Workplace accommodation and audit-based evaluation process for compliance with the Employment Equity Act: inclusionary practices that exclude—an institutional ethnography
30 Jul 2011-Canadian Journal of Sociology (University of Alberta Libraries)-Vol. 36, Iss: 3, pp 151-172
TL;DR: In this article, the social organization of workplace accommodation and compliance (processes that were developed to promote inclusion) are shown to be exclusionary for people with a disability known as environmental sensitivity, who became ill every time he spent more than 45 minutes inside his office building.
Abstract: Matt kept the operable window in his office open all the time because he needed unlimited access to fresh air. This was terminated after a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system was installed in his Government of Canada office building. After Matt’s access to fresh air became mechanically controlled through extra-locally developed air quality standards, the workplace became a barrier for him. Matt was deemed to suffer from a disability known as environmental sensitivity because he became ill every time he spent more than 45 minutes inside his office building. Yet, according to a textually-mediated assessment of Matt’s workplace performed by a Compliance Review Officer from the Canadian Human Rights Commission, his workplace was barrier-free. Using Dorothy E. Smith’s institutional ethnography, this paper explicates how the social organization of workplace accommodation and compliance—processes that were developed to promote inclusion—are exclusionary.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an analytic glossary composed of 52 terms from institutional and political activist ethnography for qualitative social science research, which is designed to serve as a one-stop-shop resource for persons using or contemplating using institutional or political ethnography in their research and/or activist projects.
Abstract: This analytic glossary, composed of 52 terms, is a practical reference and working tool for persons preparing to conduct theoretically informed qualitative social science research drawing from institutional and political activist ethnography Researchers using these approaches examine social problems and move beyond interpretation by explicating how these problems are organized and what social and ruling relations coordinate them Political activist ethnography emerges from, and extends, institutional ethnography by producing knowledge explicitly for activism and social movement organizing ends The assemblage of vocabulary and ideas in this word list are new, and build on existing methodological resources This glossary offers an extensive, analytic, and challenging inventory of language that brings together terms from these ethnographic approaches with shared ancestry This compilation is designed to serve as an accessible “one-stop-shop” resource for persons using or contemplating using institutional and political activist ethnography in their research and/or activist projects
74 citations
Cites background from "Workplace accommodation and audit-b..."
...Social scientists who draw insights from these methods commonly choose to employ certain technical terms rather than other ones in their oral presentations (Bisaillon, 2012a; French, 2012; Sanders, 2012) and written work (Deveau, 2011; Hussey, 2012; Taber, 2010)....
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TL;DR: This article explored strategies for deploying the generous concept of work in institutional analysis, drawing on the example of healthcare access for deaf patients, in order to advance projects of social justice and inclusion.
Abstract: Feminist scholars developed the concept of “invisible work” in the 1980s to bring sociological attention to work that was unpaid, unrecognized, or undervalued. Since then, it has become clear that the “generous” concept of work can be applied more broadly and that bringing invisible work into view may help to advance projects of social justice and inclusion. Drawing on the example of healthcare access for deaf patients, this article explores strategies for deploying the generous concept of work in institutional analysis.
39 citations
DOI•
25 Nov 2012TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present insights and practical strategies for researchers who are preparing to use institutional ethnography as a strategy for critical social inquiry, and explore several such challenges and explain the research decisions made in the face of these.
Abstract: Discussion and analysis of characteristics and tensions associated with fieldwork in two projects using institutional ethnography is the focus of this article. Examined in comparison with each other, the first exemplar explores the organization of the Canadian immigration system and the mandatory medical screening for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) of immigrants within this. The second exemplar looks at how nurses' work in a selection of Canadian hospitals is organized. The argument made is that the politics of deliberately maintaining a standpoint on the side of a set of people (immigrants with HIV and nurses)—where inquiry begins from the experiential knowledge and concerns with the world of these constituents—gives rise to challenges to which the researcher must contend and adapt. Mobilizing examples from our fieldwork, we explore several such challenges and explain the research decisions we made in the face of these. In this article, we present insights and practical strategies for researchers who are preparing to use institutional ethnography as a strategy for critical social inquiry. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1301144
39 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jun 2015
TL;DR: Using ethnographic methods, this article found that special needs services systems operate to filter out potential service users at multiple points of contact regardless of the intentions of individual providers or the written policies of organizations, and that parents encounter interpersonal and text-based, procedural barriers that discourage, deny, and defer claims.
Abstract: Using ethnographic methods, this study started from the everyday activities and narratives of LGBTQ parents of children with 'special needs'. A critical approach to intersectionality was employed to consider how certain parents, children, and families are constructed as “different” or “not fitting” in particular settings and contexts, and what consequences follow (Crenshaw, 1991; Gibson, 2013). Fifteen parents and six key informants were interviewed, all of whom were based in the Greater Toronto Area. Methods used were drawn from institutional ethnography (Smith 2005) and discourse analysis (Gee, 2005; Riessman, 2008). The study found that special needs services systems operate to ‘filter out’ potential service users at multiple points of contact, regardless of the intentions of individual providers or the written policies of organizations. Parents encounter interpersonal and text-based, procedural barriers that discourage, deny, and defer claims. As a result, parents do extensive ‘systemwork’ to improve the chances that their children will receive needed supports, and to fill in the gaps when they do not. This institutional reliance on parental work and the resulting framework of competition means that what children and families receive is highly variable. Parents marshal whatever financial, social, and relational resources they have in support of their efforts. Often ‘going private’ is the only or best means of being able to secure or augment public services, however only some parents have the financial means to do so. For parents and children with fewer resources and privileges, it is more difficult to avoid being filtered out.
22 citations
18 Jan 2016
TL;DR: In this article, a qualitative research approach using interviews, focus groups, observations and surveys with Australian Defence Force, New Zealand Defence Force and remote Indigenous community members in the Northern Territory was utilised to provide a rich, triangulated picture of some of the challenging and rewarding aspects.
Abstract: In colonised countries such as Australia and New Zealand, Indigenous peoples are working hard to reclaim their systems of knowledge and have them recognised and included in every aspect of contemporary society. The centralisation of Indigenous Knowledge in military curricula can play a fundamental role in contributing to broader educational and societal change. In the context of a Western military establishment, the relationships that exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are crucial in order to understand the complexities involved when and embedding Indigenous Knowledge systems in educational practice. As the military is the largest government institution in both Australia and New Zealand, the need to better understand these relationships is important. Moreover, the interests of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) are similar in that both groups have previously identified the need to maintain strong relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. However, the interests and experiences of each group in this study differed markedly, as each country has different socio-political goals and experiences related to colonisation. In the case of the NZDF, the centralisation of Indigenous Knowledge in military curricula has taken considerable time and has not occurred without many challenges. Despite the difficulties and differences, various lessons and benefits can be shared with the ADF, as signposts of exploring how and to what extent Indigenous Knowledge is acknowledged and valued within military educational practice should the ADF choose a similar path. This study demonstrates that while there are diverging and differing interests, the underlying issues that affect Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships and the centralisation of Indigenous Knowledge systems in the ADF and NZDF, irrespective of their differing locations, are complex. This thesis explores some of the complexities in order to understand the benefits. A qualitative research approach using interviews, focus groups, observations and surveys with ADF, NZDF and remote Indigenous community members in the Northern Territory was utilised to provide a rich, triangulated picture of some of the challenging and rewarding aspects. This study demonstrates that embedding Indigenous Knowledge in ADF educational curricula can contribute significantly to an overall improvement in members’ military learning experience, and an enriched organisational culture. ADF and community members identified a range of benefits that would result from centralising Indigenous Knowledge systems in military education. While many of the benefits identified by ADF and community members aligned, such as the perceived improvement in respect and understanding, the experiences of NZDF participants either confirmed or exceeded ADF and community views. This was evident in the sense of a shared NZDF military identity, heightened morale and institutional pride. Impacting significantly on ADF and community relationships, however, were the differing perceptions and expectations in relation to ‘Reconciliation.’ This included the differing values and perspectives related to Indigenous Knowledge systems held by each group that were heavily influenced by ruling relations, personnel attitudes, and societal norms. Issues of cultural and epistemological dominance and lack of understanding about the value of Indigenous worldviews were not uncommon amongst the experiences of ADF personnel. Moreover, the broader political goals of ‘respect, relationships and opportunities’ when applied to the context of Indigenous Knowledge education were found to hold little relevance with regard to ADF education. Findings suggest that while there was majority support for embedding Indigenous Knowledge within the ADF, much more needs to be achieved in order to align organisational values and community goals. Based on the findings, some possible suggestions have been made. Firstly, ‘respect’ for Indigenous Knowledge systems was considered vital for improving relationships between non-Indigenous and Indigenous personnel, and their communities. Secondly, understanding the effects of cultural dominance and ‘ruling relations’ in the context of a Western military establishment is imperative if successful ‘relationships’ are to be established; and finally, ‘opportunities’ for Indigenous Knowledge education are critical if equitable relationships are to be achieved. This study suggests that positive relationships can be promoted at the individual, instructional, and organisational levels, by adopting a proactive approach to military education, and implementing further research using a participatory action framework.
18 citations