument to convey a new meaning around the visual/literary representation of women, a more positive and desirable connotation than the “functional” order of the visual norm.


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