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Equal Access (equal + access)
Selected AbstractsEqual Access to Justice for AllAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Richard McMahon No abstract is available for this article. [source] Progressive segmented health insurance: Colombian health reform and access to health servicesHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2007Fernando Ruiz Abstract Equal access for poor populations to health services is a comprehensive objective for any health reform. The Colombian health reform addressed this issue through a segmented progressive social health insurance approach. The strategy was to assure universal coverage expanding the population covered through payroll linked insurance, and implementing a subsidized insurance program for the poorest populations, those not affiliated through formal employment. A prospective study was performed to follow-up health service utilization and out-of-pocket expenses using a cohort design. It was representative of four Colombian cities (Cendex Health Services Use and Expenditure Study, 2001). A four part econometric model was applied. The model related medical service utilization and medication with different socioeconomic, geographic, and risk associated variables. Results showed that subsidized health insurance improves health service utilization and reduces the financial burden for the poorest, as compared to those non-insured. Other social health insurance schemes preserved high utilization with variable out-of-pocket expenditures. Family and age conditions have significant effect on medical service utilization. Geographic variables play a significant role in hospital inpatient service utilization. Both, geographic and income variables also have significant impact on out-of-pocket expenses. Projected utilization rates and a simulation favor a dual policy for two-stage income segmented insurance to progress towards the universal insurance goal. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A Perspective on Achieving Equality in Mathematics for Fourth Grade Girls: A Special CaseCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 2 2001Christine G. Renne How can and do teachers create equal access within everyday classroom lessons and establish opportunities for girls to participate fully? What contexts contribute to equity? In contrast to classrooms where boys receive more attention, encouragement, and content-area instruction, Ms. Jeffreys conducts whole class lessons in her fourth grade classroom where girls participate equally and successfully with boys during mathematics. To ascertain what contributes to the equal participation, I use interactional analysis to closely examine two mathematics lessons. Part of Ms. Jeffreys' success lies in altering normative classroom discourse and in the assertive context created and sustained by the math, science, and technology magnet school setting. However, another layer of complexity is introduced: to teach her students at their instructional level, Ms. Jeffreys groups her students by their ability to pass timed multiplication tests. By instituting a form of tracking, Ms. Jeffreys also legitimates girls as knowledgeable, both socially and academically, by their membership in the top math group. While policy guidelines exhort teachers to provide equal access to curriculum, actually accomplishing a first step of access to participation in the routine day-to-day classroom talk remains extremely difficult. [source] Nutritional Risk Factors for Older RefugeesDISASTERS, Issue 1 2003Simone Pieterse This study describes risk factors for poor nutrition among older Rwandan refugees. The most important areas of nutritional risk for older refugees are: physical ability and mobility; income and access to land; access to appropriate food rations; meeting basic needs such as water, fuel, shelter; equal access to essential services (food distribution, health services, mills, feeding programmes); and psycho-social trauma. Women and older elderly (>70 years) are significantly more often in disadvantaged positions, such as having poor socio-economic status, poor health, poor mobility, lower food intake, diminished social status, respect and social network. Older refugees are at higher risk than younger refugees and at higher risk than older people in stable situations. They should remain in good nutritional and general health for their own well-being and that of their dependants. In addition to an adequate diet, a support network seems to be an important preventive aspect. [source] Plasticity of perisynaptic astroglia during synaptogenesis in the mature rat hippocampusGLIA, Issue 1 2007Mark R. Witcher Abstract Astroglia are integral components of synapse formation and maturation during development. Less is known about how astroglia might influence synaptogenesis in the mature brain. Preparation of mature hippocampal slices results in synapse loss followed by recuperative synaptogenesis during subsequent maintenance in vitro. Hence, this model system was used to discern whether perisynaptic astroglial processes are similarly plastic, associating more or less with recently formed synapses in mature brain slices. Perisynaptic astroglia was quantified through serial section electron microscopy in perfusion-fixed or sliced hippocampus from adult male Long-Evans rats that were 65,75 days old. Fewer synapses had perisynaptic astroglia in the recovered hippocampal slices (42.4% ± 3.4%) than in the intact hippocampus (62.2% ± 2.6%), yet synapses were larger when perisynaptic astroglia was present (0.055 ± 0.003 ,m2) than when it was absent (0.036 ± 0.004 ,m2) in both conditions. Importantly, the length of the synaptic perimeter surrounded by perisynaptic astroglia and the distance between neighboring synapses was not proportional to synapse size. Instead, larger synapses had longer astroglia-free perimeters where substances could escape from or enter into the synaptic clefts. Thus, smaller presumably newer synapses as well as established larger synapses have equal access to extracellular glutamate and secreted astroglial factors, which may facilitate recuperative synaptogenesis. These findings suggest that as synapses enlarge and release more neurotransmitter, they attract astroglial processes to a discrete portion of their perimeters, further enhancing synaptic efficacy without limiting the potential for cross talk with neighboring synapses in the mature rat hippocampus. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Black and white women managers: Access to opportunityHUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2004Linda M. Hite This study explores the differing views of Black and White female managers regarding access to key career opportunities for White women and women of color. Items addressed include access to hiring, promotions, key assignments, salary increases, acknowledgment for work, and mentors. Access to each is described by comparing White women and women of color to one another, to White men, and to men of color. Chi-square analyses of survey responses from the 276 U.S. participants showed that most of the White respondents consistently perceived equal access to career opportunities for women of color. In contrast, most of the Black participants indicated that disparity exists in career opportunities available to women of color compared to White men and women. The implications of these results are discussed. [source] The Evolution of the Digital Divide: How Gaps in Internet Access May Impact Electronic CommerceJOURNAL OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION, Issue 3 2000Donna L. Hoffman Enthusiasm for the anticipated social dividends of the Internet appears boundless. Indeed, the Internet is expected to do no less than virtually transform society. Yet even as the Internet races ambitiously toward critical mass, some social scientists are beginning to examine carefully the policy implications of current demographic patterns of Internet access and usage. Key demographic variables like income and education drive the policy questions surrounding the Internet because they are the most likely have a differential impact on the consequences of interactive electronic media for different segments in our society. Given these concerns, we set out to conduct a systematic investigation of the differences between whites and African Americans in the United States with respect to computer access, the primary current prerequisite for Internet access, and Web use. We wished to examine whether observed race differences in access and use can be accounted for by differences in income and education, how access influences use, and when race matters in the calculus of equal access. The particular emphasis of this research is on how such differences may be changing over time. We believe our results may be used as a window through which policymakers might view the job of ensuring access to the Internet for the next generation. [source] Electronic health records: Use, barriers and satisfaction among physicians who care for black and Hispanic patientsJOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 1 2009Ashish K. Jha MD MPH Abstract Objectives, Electronic health records (EHRs) are a promising tool to improve the quality of health care, although it remains unclear who will benefit from this new technology. Given that a small group of providers care for most racial/ethnic minorities, we sought to determine whether minority-serving providers adopt EHR systems at comparable rates to other providers. Methods, We used survey data from stratified random sample of all medical practices in Massachusetts in 2005. We determined rates of EHR adoption, perceived barriers to adoption, and satisfaction with EHR systems. Results, Physicians who reported patient panels of more than 40% black or Hispanic had comparable levels of EHR adoption than other physicians (27.9% and 21.8%, respectively, P = 0.46). Physicians from minority-serving practices identified financial and other barriers to implementing EHR systems at similar rates, although these physicians were less likely to be concerned with privacy and security concerns of EHRs (47.1% vs. 64.4%, P = 0.01). Finally, physicians from high-minority practices had similar perceptions about the positive impact of EHRs on quality (73.7% vs. 76.6%, P = 0.43) and costs (46.9% vs. 51.5%, P = 0.17) of care. Conclusions, In a state with a diverse minority population, we found no evidence that minority-serving providers had lower EHR adoption rates, faced different barriers to adoption or were less satisfied with EHRs. Given the importance of ensuring that minority-serving providers have equal access to EHR systems, we failed to find evidence of a new digital divide. [source] The Swedish Legal Services Policy Remix: The Shift from Public Legal Aid to Private Legal Expense InsuranceJOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, Issue 1 2003Francis Regan A number of governments in the 1960s and 1970s pursued the goal of equal access to legal services by establishing publicly funded legal aid schemes. Some societies also promoted Legal Expense Insurance (LEI) to fill some of the gaps in legal aid. The recent trend to small government means many societies are keen to experiment further with legal services policy. This article examines one such experiment in Sweden where reforms included major cuts to public legal aid and requiring most people to rely on private LEI. But how well does this policy mix promote equal access to legal services? And are there lessons for other societies? In this article I describe and assess the policy remix. I argue that the reforms are a bold policy experiment but that they had mixed and some undesirable consequences, and that there are few lessons for other societies. [source] The Erosion of Racial Equality in the Context of Cuba's Dual EconomyLATIN AMERICAN POLITICS AND SOCIETY, Issue 3 2007Sarah A. Blue ABSTRACT Scholars of Cuba have long linked Afro-Cubans' fate to the revolutionary government. As the government's influence on people's daily lives has declined over the past decade, the question arises of whether Afro-Cubans have sustained the gains they achieved in the revolution's first 30 years. This article uses survey data, collected in December 2000 from 334 Cuban families in Havana, to assess the impact of the post-1993 economic reforms on rising racial inequality in Cuba. It asks whether racial inequities occur in accessing dollars through state employment, self-employment, or remittances, and whether educational gains are tied to higher income. Results indicate that the structural means through which racial discrimination was once virtually eliminated through equal access to education and employment, and through which income levels became equalized according to educational level regardless of racial group, has lost its equalizing force in contemporary Cuba. [source] THE CAPABILITIES OF PEOPLE WITH COGNITIVE DISABILITIESMETAPHILOSOPHY, Issue 3-4 2009MARTHA NUSSBAUM Abstract: People with cognitive disabilities are equal citizens, and law ought to show respect for them as full equals. To do so, law must provide such people with equal entitlements to medical care, housing, and other economic needs. But law must also go further, providing people with disabilities truly equal access to education, even when that is costly and involves considerable change in current methods of instruction. The central theme of this essay is what is required in order to give such people political and civil rights on a basis of genuine equality. [source] Social disadvantage: Its impact on the use of Medicare services related to diabetes in NSWAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 3 2002Jane Overland Objective: To use Medicare data to examine the impact of social disadvantage on the use of health services related to diabetes. Method: Information on number of diabetic individuals and number of services for select Medicare item codes were retrieved by New South Wales postcodes using a Health Insurance Commission data file. The postcodes were graded into quintiles of social disadvantage. Results: People at most social disadvantage were significantly less likely to be under the care of a general practitioner (adjusted OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.40,0.41) or consultant physician (adjusted OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.48,0.53), despite this group having the highest prevalence of diabetes. The difference in attendance to other specialists was less marked but nevertheless significant (adjusted OR 0.71; 95% CI 0.68,0.75). Once under a doctor's care, patients at most disadvantage were slightly more likely to undergo HbA1c or microalbuminuria estimation (adjusted OR 1.04; 95% CI 1.00,1.10 and adjusted OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.12,1.33, respectively) but were less likely to undergo lipid or HDL cholesterol estimation (adjusted OR 0.81; 95% CI 0.48,0.53 and adjusted OR 0.85; 95% CI 0.79,0.90, respectively). Conclusion: While access to medical care is decreased for people at most social disadvantage, once under a doctor's care they receive a level of monitoring that is relatively equal to that provided to people less disadvantaged. Implication: Strategies are required to ensure equal access to medical services for all persons with diabetes, especially for persons who are at most social and medical disadvantage. [source] Electronic doors to education: study of high school website accessibility in Iowa,BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW, Issue 1 2003David Klein M.A. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in all aspects of daily life, including education, work, and access to places of public accommodations. Increasingly, these antidiscrimination laws are used by persons with disabilities to ensure equal access to e-commerce, and to private and public Internet websites. To help assess the impact of the anti-discrimination mandate for educational communities, this study examined 157 website home pages of Iowa public high schools (52% of high schools in Iowa) in terms of their electronic accessibility for persons with disabilities. We predicted that accessibility problems would limit students and others in obtaining information from the web pages as well as limiting ability to navigate to other web pages. Findings show that although many web pages examined included information in accessible formats, none of the home pages met World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards for accessibility. The most frequent accessibility problem was lack of alternative text (ALT tags) for graphics. Technical sophistication built into pages was found to reduce accessibility. Implications are discussed for schools and educational institutions, and for laws, policies, and procedures on website accessibility. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Towards a New Standard Employment Relationship in Western EuropeBRITISH JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 4 2004Gerhard Bosch This paper examines critically the concept of the standard employment relationship (SER), differentiating between form and substance. It explores the social functions served by the SER and its evolution in western Europe. Six major causes underpinning changes in the employment relationship are explored and the contours of a new more flexible SER developed. Two further social functions are added: equal access for men and women to the employment system, and increased internal flexibility in the workplace. [source] Human rights commissions and public policy: The role of the Canadian Human Rights Commission in advancing sexual orientation equality rights in CanadaCANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION/ADMINISTRATION PUBLIQUE DU CANADA, Issue 2 2008Annette Nierobisz The case study is informed by commission annual reports, speeches by past chief commissioners, presentations by the commission to parliamentary committees, and an examination of 442 sexual orientation complaints closed by the commission by 2005. The study shows that, from its inception, the commission had a simple and consistent message: sexual orientation should not be the basis for denying individuals employment, services or benefits. Using a variety of strategies, the CHRC facilitated the incorporation of this message into the Canadian Human Rights Act by promoting the designation of sexual orientation as a prohibited ground of discrimination. Subsequently, the commission became actively involved in securing equal access to employment-related benefits in the federal sphere for same-sex couples and also added its voice in support of legal recognition of same-sex marriage. The authors conclude by discussing how the unique position of human rights commissions gives them the potential to play an important role in public policy development, even when there may be a lack of political will or public support. Sommaire: Le présent article examine l'aptitude des commissions des droits de la personne à encourager les changements dans la politique publique en mettant l'accent sur la Commission canadienne des droits de la personne (CCDP) et son rôle dans la promotion des droits à l'égalité en matière d'orientation sexuelle au Canada. L' étude de cas tire ses informations des rapports annuels de la commission, des allocutions prononcées par d'anciens présidents de la commission, des présentations faites par la commission aux comités parlementaires, et d'un examen de 442 plaintes relatives à l'orientation sexuelle traitées par la commission jusqu'en 2005. L' étude indique que, depuis sa création, la commission avait un message simple et unanime : l'orientation sexuelle ne devrait pas être un motif invoqué pour refuser de l'emploi, des services ou des avantages sociaux à des particuliers. Grâce à diverses stratégies, la CCDP a facilité l'intégration de ce message à la Loi canadienne sur les droits de la personne en faisant en sorte que l'orientation sexuelle soit désignée comme un motif de discrimination interdit. Par la suite, la commission a été active sur la scène fédérale pour assurer que les conjoints de même sexe bénéficient de l' égalité d'accès aux avantages liés à l'emploi, et elle a également soutenu la reconnaissance légale du mariage des conjoints de même sexe. En conclusion, les auteurs discutent la position unique des commissions des droits de la personne qui leur offre le potentiel de jouer un rôle important dans l' élaboration des politiques gouvernementales, même avec un manque de volonté politique ou de soutien public. [source] Multicultural education and genetic counselingCLINICAL GENETICS, Issue 3 2001J Weil The responsibility to provide accessible, useful genetic counseling to individuals from many cultures and ethnicities arises from the increasing ethnocultural diversity of the populations served, coupled with the ethical goal of providing equal access and quality of services for all individuals. The multicultural education, training, and practice of genetic counseling involves three major components: knowledge of relevant ethnocultural groups, ethnocultural self-awareness, and an understanding of institutional and social barriers to services. Despite the diversity of ethnocultural groups served and the critical role of direct experience and training for the genetic counselor, some general guidelines for multicultural genetic counseling can be identified. These include the importance of establishing and maintaining trust, the essential need to respect the counselee's healthcare beliefs and practices, and the necessity of understanding the impact of culture on the process of decision making and on counselee responses to nondirective counseling. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||