Re-conceptualizing disability and assistive technology : Australian consumers driving policy change

For people living with a disability, enablers such as assistive technologies, environmental modifications and personal care can make the difference between living fully and merely existing. This article is written from the standpoints of people with disabilities and professionals in one Australian State who found their government and service system to be a constraining rather than an enabling force. It presents two key components of policy and practice change in the area of assistive technology: challenging understandings of disability, assistive technology, and the desired life outcomes that assistive technology contributes to; and building a public evidence base through consumer-focussed research. In short, government funding of assistive technology needs to move beyond a limited focus on functional needs and take responsibility for fully equipping people to live the lives they aspire to.

Combining the forces of science and conservation to turn around the fortunes of shorebirds

At the start of the 21st century the majority of migratory wader (shorebird) populations are faced with serious threats. This commonly results from the continuous destruction of wetlands, their key habitat. Healthy wetlands are highly biodiverse and extremely vulnerable, and as functioning ecosystems particularly important for us humans for a sustained livelihood (artisanal fisheries, small-scale farming) and our well-being (effective water filtering and cleaning systems). In many parts of the world, wetlands have been seen as wastelands, or even as a source of threat (malaria). Many freshwater wetlands have been drained for agricultural use and mudflats have been reclaimed for settlement and urbanization. Wetlands are continuously squeezed by economic development and increasingly used for recreational activities, and their resources are, in general, notoriously overexploited.

CESE 2011 - abstracts book : the fourth annual conference on the Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering

Abstract Book of the Conference on the Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering - CESE 2011, 25th - 30th Sept., Tainan City, Taiwan

The place of information and communication technology-mediated consultations in primary care : GPs' perspectives

Background: New information and communication technologies such as email and text messaging have been shown to be useful in some aspects of primary care service delivery. Little is known about Scottish GPs’ attitudes towards the adoption of these technologies as routine consultation tools.

Objectives: To explore GPs’ perceptions of the potential place of new non-face-to-face consultation technologies in the routine delivery of primary care; to explore GPs’ perceived barriers to the introduction of these technologies and to identify the processes by which GPs feel that new consultation technologies could be incorporated into routine primary care.

Methods: Qualitative interview study: 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews carried out with maximum variation sample of GPs across Scotland.

Results: Whilst the face-to-face consultation was seen as central to much of the clinical and diagnostic work of primary care, many GPs were conditionally willing to consider using new technologies in the future, particularly to carry out administrative or less complex tasks and therefore maximize practice efficiency and patient convenience. Key considerations were access to appropriate training, IT support and medico-legal guidance.

Conclusions: GPs are conditionally willing to use new consultation media if clinically appropriate and if medico-legal and technical support is available.

Corporate governance and information technology : findings from an exploratory survey of Australian organizations

An exploratory survey (n = 57) of the Melbourne Chapter of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association was conducted to ascertain the attitudes and practices relating to corporate governance and the corporate governance of Information Technology (CGIT) in Australia. The survey found the respondents had clear views on corporate governance but most were not engaged with it, the organizational approach to corporate governance and its expected benefits was largely conformance oriented, awareness of CGIT management frameworks and associated standards was high but implementation was not widespread, and although the CGIT standard ISOIIEC 38500 was not widely implemented IT practitioners agreed with its principles. We conclude that the value of the CGIT standard has yet to be recognised by executives in Australia.