Strategic Growth Area: Equity and Social Disparity in the Human Condition (ESDHC)
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ESDHC explores and analyzes crucial issues related to diversity, especially those highlighted through the application of the analytical lens of intersectionality, emphasizes the simultaneous possession of multiple identities for all human beings, producing unique interactions among the identities and factors such as place and social institutions that have implications for experience and life chances.
Scholarship about social disparities and difference in the human condition build on VT strengths in the areas of Health and the Environment, Identities and Culture, and Institutions, Organizations, and Policy (e.g., education, political and policy systems, businesses, and markets). Thematic areas include food security and systems, the built environment, the natural environment, sustainable global prosperity, public health, or innovative technologies.
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- 2018 Integrated Pest Management Innovation Lab Semi-Annual Report (October 1 2017 - March 31 2018)(Virginia Tech, 2018-03-31)Published every year, our reports detail work, accomplishments, training, and publications from each of our programs.
- 2020 Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Integrated Pest Management Semi-Annual Report(Virginia Tech, 2020)Published every year, our reports detail work, accomplishments, training, and publications from each of our programs.
- 2nd Annual Advancing the Human Condition Symposium(Virginia Tech, 2018-11-27)The Office for Inclusion and Diversity presents the second annual Advancing the Human Condition Symposium, Nov. 27-28, 2018 at the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center. The two-day event fosters intellectual discourse around emerging questions of the human condition from multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, and adopts a dialogue format that features key discussants and respondents in conversation with other researchers, practitioners, and scholar activists.
- Access to Autism Spectrum Disorder Services for Rural Appalachian CitizensScarpa, Angela; Jensen, Laura S.; Gracanin, Denis; Ramey, Sharon L.; Dahiya, Angela V.; Ingram, L. Maria; Albright, Jordan; Gatto, Alyssa J.; Scott, Jen Pollard; Ruble, Lisa (2020-01)Background: Low-resource rural communities face significant challenges regarding availability and adequacy of evidence-based services. Purposes: With respect to accessing evidence-based services for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), this brief report summarizes needs of rural citizens in the South-Central Appalachian region, an area notable for persistent health disparities. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data during focus groups with 33 service providers and 15 caregivers of children with ASD in rural southwest Virginia. Results: Results supported the barriers of availability and affordability of ASD services in this region, especially relating to the need for more ASD-trained providers, better coordination and navigation of services, and addition of programs to assist with family financial and emotional stressors. Results also suggested cultural attitudes related to autonomy and trust towards outside professionals that may prevent families from engaging in treatment. Implications: Relevant policy recommendations are discussed related to provider incentives, insurance coverage, and telehealth. Integration of autism services into already existing systems and multicultural sensitivity of providers are also implicated.
- Addressing Inequality: The First Step Beyond COVID-19 and Towards SustainabilityAshford, Nicholas A.; Hall, Ralph P.; Arango-Quiroga, Johan; Metaxas, Kyriakos A.; Showalter, Amy L. (MDPI, 2020-07-03)The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted billions of lives across the world and has revealed and worsened the social and economic inequalities that have emerged over the past several decades. As governments consider public health and economic strategies to respond to the crisis, it is critical they also address the weaknesses of their economic and social systems that inhibited their ability to respond comprehensively to the pandemic. These same weaknesses have also undermined efforts to advance equality and sustainability. This paper explores over 30 interventions across the following nine categories of change that hold the potential to address inequality, provide all citizens with access to essential goods and services, and advance progress towards sustainability: (1) Income and wealth transfers to facilitate an equitable increase in purchasing power/disposable income; (2) broadening worker and citizen ownership of the means of production and supply of services, allowing corporate profit-taking to be more equitably distributed; (3) changes in the supply of essential goods and services for more citizens; (4) changes in the demand for more sustainable goods and services desired by people; (5) stabilizing and securing employment and the workforce; (6) reducing the disproportionate power of corporations and the very wealthy on the market and political system through the expansion and enforcement of antitrust law such that the dominance of a few firms in critical sectors no longer prevails; (7) government provision of essential goods and services such as education, healthcare, housing, food, and mobility; (8) a reallocation of government spending between military operations and domestic social needs; and (9) suspending or restructuring debt from emerging and developing countries. Any interventions that focus on growing the economy must also be accompanied by those that offset the resulting compromises to health, safety, and the environment from increasing unsustainable consumption. This paper compares and identifies the interventions that should be considered as an important foundational first step in moving beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and towards sustainability. In this regard, it provides a comprehensive set of strategies that could advance progress towards a component of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10 to reduce inequality within countries. However, the candidate interventions are also contrasted with all 17 SDGs to reveal potential problem areas/tradeoffs that may need careful attention.
- Adult Day Services Participation and Client Depressive Symptoms: A Longitudinal AnalysisBivens, Rebecca; Norouzi, Neda; Jarrott, Shannon E. (Virginia Tech, 2013-04-04)Our study explores whether adult day service (ADS) use is associated with the reduction of Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) scores of older adults who participated in ADS for at least six months.
- Advancing the Human Condition Symposium Program 2017(Virginia Tech, 2017-11-28)Symposium schedule of events with session descriptions.
- Advancing the Human Condition: Equity, Disparity, and Identity in the Curriculum and ScholarshipGraves, Ellington T. (Virginia Tech, 2017-08-15)This area explores the ways social identities related to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, class, disability status, sexual orientation, religion, veteran status, economic status, age, and other socially salient categories and statuses, influence the human condition and experience, with focus on the United States in particular or in comparative perspective.
- Aesthetics of Otherness: Representation of #migrantcaravan and #caravanamigrante on InstagramRosa, Fernanda R.; Soto-Vasquez, Arthur D. (Sage, 2022-01)This article examines the representation of the migrant caravan on Instagram showing how an aesthetics of otherness has prevailed in this representation. Aesthetics of otherness is the result of the interaction between platform users' selections and platform affordances that creates a gap between the marginalized other and the user. Based on a qualitative content analysis of posts with the hashtags #caravanamigrante and #migrantcaravan, this research reveals that the two hashtags form parallel, although not alike, communicative spaces where migrant caravan representation is mostly mediated by professionals and organizations interested in promoting their own work and not by the migrants themselves. Despite this trend, users posting with #caravanamigrante were less likely to hijack the intent of the public, more likely to reference reasons for migration, and overall less likely to employ the aesthetics of otherness, which point to the possibility of circumventing the role of the platform in shaping the representation of marginalized people and social justice movements.
- Ageism and Feminism: From “Et Cetera” to CenterCalasanti, Toni M.; Slevin, Kathleen F.; King, Neal M. (Indiana University Press, 2006)Although women’s studies scholars and activists do not deny the reality of ageism, they have relegated it to secondary status, neglecting to theorize age relations or place old age at the center of analysis. After explaining what we mean by age relations and their intersections with other inequalities, we discuss the ways in which old people are oppressed, and why age relations represent a political location that needs to be addressed in its own right. We then demonstrate ways in which feminist theories and activism might change if the focus shifted to old people.
- Ageism and the counseling profession: Causes, consequences, and methods for counteractionFullen, Matthew C. (2018)As the number of older adults increases, it is important to understand how attitudes toward aging influence society, the aging process, and the counseling profession. Ageism—defined as social stigma associated with old age or older people—has deleterious effects on older adults’ physical health, psychological wellbeing, and self-perception. In spite of research indicating that the pervasiveness of ageism is growing, there are few studies, whether conceptual or empirical, related to the impact of ageism within the practice of counseling. This article includes an overview of existing literature on the prevalence and impact of ageism, systemic and practitioner-level consequences of ageism, and specific implications for the counseling profession. Discussion of how members of the counseling profession can resist ageism within the contexts of counselor education, gerontological counseling, advocacy, and future research will be addressed.
- Aging in Flood-Prone Coastal Areas: Discerning the Health and Well-Being Risk for Older ResidentsBukvic, Anamaria; Gohlke, Julia M.; Borate, Aishwarya; Suggs, Jessica (MDPI, 2018-12-18)Coastal communities are increasingly exposed to more intense and frequent hurricanes, accelerated sea-level rise, and prolonged tidal inundation, yet they are often a preferred retirement destination for older adults vulnerable to flooding and extreme weather events. The unique physical and psychosocial challenges of older population age 65 and over may affect their level of preparedness, capacity to cope with, and ability to respond and recover from a hazard event. Despite the clear vulnerabilities of older residents living in high-risk areas when compared to younger coastal populations, there is a lack of empirical research on the integrated flood risks to this population group in the coastal context. This paper provides a holistic assessment of this emerging problem along the U.S. East Coast by measuring the exposure of older population to sea level rise and storm surge in coastal counties. It further evaluates how age-related vulnerabilities differ between rural and urban settings using the case study approach and geospatial and statistical analysis the paper also conducts a review of scientific literature to identify gaps in the current understanding of health and well-being risks to aging populations in coastal communities. The results show that older populations are unevenly distributed along the U.S. East Coast with some states and counties having significantly higher percent of residents age 65 and older living along the shoreline. Many places with larger older populations have other attributes that further shape the vulnerability of this age group such as older housing stock, disabilities, and lower income and that often differ between rural and urban settings. Lastly, our study found that vast majority of research on aging in high-risk coastal locations has been conducted in relation to major disasters and almost none on the recurrent nuisance flooding that is already affecting many coastal communities.
- Agrability Virginia Fall 2020 E-Newsletter(Virginia Tech, 2020)AgrAbility Virginia assists farmers, farm workers, and their families who identify with illness, injury, or disability to work safely and productively with dignity through education, rehabilitative services, and assistive technology. This newsletter reports on how AgrAbility has continued supporting farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- AgrAbility Virginia Fall 2021 E-Newsletter(Virginia Tech, 2021)AgrAbility Virginia assists farmers, farm workers, and their families who identify with illness, injury, or disability to work safely and productively with dignity through education, rehabilitative services, and assistive technology. This newsletter reports on AgrAbility projects, programs, and publications.
- Agrability Virginia Newsletter, 2017(Virginia Tech, 2017)AgrAbility Virginia assists farmers, farm workers, and their families who identify with illness, injury, or disability to work safely and productively with dignity through education, rehabilitative services, and assistive technology. This newsletter reports on AgrAbility projects, programs, and publications.
- AgrAbility Virginia Newsletter, 2018(Virginia Tech, 2018)AgrAbility Virginia assists farmers, farm workers, and their families who identify with illness, injury, or disability to work safely and productively with dignity through education, rehabilitative services, and assistive technology. This newsletter reports on AgrAbility projects, programs, and publications.
- AgrAbility Virginia Spring 2021 E-Newsletter(Virginia Tech, 2021)AgrAbility Virginia assists farmers, farm workers, and their families who identify with illness, injury, or disability to work safely and productively with dignity through education, rehabilitative services, and assistive technology. This newsletter reports on AgrAbility projects, programs, and publications.
- “All the World’s a Stage” – Bridging the Generational Gap through TheatreNorouzi, Neda; Lyon-Hill, Sarah (Virginia Tech, 2014-11-05)This research arose from a shared interest and collaboration between two colleagues in different academic fields. Neda Norouzi is a doctoral student in Architecture and Human Development, interested in how the physical environment affects intergenerational collaboration. Sarah Lyon-Hill is a doctoral student in Urban Planning, studying community-based theatre as an alternative approach to community and economic development. Both authors have theatre backgrounds due to their fathers’ professorial careers in script writing and set design. Understanding their common background and interest in building collaborative relationships among diverse groups, these authors turned to the growing presence and effects of intergenerational theatre programs (IG theatre). IG theatre emerged from the community-based theatre movement, which focuses on building the capacity and voice of different and often marginalized groups within communities through intergroup collaboration and helping diverse groups find a shared community identity (Strimling 2004).
- Almost Everything We Need to Better Serve Children of the Opioid Crisis We Learned in the 80s and 90sHorn, Kimberly A.; Pack, Robert P.; Trestman, Robert L.; Lawson, Gerard F. (Frontiers, 2018-10-16)Opioid use disorder impedes dependent parents' abilities to care for their children. In turn, children may languish in unpredictability and persistent chaos. Societal responses to these children are often guided by a belief that unless the drug dependent parent receives treatment, there is little help for the child. While a preponderance of the drug dependence research is adult-centric, a significant body of research demonstrates the importance of not only addressing the immediate well being of the children of drug dependent caregivers but preventing the continuing cycle of drug dependence. The present commentary demonstrates through a brief review of the US history of drug dependence crises and research from the 1980s and 1990s, a range of "tried and true" family, school, and community interventions centered on children. We already know that these children are at high risk of maladjustment and early onset of drug dependence; early intervention is critical; multiple risk factors are likely to occur simultaneously; comprehensive strategies are optimal; and multiple risk-focused strategies are most protective. Where we need now to turn our efforts is on how to effectively implement and disseminate best practices, many of which we learned in the 1980s and 1990s. The greatest opportunity in both changing the nature of the opioid epidemic at scale and influencing rapid translation of existing research findings into policy and practice is not in asking what to do, but in asking how to do the right things well, and quickly.
- An Analysis of Social Vulnerability to Natural Hazards in Nepal Using a Modified Social Vulnerability IndexAksha, Sanam K.; Juran, Luke; Resler, Lynn M.; Zhang, Yang (2018-11-16)Social vulnerability influences the ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. The identification of vulnerable populations and factors that contribute to their vulnerability are crucial for effective disaster risk reduction. Nepal exhibits multihazard risk and has experienced socioeconomic and political upheaval in recent decades, further increasing susceptibility to hazards. However, we still know little regarding social vulnerability in Nepal. Here, we investigate social vulnerability in Nepal by adapting Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) methods to the Nepali context. Variables such as caste, and populations who cannot speak/understand Nepali were added to reflect the essence of the Nepali context. Using principal component analysis, 39 variables were reduced to seven factors that explained 63.02% of variance in the data. Factor scores were summarized to calculate final SoVI scores. The highest levels of social vulnerability are concentrated in the central and western Mountain, western Hill, and central and eastern Tarai regions of Nepal, while the least vulnerable areas are in the central and eastern Hill regions. These findings, supplemented with smaller-scale analyses, have the potential to assist village officers, policymakers, and emergency managers in the development of more effective and geographically targeted disaster management programs.