Sample records for ensuring equal access

  1. Minority Access to Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Nathaniel

    2012-01-01

    Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian Americans are entitled to equal access to all institutions of higher education. Ensuring greater access and participation by minorities in higher education is one of the most practical ways of moving America closer to the ideal of equal opportunity, which is the actualization of the American dream.…

  2. Promoting Equal Access of Girls/Women to Technical and Vocational Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mishra, Arun; Khanna, Pinki; Shrivastava, Nalini

    Despite United Nations' efforts, inequality of access for girls and women to technical and vocational education (TVE) persists in India. Challenges of the 21st century with regard to ensuring equal access of girls and women to TVE include: increasing the participation of girls (especially rural girls) in TVE; overcoming gender bias and…

  3. CEC's Position on School Vouchers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council for Exceptional Children (NJ3), 2011

    2011-01-01

    The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recognizes that children and youth with disabilities are entitled to equal access to the public education system and to all rights guaranteed by law. CEC advocates to ensure that children and youth with disabilities receive the equal access and opportunity that they deserve. By definition, vouchers…

  4. Ensuring Equal Access to Technology: Providing Assistive Technology for Students with Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Hwa; Templeton, Rosalyn

    2008-01-01

    With the passage of landmark federal laws, equal access to technology for all students, regardless of their abilities, has been getting increasing attention in the field of education. Although considering a continuum of assistive technology (AT) items and services for individuals with disabilities is a mandated practice, education and…

  5. Access to Effective Teaching for Disadvantaged Students. NCEE 2014-4001

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Isenberg, Eric; Max, Jeffrey; Gleason, Philip; Potamites, Liz; Santillano, Robert; Hock, Heinrich; Hansen, Michael

    2013-01-01

    Recent federal initiatives emphasize measuring teacher effectiveness and ensuring that disadvantaged students have equal access to effective teachers. This study substantially broadens the existing evidence on access to effective teaching by examining access in 29 geographically dispersed school districts over the 2008-2009 to 2010-2011 school…

  6. Accessibility Considerations for Hybrid Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Behling, Kirsten

    2017-01-01

    This chapter explores the central questions and issues that faculty and administrators need to consider when designing and implementing hybrid courses to ensure that all students, including those with disabilities, have equal access. The author offers resources on faculty development programs, accessibility checklists, and online resources on…

  7. Access to Effective Teaching for Disadvantaged Students: Executive Summary. NCEE 2014-4002

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Isenberg, Eric; Max, Jeffrey; Gleason, Philip; Potamites, Liz; Santillano, Robert; Hock, Heinrich; Hansen, Michael

    2013-01-01

    This report describes disadvantaged students' access to effective teaching in grades 4 through 8 in 29 diverse school districts, using value-added analysis to measure effective teaching. Recent federal initiatives emphasize measuring teacher effectiveness and ensuring that disadvantaged students have equal access to effective teachers. These…

  8. Towards ensuring gender equity.

    PubMed

    Basu, A

    1996-01-01

    All people should participate in the development process. Many, however, remain excluded from the benefits of development. For example, women are privy to only a small share of developmental opportunities. The goals of equality, development, and peace were stated during the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in September 1995. The author considers whether women truly have equitable access to literacy, education, food, nutrition, health, employment, and the political and economic decision making process. She stresses that the goals pronounced at the Fourth World Conference on Women must be backed up with the necessary resources, including institutions established at the local, state, and national levels to ensure that the objectives are implemented and the implementation is monitored. The author further argues that in order for women to achieve equality with men, all girls must have access to primary and secondary schools; basic literacy is inadequate. Moreover, gender stereotyping must be avoided and gender sensitization ensured at all levels.

  9. Library Media Center Design Considerations for Physically Disabled Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moy, Patricia J.

    Federal legislation ensures that children with physical disabilities should not be denied access to the school library. These children have the same information needs as their peers, and they want equal access to information in the school library media center. To create an accessible and functional school library, many requirements and…

  10. Ensuring Equal Access to High-Quality Education. Revised

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Office for Civil Rights, US Department of Education, 2011

    2011-01-01

    The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education (Department) is a law enforcement agency charged with enforcing federal civil rights laws to ensure that educational institutions receiving federal financial assistance do not engage in discriminatory conduct. OCR enforces the federal civil rights laws that prohibit…

  11. National Information Policy Developments Worldwide II: Universal Access-Addressing the Digital Divide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muir, Adrienne; Oppenheim, Charles

    2002-01-01

    Describes the results of a literature survey on recent developments in national information policies in the area of universal access that tries to ensure equal access to information, and considers the digital divide. Highlights include policies in Australia, Canada, the European Union, Hong Kong, the United States, and Okinawa. (Contains 64…

  12. 45 CFR 707.9 - Access to communications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... requirements regarding oral communications—(1) Telecommunications devices for deaf persons. (i) The Agency... for deaf persons (TDD) or equally effective telecommunications device. (ii) The Agency shall ensure...

  13. 7 CFR 25.204 - Evaluation of the strategic plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... pertaining to the plan and the proposed area and may, as part of that request, suggest modifications to the... review each plan submitted in terms of the four equally weighted principal objectives, and of such other... and ensuring that all residents will have equal access to that housing is contained in the strategic...

  14. 7 CFR 25.204 - Evaluation of the strategic plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... pertaining to the plan and the proposed area and may, as part of that request, suggest modifications to the... review each plan submitted in terms of the four equally weighted principal objectives, and of such other... and ensuring that all residents will have equal access to that housing is contained in the strategic...

  15. 7 CFR 25.204 - Evaluation of the strategic plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... pertaining to the plan and the proposed area and may, as part of that request, suggest modifications to the... review each plan submitted in terms of the four equally weighted principal objectives, and of such other... and ensuring that all residents will have equal access to that housing is contained in the strategic...

  16. Women's Views about Gender Equality on the Current Social Policy in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Öztop, Hülya; Finkel, Müge

    2015-01-01

    Women's equal participation in all aspects of social, political and economic life is an essential requirement for sustainable development and democratic governance. How to engage women in these different spheres of policy, increase their access to information and ensure their participation in policy debates are therefore among the key questions…

  17. MOOCs: When Opening Doors to Education, Institutions Must Ensure That People with Disabilities Have Equal Access

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anastasopoulos, Nicholas; Baer, Amanda Marie

    2013-01-01

    Massive Open Online Courses ("MOOCs") are free online courses offered by institutions of higher education to individuals across the world, without any admissions criteria. Through web-based courses hosted by MOOC platforms, student-participants learn by accessing media, including documents, pictures and uploaded lectures on the course…

  18. School Location and Teacher Supply: Understanding the Distribution of Teacher Effects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gagnon, Douglas

    2015-01-01

    The U.S. Department of Education has recently called on all states to create plans to ensure equal access to excellent teachers. Although there are numerous limitations in using VAM [value-added modeling] in high-stakes contexts such as teacher evaluation, such techniques offer promise in helping states grapple with issues in equitable access.…

  19. Forum Guide to Ensuring Equal Access to Education Websites: Introduction to Electronic Information Accessibility Standards. NFES 2011-807

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Forum on Education Statistics, 2011

    2011-01-01

    This guide is designed for use by information technology administrators, data specialists, and program staff responsible for the "content" in data reports, as well as education leaders (e.g., administrators who prioritize tasks for technical and data staff), and other stakeholders who have an interest in seeing that schools, school…

  20. A summary of the recommendations adopted unanimously at the Fourth World Conference on Women (4-15 September 1995).

    PubMed

    1996-01-01

    This article presents a summary of the platform of action recommendations adopted unanimously at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. The Platform called for the empowerment of women; the protection of human rights and freedoms throughout the life cycle; and equity at home, at work, and abroad, items that reinforced the Beijing Declaration. This article identifies recommended actions on poverty, education and training, health, domestic violence, armed conflict, economy, decision-making, institutional mechanisms, human rights, mass media, environment, the girl-child, and institutional and financial arrangements. The Platform recommends, for example, action to create macroeconomic policies and development strategies that address the needs of women in poverty. It recommends changes in laws and administrative practices to ensure women's equal rights and access to economic resources. It recommends action to ensure equal access to education throughout the life cycle, to eradicate illiteracy among women, to develop nondiscriminatory education and training, and to allocate sufficient resources for educational reform. It recommends action to increase women's access throughout the life cycle to appropriate, affordable, and quality health care, information, and related services. Action should reduce maternal mortality by at least 50% of 1990 levels by the year 2000, and a further 50% by 2015. Legislation must be adopted to end violence against women in peace and wartime. Action must promote women's economic and human rights and women's equal access to and full participation in power structures and government decision-making.

  1. It's the Law! A Review of the Laws that Provide Americans with Access for All

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raimondo, Barbara

    2013-01-01

    The United States is more accessible to deaf and hard of hearing individuals and people with disabilities today than it was 50, 20, or even 10 years ago. A variety of laws ensures equality in the treatment of deaf and hard of hearing people. Communication barriers have been addressed, and wider opportunities are available in education, employment,…

  2. Current state of web accessibility of Malaysian ministries websites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmi, Aidi; Mohamad, Rosli

    2016-08-01

    Despite the fact that Malaysian public institutions have progressed considerably on website and portal usage, web accessibility has been reported as one of the issues deserves special attention. Consistent with the government moves to promote an effective use of web and portal, it is essential for the government institutions to ensure compliance with established standards and guidelines on web accessibility. This paper evaluates accessibility of 25 Malaysian ministries websites using automated tools i.e. WAVE and Achecker. Both tools are designed to objectively evaluate web accessibility in conformance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) and United States Rehabilitation Act 1973 (Section 508). The findings reported somewhat low compliance to web accessibility standard amongst the ministries. Further enhancement is needed in the aspect of input elements such as label and checkbox to be associated with text as well as image-related elements. This findings could be used as a mechanism for webmasters to locate and rectify errors pertaining to the web accessibility and to ensure equal access of the web information and services to all citizen.

  3. 76 FR 40874 - Information Collection; Equal Opportunity Compliance Review Record

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-12

    ... of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended. Section 504... monitoring will take place to ensure the public is being served without any barriers or discrimination... receives services without discrimination or barriers to access, and that recipients' employees understand...

  4. 78 FR 62339 - Blind Americans Equality Day, 2013

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-18

    ... innovation in business and government, or creating powerful music and art, blind and visually impaired... more level playing field and ensure students with disabilities have access to the general education... commitment to using Braille to open doors for students who are blind or visually impaired, so every student...

  5. Beyond "Commentaries of Despair:" Reengineering Pathways to Design in the Schooling of Black Men

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matthews, Lou Edward; Williams, Brian A.

    2007-01-01

    Ensuring that young Black men are afforded equal educational opportunities, access, and outcomes in education remains the most pressing challenge of modern schooling. Critical to overcoming this challenge is a focus on engineering pathways to design for school-based initiatives which draw more comprehensively from research and the prevailing…

  6. Education Law Center Annual Report, 2006

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Education Law Center, 2006

    2006-01-01

    The mission of the Education Law Center (ELC) is to ensure public school children access to an equal and high quality education. Over the past year, they expanded their efforts to achieve that goal using the innovative advocacy strategies presented in this report. Highlights include: (1) Providing legal services to 479 low income and disadvantaged…

  7. Department of Education Revives Civil Rights Office

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Finkel, Ed

    2010-01-01

    This article reports on the mission of the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education to ensure equal access to education through compliance reviews. The Office hopes to use these reviews to provide technical assistance to help districts improve their performance. In late March, the Los Angeles Unified School District became the…

  8. 3 CFR 8612 - Proclamation 8612 of December 3, 2010. International Day of Persons With Disabilities, 2010

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... of women and men with disabilities around the world, and we recognize our charge to ensure that all..., bipartisan civil rights laws were clarion calls for equal access for and an end to discrimination against... number of nations around the world that have committed themselves to ending unequal treatment of persons...

  9. 78 FR 56541 - Concept Release on Risk Controls and System Safeguards for Automated Trading Environments

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-12

    ... exchange itself, while proximity hosting indicates services offered by third parties.\\23\\ In 2010, the... offer co-location and/or proximity hosting to offer such services on an equal access basis, ensure that... executed orders, while other personnel provided a range of order, trade processing and back office services...

  10. Office for Civil Rights Annual Report to Congress, Fiscal Year 2006

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    US Department of Education, 2007

    2007-01-01

    In this report, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) provides a summary of its substantive achievements in FY 2006. OCR's mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil rights. This report details OCR's accomplishments in enforcing the civil rights laws…

  11. Annual Report to Congress of the Office for Civil Rights. Fiscal Year 2006

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Office for Civil Rights, US Department of Education, 2007

    2007-01-01

    This paper is the Office for Civil Rights' (OCR's) "Annual Report to Congress" for fiscal year 2006. In this report, OCR provides a summary of its substantive achievements in FY 2006. OCR's mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil…

  12. From Compliance to Service: Evolving the State Role to Support District Data Efforts to Improve Student Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shah, Rebecca

    2011-01-01

    As a result of state, national and federal leadership and political will, states have dramatically increased their capacity to collect robust longitudinal education data. However, without an equally ambitious effort to ensure access and build stakeholders' capacity to use data to increase student achievement, these infrastructure investments…

  13. From Compliance to Service: Evolving the State Role to Support District Data Efforts to Improve Student Achievement. Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Data Quality Campaign, 2011

    2011-01-01

    As a result of state, national and federal leadership and political will, states have dramatically increased their capacity to collect robust longitudinal education data. However, without an equally ambitious effort to ensure access and build stakeholders' capacity to use data to increase student achievement, these infrastructure investments…

  14. Ensuring Equal Access to High-Quality Education. Revised.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Office for Civil Rights (ED), Washington, DC.

    This brochure describes the activities of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education. The OCR is a law-enforcement agency charged with upholding the federal civil-rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age in programs and activities that receive federal…

  15. Interdisciplinary Approach to the Development of Accessible Computer-Administered Measurement Instruments.

    PubMed

    Magasi, Susan; Harniss, Mark; Heinemann, Allen W

    2018-01-01

    Principles of fairness in testing require that all test takers, including people with disabilities, have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their capacity on the construct being measured. Measurement design features and assessment protocols can pose barriers for people with disabilities. Fairness in testing is a fundamental validity issue at all phases in the design, administration, and interpretation of measurement instruments in clinical practice and research. There is limited guidance for instrument developers on how to develop and evaluate the accessibility and usability of measurement instruments. This article describes a 6-stage iterative process for developing accessible computer-administered measurement instruments grounded in the procedures implemented across several major measurement initiatives. A key component of this process is interdisciplinary teams of accessibility experts, content and measurement experts, information technology experts, and people with disabilities working together to ensure that measurement instruments are accessible and usable by a wide range of users. The development of accessible measurement instruments is not only an ethical requirement, it also ensures better science by minimizing measurement bias, missing data, and attrition due to mismatches between the target population and test administration platform and protocols. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. [Equal Opportunities for Care in Obstetrics - A Quantitative Survey of Accessibility in Obstetric Departments in Austria].

    PubMed

    Schildberger, B; Ortner, N; Zenzmaier, C; König-Bachmann, M

    2016-04-01

    In everyday life women with disabilities are facing different challenges and discriminatory aspects. Especially the issue of pregnancy and motherhood is still critically discussed and subject to taboo. The aim of the present study is to survey the extent of structural measures on the one hand and additional specific service offers on the other hand that have been implemented in order to ensure accessibility and equitable care for women with disabilities in the obstetric departments in Austria. Data were collected by a self-developed non-standardised questionnaire, evaluating existing or implemented structural measures and specific service offerings that ensure accessibility. Data collection and analysis were performed using the online survey application "LimeSurvey" and SPSS, respectively. The survey data reveal that the obstetric departments largely conform to the requirements of the different building regulations. Additional measures or adaptations of the inventory for women with mobility or sensory impairments are at the discretion of the institution and thus are hardly implemented. Despite the small sample size it becomes obvious that the obstetric departments in Austria lack in many regards structures that ensure accessibility to care, nursing, counselling and support for women with sensory impairments or limited mobility. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  17. Rural Education for What? A Critical Analysis of Schooling in Some Rural Communities in Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Umar, Abdurrahman

    2005-01-01

    One of the most enduring concerns of government and educational planners in developing countries is how to reduce rural-urban inequalities in educational provision. The aim is to ensure that all children have equal access to education of good quality irrespective of region, ethnicity and social class. This paper critically examines the provision…

  18. English Learner Tool Kit for State and Local Education Agencies (SEAs and LEAs)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition & Language Instruction Educational Programs, 2015

    2015-01-01

    The U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Justice (DOJ) released joint guidance on January 7, 2015, reminding states, school districts and schools of their obligations under federal law to ensure that English Learners have equal access to a high-quality education and the opportunity to achieve their full academic potential. In this context, the…

  19. "It Starts out with Little Things": An Exploration of Urban Adolescents' Support-Seeking Strategies in the Context of School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brion-Meisels, Gretchen

    2016-01-01

    Background: Student support systems have become a permanent structure in most U.S. public schools, responsible for ensuring equal access to support services. Typically utilized before special education is deemed necessary, these supports often include a range of school- and community-based services such as tutors, mentors, out-of-school time…

  20. Envisioning Advanced User Interfaces for E-Government Applications: A Case Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Calvary, Gaëlle; Serna, Audrey; Coutaz, Joëlle; Scapin, Dominique; Pontico, Florence; Winckler, Marco

    The increasing use of the Web as a software platform together with the advance of technology has promoted Web applications as a starting point for improving communication between citizens and administration. Currently, several e-government Web portals propose applications for accessing information regarding healthcare, taxation, registration, housing, agriculture, education, and social services, which otherwise may be difficult to obtain. However, the adoption of services provided to citizens depends upon how such applications comply with the users' needs. Unfortunately, building an e-government website doesn't guarantee that all citizens who come to use it can access its contents. These services need to be accessible to all citizens/customers equally to ensure wider reach and subsequent adoption of the e-government services. User disabilities, computer or language illiteracy (e.g., foreign language), flexibility on information access (e.g., user remotely located in rural areas, homeless, mobile users), and ensuring user privacy on sensitive data are some of the barriers that must be taken into account when designing the User Interface (UI) of e-government applications.

  1. Minority Programs and Activities of the College Entrance Examination Board: A Critical Review and a Brief Look Ahead.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanford, George H.

    The College Entrance Examination Board's (CEEB) internal review of its efforts to develop and implement programs to expand educational opportunities for minorities and the poor revealed that the Board had not been as successful as it had hoped. Most of the Board's efforts to ensure equal access to higher education focused on guidance programs,…

  2. Enabling Equal Access to Molecular Diagnostics: What Are the Implications for Policy and Health Technology Assessment?

    PubMed

    Plun-Favreau, Juliette; Immonen-Charalambous, Kaisa; Steuten, Lotte; Strootker, Anja; Rouzier, Roman; Horgan, Denis; Lawler, Mark

    2016-01-01

    Molecular diagnostics can offer important benefits to patients and are a key enabler of the integration of personalised medicine into health care systems. However, despite their promise, few molecular diagnostics are embedded into clinical practice (especially in Europe) and access to these technologies remains unequal across countries and sometimes even within individual countries. If research translation and the regulatory environments have proven to be more challenging than expected, reimbursement and value assessment remain the main barriers to providing patients with equal access to molecular diagnostics. Unclear or non-existent reimbursement pathways, together with the lack of clear evidence requirements, have led to significant delays in the assessment of molecular diagnostics technologies in certain countries. Additionally, the lack of dedicated diagnostics budgets and the siloed nature of resource allocation within certain health care systems have significantly delayed diagnostics commissioning. This article will consider the perspectives of different stakeholders (patients, health care payers, health care professionals, and manufacturers) on the provision of a research-enabled, patient-focused molecular diagnostics platform that supports optimal patient care. Through the discussion of specific case studies, and building on the experience from countries that have successfully integrated molecular diagnostics into clinical practice, this article will discuss the necessary evolutions in policy and health technology assessment to ensure that patients can have equal access to appropriate molecular diagnostics. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  3. How Drug Control Policy and Practice Undermine Access to Controlled Medicines

    PubMed Central

    Csete, Joanne; Wilson, Duncan; Fox, Edward; Wolfe, Daniel; Rasanathan, Jennifer J. K.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Drug conventions serve as the cornerstone for domestic drug laws and impose a dual obligation upon states to prevent the misuse of controlled substances while ensuring their adequate availability for medical and scientific purposes. Despite the mandate that these obligations be enforced equally, the dominant paradigm enshrined in the drug conventions is an enforcement-heavy criminal justice response to controlled substances that prohibits and penalizes their misuse. Prioritizing restrictive control is to the detriment of ensuring adequate availability of and access to controlled medicines, thereby violating the rights of people who need them. This paper argues that the drug conventions’ prioritization of criminal justice measures—including efforts to prevent non-medical use of controlled substances—undermines access to medicines and infringes upon the right to health and the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress. While the effects of criminalization under drug policy limit the right to health in multiple ways, we draw on research and documented examples to highlight the impact of drug control and criminalization on access to medicines. The prioritization and protection of human rights—specifically the right to health and the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress—are critical to rebalancing drug policy. PMID:28630556

  4. How Drug Control Policy and Practice Undermine Access to Controlled Medicines.

    PubMed

    Burke-Shyne, Naomi; Csete, Joanne; Wilson, Duncan; Fox, Edward; Wolfe, Daniel; Rasanathan, Jennifer J K

    2017-06-01

    Drug conventions serve as the cornerstone for domestic drug laws and impose a dual obligation upon states to prevent the misuse of controlled substances while ensuring their adequate availability for medical and scientific purposes. Despite the mandate that these obligations be enforced equally, the dominant paradigm enshrined in the drug conventions is an enforcement-heavy criminal justice response to controlled substances that prohibits and penalizes their misuse. Prioritizing restrictive control is to the detriment of ensuring adequate availability of and access to controlled medicines, thereby violating the rights of people who need them. This paper argues that the drug conventions' prioritization of criminal justice measures-including efforts to prevent non-medical use of controlled substances-undermines access to medicines and infringes upon the right to health and the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress. While the effects of criminalization under drug policy limit the right to health in multiple ways, we draw on research and documented examples to highlight the impact of drug control and criminalization on access to medicines. The prioritization and protection of human rights-specifically the right to health and the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress-are critical to rebalancing drug policy.

  5. Improving regional and rural cancer services in Western Australia.

    PubMed

    Platt, Violet; O'Connor, Kathleen; Coleman, Rhonda

    2015-02-01

    This paper examines health reform which has been designed to improve cancer services across Western Australia. Western Australia is a large state divided into nine regions each with differing demographics. The diversity of the state and the distribution of the population over a large area of land create significant challenge in ensuring equality in service delivery. A comparison was conducted looking at cancer services in Western Australia pre-2005 and service delivery in 2014. A review of the partnership initiatives and programs provides a clear discussion on the need for coordination of care between service providers. The approach undertaken in Western Australia has seen an increase in the delivery of cancer services closer to the patient's home as well as greater involvement of primary care professionals in cancer care. This work has resulted in demonstrated improvements in patient care and support. Services for cancer patients need to be accessible closer to home with distance being an appreciable barrier to treatment access.A statewide approach needs to be developed to ensure all people have equitable access to service delivery. © 2015 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

  6. Wheelchair accessibility to public buildings in the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana.

    PubMed

    Yarfi, Cosmos; Ashigbi, Evans Y K; Nakua, Emmanuel K

    2017-01-01

    Accessibility implies making public places accessible to every individual, irrespective of his or her disability or special need, ensuring the integration of the wheelchair user into the society and thereby granting them the capability of participating in activities of daily living and ensuring equality in daily life. This study was carried out to assess the accessibility of the physical infrastructures (public buildings) in the Kumasi metropolis to wheelchairs after the passage of the Ghanaian Disability Law (Act 716, 2006). Eighty-four public buildings housing education facilities, health facilities, ministries, departments and agencies, sports and recreation, religious groups and banks were assessed. The routes, entrances, height of steps, grade of ramps, sinks, entrance to washrooms, toilets, urinals, automated teller machines and tellers' counters were measured and computed. Out of a total of 84 buildings assessed, only 34 (40.5%) of the buildings, 52.3% of the entrances and 87.4% of the routes of the buildings were accessible to wheelchair users. A total of 25% (13 out of 52) of the public buildings with more than one floor were fitted with elevators to connect the different levels of floors. The results of this study show that public buildings in the Kumasi metropolis are not wheelchair accessible. An important observation made during this study was that there is an intention to improve accessibility when buildings are being constructed or renovated, but there are no laid down guidelines as how to make the buildings accessible for wheelchair users.

  7. Wheelchair accessibility to public buildings in the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana

    PubMed Central

    Ashigbi, Evans Y.K.

    2017-01-01

    Background Accessibility implies making public places accessible to every individual, irrespective of his or her disability or special need, ensuring the integration of the wheelchair user into the society and thereby granting them the capability of participating in activities of daily living and ensuring equality in daily life. Objective This study was carried out to assess the accessibility of the physical infrastructures (public buildings) in the Kumasi metropolis to wheelchairs after the passage of the Ghanaian Disability Law (Act 716, 2006). Methods Eighty-four public buildings housing education facilities, health facilities, ministries, departments and agencies, sports and recreation, religious groups and banks were assessed. The routes, entrances, height of steps, grade of ramps, sinks, entrance to washrooms, toilets, urinals, automated teller machines and tellers’ counters were measured and computed. Results Out of a total of 84 buildings assessed, only 34 (40.5%) of the buildings, 52.3% of the entrances and 87.4% of the routes of the buildings were accessible to wheelchair users. A total of 25% (13 out of 52) of the public buildings with more than one floor were fitted with elevators to connect the different levels of floors. Conclusion The results of this study show that public buildings in the Kumasi metropolis are not wheelchair accessible. An important observation made during this study was that there is an intention to improve accessibility when buildings are being constructed or renovated, but there are no laid down guidelines as how to make the buildings accessible for wheelchair users. PMID:29062761

  8. Using human rights-based approaches to conceptualise lesbian and bisexual women's health inequalities.

    PubMed

    Fish, Julie; Bewley, Susan

    2010-07-01

    This article makes a contribution to current debates in human rights-based approaches to lesbian and bisexual (LB) women's health. With reference to concepts embodied in the Yogyakarta Principles, it is proposed that the right to health includes access to health information, participation, equity, equality and non-discrimination. Specifically, the article examines how LB women's health can be considered as a health inequality and discusses international developments to reduce disparities. Drawing on qualitative data collected in an online survey, the article reports on sexual minority women's experiences of health-care. Participants were recruited via a purposive sampling strategy; questionnaires were completed by 6490 respondents of whom 5909 met the study criteria of residence in the UK, sexual orientation and completing the survey once. Analysis revealed four broad themes: heteronormativity in health-care; improving attitudes among healthcare professionals; equality in access; raising awareness and informed communities. The accounts highlight the centrality of human rights principles: fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy. The implications for healthcare policy and practice are discussed including ways to empower staff and service users with knowledge and skills and ensuring non-discrimination in health service delivery.

  9. Water for Two Worlds: Designing Terrestrial Applications for Exploration-class Sanitation Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Adams, Constance; Andersson, Ingvar; Feighery, John

    2004-01-01

    At the United Nations Millennium Summit in September of 2000, the world leaders agreed on an ambitious agenda for reducing poverty and improving lives: the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) , a list of issues they consider highly pernicious, threatening to human welfare and, thereby, to global security and prosperity. Among the eight goals are included fundamental human needs such as the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the promotion of gender equality, the reduction of child mortality and improvement of maternal health, and ensuring the sustainability of our shared environment. In order to help focus the efforts to meet these goals, the United Nations (UN) has established a set of eighteen concrete targets, each with an associated schedule. Among these is Target 10: "By 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water." A closely related target of equal dignity was agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, September 2002): "By 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation".

  10. [Care for women with HIV: gender perspectives].

    PubMed

    Ko, Nai-Ying

    2011-12-01

    When women face social and cultural inequality they inevitably bear increased HIV infection risks. The success of antiretroviral therapies in suppressing HIV's viral load and prolonging patient lives has made HIV a treatable chronic disease. Given the same follow-up treatments, research shows no significant differences between men and women in terms of either clinical, immunological or virological parameters at baseline or mortality after one year of antiretroviral therapy. Also, advances in assisted reproductive technologies now makes having HIV-free children possible for HIV couples. Gender equality and human right are essential to effective HIV prevention. Nurses must take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in HIV prevention, treatment and care programs in order to ensure equal gender access to critical healthcare services.

  11. Children's mental-health language access laws: state factors influence policy adoption.

    PubMed

    Schmeida, Mary; McNeal, Ramona

    2013-09-01

    Despite federal legislation to equalize healthcare for children with limited English language proficiency, some state healthcare agencies and programs fall short in providing children's linguistic services for mental healthcare. While some states have been aggressive in passing cultural and linguistic laws aimed at providing protection for children, other states have not, limiting children of all ages to potential substandard care. This research uses state-level data and multivariate regression analysis to explore why some states are adopting these laws, whereas others are not. We find two dissimilar forces with unrelated goals must work in tandem to bring about policy change-the desire of civil rights and liberty groups to ensure equality in the delivery of healthcare services, and the desire of state legislature to reduce healthcare costs.

  12. Access to innovation: is there a difference in the use of expensive anticancer drugs between French hospitals?

    PubMed

    Bonastre, Julia; Chevalier, Julie; Van der Laan, Chantal; Delibes, Michel; De Pouvourville, Gerard

    2014-06-01

    In DRG-based hospital payment systems, expensive drugs are often funded separately. In France, specific expensive drugs (including a large proportion of anticancer drugs) are fully reimbursed up to national reimbursement tariffs to ensure equity of access. Our objective was to analyse the use of expensive anticancer drugs in public and private hospitals, and between regions. We had access to sales per anticancer drug and per hospital in the year 2008. We used a multilevel model to study the variation in the mean expenditure of expensive anticancer drugs per course of chemotherapy and per hospital. The mean expenditure per course of chemotherapy was €922 [95% CI: 890-954]. At the hospital level, specialisation in chemotherapies for breast cancers was associated with a higher expenditure of anticancer drugs per course for those hospitals with the highest proportion of cancers at this site. There were no differences in the use of expensive drugs between the private and the public hospital sector after controlling for case mix. There were no differences between the mean expenditures per region. The absence of disparities in the use of expensive anticancer drugs between hospitals and regions may indicate that exempting chemotherapies from DRG-based payments and providing additional reimbursement for these drugs has been successful at ensuring equal access to care. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Accessibility of electronically mediated education: policy issues.

    PubMed

    Blair, Martin E; Goldmann, Hilary; Relton, Joy

    2004-01-01

    Electronic technology has transformed education systems over the past 30 years. Generally speaking, technology has been an incredible benefit for individuals with disabilities. However, the use of technology, particularly in education, has been sometimes discriminatory toward those who are unable to interact with it in the standard ways anticipated by its inventors. Disability policies have attempted to address issues of equality of opportunity for all citizens, but application of these policies to rapidly evolving technology has been difficult. In this article we provide a brief review of disability policy as it pertains to education. We also review several current policy initiatives related to higher education information technology--all of which pertain to public kindergarten through 12th-grade education. We raise questions that arise when careful thought is given to ways in which disability, education, and technology policies overlap. We anticipate that these next few pages will generate dialogue among researchers, policy makers, educators, technology engineers, and others interested in how electronically mediated education affects individuals with disabilities and how it can be used to ensure equal access to the educational benefits available in schools protected by U.S. civil rights legislation.

  14. Impact of Socioeconomic Inequality on Access, Adherence, and Outcomes of Antiretroviral Treatment Services for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam.

    PubMed

    Tran, Bach Xuan; Hwang, Jongnam; Nguyen, Long Hoang; Nguyen, Anh Tuan; Latkin, Noah Reed Knowlton; Tran, Ngoc Kim; Minh Thuc, Vu Thi; Nguyen, Huong Lan Thi; Phan, Huong Thu Thi; Le, Huong Thi; Tran, Tho Dinh; Latkin, Carl A

    2016-01-01

    Ensuring an equal benefit across different patient groups is necessary while scaling up free-of-charge antiretroviral treatment (ART) services. This study aimed to measure the disparity in access, adherence, and outcomes of ART in Vietnam and the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) characteristics on the levels of inequality. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1133 PLWH in Vietnam. ART access, adherence, and treatment outcomes were self-reported using a structured questionnaire. Wealth-related inequality was calculated using a concentration index, and a decomposition analysis was used to determine the contribution of each SES variable to inequality in access, adherence, and outcomes of ART. Based on SES, minor inequality was found in ART access and adherence while there was considerable inequality in ART outcomes. Poor people were more likely to start treatment early, while rich people had better adherence and overall treatment outcomes. Decomposition revealed that occupation and education played important roles in inequality in ART access, adherence, and treatment outcomes. The findings suggested that health services should be integrated into the ART regimen. Furthermore, occupational orientation and training courses should be provided to reduce inequality in ART access, adherence, and treatment outcomes.

  15. 77 FR 63245 - Rules of Practice in Air Safety Proceedings; Rules Implementing the Equal Access to Justice Act...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-16

    ... of Practice in Air Safety Proceedings; Rules Implementing the Equal Access to Justice Act of 1980... procedure concerning applications for fees and expenses under the Equal Access to Justice Act of 1980 (EAJA... procedure, Airmen, Aviation safety. 49 CFR Part 826 Claims, Equal access to justice, Lawyers. For the...

  16. Electronic doors to education: study of high school website accessibility in Iowa.

    PubMed

    Klein, David; Myhill, William; Hansen, Linda; Asby, Gary; Michaelson, Susan; Blanck, Peter

    2003-01-01

    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.

  17. South Africa's protracted struggle for equal distribution and equitable access - still not there.

    PubMed

    van Rensburg, Hendrik C J

    2014-05-08

    The purpose of this contribution is to analyse and explain the South African HRH case, its historical evolution, and post-apartheid reform initiatives aimed at addressing deficiencies and shortfalls. HRH in South Africa not only mirrors the nature and diversity of challenges globally, but also the strategies pursued by countries to address these challenges. Although South Africa has strongly developed health professions, large numbers of professional and mid-level workers, and also well-established training institutions, it is experiencing serious workforce shortages and access constraints. This results from the unequal distribution of health workers between the well-resourced private sector over the poorly-resourced public sector, as well as from distributional disparities between urban and rural areas. During colonial and apartheid times, disparities were aggravated by policies of racial segregation and exclusion, remnants of which are today still visible in health-professional backlogs, unequal provincial HRH distribution, and differential access to health services for specific race and class groups. Since 1994, South Africa's transition to democracy deeply transformed the health system, health professions and HRH establishments. The introduction of free-health policies, the district health system and the prioritisation of PHC ensured more equal distribution of the workforce, as well as greater access to services for deprived groups. However, the HIV/AIDS epidemic brought about huge demands for care and massive patient loads in the public-sector. The emigration of health professionals to developed countries and to the private sector also undermines the strength and effectiveness of the public health sector. For the poor, access to care thus remains constrained and in perpetual shortfall. The post-1994 government has introduced several HRH-specific strategies to recruit, distribute, motivate and retain health professionals to strengthen the public sector and to expand access and coverage. Of great significance among these is the NHI Plan that aims to bridge the structural divide and to redistribute material and human resources more equally. Its success largely hinges on HRH and the balanced deployment of the national workforce.Low- and middle-income countries have much to learn from South African HRH experiences. In turn, South Africa has much to learn from other countries, as this case study shows.

  18. Using referrals and priority-setting rules to risk adjust budgets: the case of regional psychiatric centers.

    PubMed

    Holman, Per Arne; Grepperud, Sverre; Tanum, Lars

    2011-03-01

    An important objective of many health care systems is to ensure equal access to health care services. One way of achieving this is by having universal coverage (low or absent out-of-pockets payments) combined with tax-financed transfers (block grants) to providers with a catchment area responsibility. However, a precondition for equal access in such systems is that providers have similar capacities -- meaning that budgets must be perfectly adjusted for variations in treatment costs not being under the control of providers (risk adjustment). This study presents a method that can be applied to adjust global budgets for variation in health risks. The method is flexible in the sense that it takes into account the possibility that variation in needs may depend on the degree of rationing in supplying health care services. The information being available from referrals is used to risk-adjust budgets. An expert panel ranks each individual on the basis of need. The ranking is performed according to priority-setting criteria for health care services. In addition, the panel suggests an adequate treatment profile (treatment category and treatment intensity) for each referral reviewed. By coupling the treatment profiles with cost information, risk-adjusted budgets are derived. Only individuals found to have a sufficiently high ranking (degree of need) will impact the derived risk-adjusted formula. The method is applied to four Regional Psychiatric Centers (RPC) supplying (i) outpatient services, (ii) day-patient care, and (iii) inpatient treatment for adults. The budget reallocations needed (positive and negative) to achieve an equal capacity across providers range between 10% and 42% of the current budgets. Our method can identify variations across providers when it comes to actual capacity and suggests budget reallocations that make the capacities to be equal across providers. In the case of the Regional Psychiatric Centers (RPCs) considered in this analysis, significant deviations in capacities are identified across providers and catchment areas. Thus, significant social gains can be gained, in terms of improved equal access, if our methodology is applied to risk adjust global budgets.

  19. Are we prepared to implement a Lean philosophy within cancer-care service in Oman?

    PubMed

    Mehdi, Itrat; Al Bahrani, Bassim J

    2017-07-01

    Lean, as it applies to business, has come to signify simplicity, swift response, and efficiency. The concept is to do more with less; namely, to use resources in the most productive way possible through the elimination of all types of waste. The Lean approach can be applied to any field, including healthcare, in which the exponential growth of costs is widespread. Hospitals began experimenting with Lean healthcare in 1990s.  Equal accessibility to healthcare is consistent with the tenets of social justice and a society's duty to ensure basic healthcare to everyone. However, the gap between a state's constitutional responsibility and resource availability is widening, creating a need for an evolution in healthcare provision based on relevance, objectivity, and impartiality. Health-services providers must juggle limited resources to ensure even-handed healthcare availability to all in the era of cost explosion.

  20. Are we prepared to implement a Lean philosophy within cancer-care service in Oman?

    PubMed Central

    Mehdi, Itrat; Bahrani, Bassim J. Al

    2017-01-01

    Lean, as it applies to business, has come to signify simplicity, swift response, and efficiency. The concept is to do more with less; namely, to use resources in the most productive way possible through the elimination of all types of waste. The Lean approach can be applied to any field, including healthcare, in which the exponential growth of costs is widespread. Hospitals began experimenting with Lean healthcare in 1990s. Equal accessibility to healthcare is consistent with the tenets of social justice and a society’s duty to ensure basic healthcare to everyone. However, the gap between a state’s constitutional responsibility and resource availability is widening, creating a need for an evolution in healthcare provision based on relevance, objectivity, and impartiality. Health-services providers must juggle limited resources to ensure even-handed healthcare availability to all in the era of cost explosion. PMID:28674713

  1. The relationship between employment and health and health care among working-age adults with and without disabilities in the United States.

    PubMed

    Reichard, Amanda; Stransky, Michelle; Brucker, Debra; Houtenville, Andrew

    2018-05-20

    To better understand the relationship between employment and health and health care for people with disabilities in the United States (US). We pooled US Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2004-2010) data to examine health status, and access to health care among working-age adults, comparing people with physical disabilities or multiple disabilities to people without disabilities, based on their employment status. Logistic regression and least squares regression were conducted, controlling for sociodemographics, health insurance (when not the outcome), multiple chronic conditions, and need for assistance. Employment was inversely related to access to care, insurance, and obesity. Yet, people with disabilities employed in the past year reported better general and mental health than their peers with the same disabilities who were not employed. Those who were employed were more likely to have delayed/forgone necessary care, across disability groups. Part-time employment, especially for people with multiple limitations, was associated with better health and health care outcomes than full-time employment. Findings highlight the importance of addressing employment-related causes of delayed or foregone receipt of necessary care (e.g., flex-time for attending appointments) that exist for all workers, especially those with physical or multiple disabilities. Implications for rehabilitation These findings demonstrate that rehabilitation professionals who are seeking to support employment for persons with physical limitations need to ensure that overall health concerns are adequately addressed, both for those seeking employment and for those who are currently employed. Assisting clients in prioritizing health equally with employment can ensure that both areas receive sufficient attention. Engaging with employers to develop innovative practices to improve health, health behaviors and access to care for employees with disabilities can decrease turnover, increase productivity, and ensure longer job tenure.

  2. Dementia Home Care Resources: How Are We Managing?

    PubMed Central

    Ward-Griffin, Catherine; Hall, Jodi; DeForge, Ryan; St-Amant, Oona; McWilliam, Carol; Oudshoorn, Abram; Forbes, Dorothy; Klosek, Marita

    2012-01-01

    With the number of people living with dementia expected to more than double within the next 25 years, the demand for dementia home care services will increase. In this critical ethnographic study, we drew upon interview and participant data with persons with dementia, family caregivers, in-home providers, and case managers in nine dementia care networks to examine the management of dementia home care resources. Three interrelated, dialectical themes were identified: (1) finite formal care-inexhaustible familial care, (2) accessible resources rhetoric-Iinaccessible resources reality, and (3) diminishing care resources-increasing care needs. The development of policies and practices that provide available, accessible, and appropriate resources, ensuring equitable, not necessarily equal, distribution of dementia care resources is required if we are to meet the goal of aging in place now and in the future. PMID:22132332

  3. 29 CFR 8.19 - Equal Access to Justice Act.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... SERVICE CONTRACTS General Procedural Matters § 8.19 Equal Access to Justice Act. Proceedings under the... 29 Labor 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Equal Access to Justice Act. 8.19 Section 8.19 Labor Office... Access to Justice Act (Pub. L. 96-481). Accordingly, in any proceeding conducted pursuant to the...

  4. 29 CFR 8.19 - Equal Access to Justice Act.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... SERVICE CONTRACTS General Procedural Matters § 8.19 Equal Access to Justice Act. Proceedings under the... 29 Labor 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Equal Access to Justice Act. 8.19 Section 8.19 Labor Office... Access to Justice Act (Pub. L. 96-481). Accordingly, in any proceeding conducted pursuant to the...

  5. 29 CFR 8.19 - Equal Access to Justice Act.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... SERVICE CONTRACTS General Procedural Matters § 8.19 Equal Access to Justice Act. Proceedings under the... 29 Labor 1 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Equal Access to Justice Act. 8.19 Section 8.19 Labor Office... Access to Justice Act (Pub. L. 96-481). Accordingly, in any proceeding conducted pursuant to the...

  6. 29 CFR 8.19 - Equal Access to Justice Act.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... SERVICE CONTRACTS General Procedural Matters § 8.19 Equal Access to Justice Act. Proceedings under the... 29 Labor 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Equal Access to Justice Act. 8.19 Section 8.19 Labor Office... Access to Justice Act (Pub. L. 96-481). Accordingly, in any proceeding conducted pursuant to the...

  7. 29 CFR 8.19 - Equal Access to Justice Act.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... SERVICE CONTRACTS General Procedural Matters § 8.19 Equal Access to Justice Act. Proceedings under the... 29 Labor 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Equal Access to Justice Act. 8.19 Section 8.19 Labor Office... Access to Justice Act (Pub. L. 96-481). Accordingly, in any proceeding conducted pursuant to the...

  8. Beyond equality: Providing equitable care for persons with disabilities

    PubMed Central

    Wakeham, Scott; Heung, Sally; Lee, Janet; Sadowski, Cheryl A.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Almost 14% of Canadians have a disability, and older adults are most commonly affected. People living with disabilities have challenges accessing health care services, including medications and other services provided in pharmacies. Methods: A literature review was conducted regarding disability and pharmacy services. Resources regarding accessibility were also incorporated. Results: A number of organizations provide guidance on caring for those with disabilities. A primary concern for these vulnerable individuals relates to being invisible or overlooked by the health care system. There are also the stresses of physical, communication and attitudinal barriers. Pharmacists may be unaware of these barriers and may actually be contributing to them. To understand their patients’ accessibility needs, pharmacists can consider physical and nonphysical barriers and engage in education, advocacy and communications training to improve their patient-centred care for individuals with disabilities. Discussion and Conclusion: Pharmacists can improve the care of individuals with disabilities by learning more about accessibility. Within the community pharmacy environment, there are physical and nonphysical interventions that pharmacists can implement to ensure that patient-centred care is prioritized. PMID:29163726

  9. Inequities in coverage of preventive child health interventions: the rural drinking water supply program and the universal immunization program in Rajasthan, India.

    PubMed

    Mohan, Pavitra

    2005-02-01

    I assessed whether the Rural Drinking Water Supply Program (RDWSP) and the Universal Immunization Program (UIP) have achieved equitable coverage in Rajasthan, India, and explored program characteristics that affect equitable coverage of preventive health interventions. A total of 2460 children presenting at 12 primary health facilities in one district of Rajasthan were enrolled and classified into economic quartiles based on possession of assets. Immunization coverage and prime source of drinking water were compared across quartiles. A higher access to piped water by wealthier families (P< .001) was compensated by higher access to hand pumps by poorer families (P<.001), resulting in equal access to a safe source (P=.9). Immunization coverage was inequitable, favoring the wealthier children (P<.001). The RDWSP has achieved equitable coverage, while UIP coverage remains highly inequitable. Programs can make coverage more equitable by formulating explicit objectives to ensure physical access to all, promoting the intervention's demand by the poor, and enhancing the support and monitoring of frontline workers who deliver these interventions.

  10. Impact of Socioeconomic Inequality on Access, Adherence, and Outcomes of Antiretroviral Treatment Services for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam

    PubMed Central

    Nguyen, Long Hoang; Nguyen, Anh Tuan; Latkin, Noah Reed Knowlton; Tran, Ngoc Kim; Minh Thuc, Vu Thi; Nguyen, Huong Lan Thi; Phan, Huong Thu Thi; Le, Huong Thi; Tran, Tho Dinh; Latkin, Carl A.

    2016-01-01

    Background Ensuring an equal benefit across different patient groups is necessary while scaling up free-of-charge antiretroviral treatment (ART) services. This study aimed to measure the disparity in access, adherence, and outcomes of ART in Vietnam and the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) characteristics on the levels of inequality. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1133 PLWH in Vietnam. ART access, adherence, and treatment outcomes were self-reported using a structured questionnaire. Wealth-related inequality was calculated using a concentration index, and a decomposition analysis was used to determine the contribution of each SES variable to inequality in access, adherence, and outcomes of ART. Results Based on SES, minor inequality was found in ART access and adherence while there was considerable inequality in ART outcomes. Poor people were more likely to start treatment early, while rich people had better adherence and overall treatment outcomes. Decomposition revealed that occupation and education played important roles in inequality in ART access, adherence, and treatment outcomes Conclusion The findings suggested that health services should be integrated into the ART regimen. Furthermore, occupational orientation and training courses should be provided to reduce inequality in ART access, adherence, and treatment outcomes. PMID:28005937

  11. Committee Opinion No. 574: Marriage equality for same-sex couples.

    PubMed

    2013-09-01

    Same-sex couples encounter barriers to health care that include concerns about confidentiality and disclosure, stigma and discriminatory attitudes and treatment, limited access to health care and health insurance, and often a limited understanding of their health risks. Same-sex couples and their families are adversely affected by the lack of legal recognition of their relationships, a problem with major implications for the health of same-sex couples and their families. Tangible harm has come from the lack of financial and health care protections granted to legal spouses, and children are harmed by the lack of protections afforded to families in which partners are married. However, the recent Supreme Court ruling, The United States v Windsor, which afforded equal treatment for legally married same-sex couples will provide many important health and financial benefits. Evidence suggests that marriage confers health benefits to individuals and families, yet a sizable proportion of individuals do not experience these health benefits because of their sexual orientation. Additional data suggest that same-sex couples who live in states with bans on same-sex unions experience adverse health outcomes. Civil marriage is currently available to same-sex couples in only thirteen states and the District of Columbia and honored by one state. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists endorses marriage equality for same-sex couples and equal treatment for these couples and their families and applauds the Supreme Court's decision as an important step in improving access to benefits received by legally married same-sex couples. However, additional efforts are necessary to ensure that same-sex couples in every state can receive these same benefits.

  12. Human rights principles in developing and updating policies and laws on mental health.

    PubMed

    Schulze, M

    2016-01-01

    The World Health Organization's Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 stipulates human rights as a cross-cutting principle (WHO, 2013) and foresees global targets to update policies as well as mental health laws in line with international and regional human rights instruments. The international human rights agreements repeatedly refer to health, including mental health. The most pertinent provisions related to mental health are enshrined in the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which sets out human rights in an accessible and inclusive fashion to ensure the equal participation of persons with disabilities. The inconclusive description of disability in the treaty overtly refers to 'mental impairment' as part of an explicitly evolving understanding of disability. This text sketches some of the underlying concepts as they apply to the realm of mental health: non-discrimination of persons with disabilities and measures that should be taken to ensure accessibility in a holistic understanding; removal of social and attitudinal barriers as much as communication and intellectual barriers but also institutional hurdles. The CRPD's paradigm shift away from framing disability mainly through deficits towards a social understanding of disability as the result of interaction and focusing on capacity is the core on which the provision of mental health services at community level to enable participation in society shall be ensured. Questions of capacity, also to make decisions and the possible need for support in so doing, are sketched out.

  13. Why the Equal Rights Amendment?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Denmark, Florence L.

    The Equal Rights Amendment proposes to ensure constitutional protection against all legislative sex discrimination. "Separate but Equal" standards, be they legal, social or psychological, are inevitably incompatable with equal protection under the law and act as a barrier to each individual's freedom for self determination. Equal rights,…

  14. Equity in health care.

    PubMed

    La Rosa-Salas, Virginia; Tricas-Sauras, Sandra

    2008-01-01

    It has long been known that a segment of the population enjoys distinctly better health status and higher quality of health care than others. To solve this problem, prioritization is unavoidable, and the question is how priorities should be set. Rational priority setting would seek equity amongst the whole population, the extent to which people receive equal care for equal needs. Equity in health care is an ethical imperative not only because of the intrinsic worth of good health, or the value that society places on good health, but because, without good health, people would be unable to enjoy life's other sources of happiness. This paper also argues the importance of the health care's efficiency, but at the same time, it highlights how any innovation and rationalization undertaken in the provision of the health system should be achieved from the consideration of human dignity, making the person prevail over economic criteria. Therefore, the underlying principles on which this health care equity paper is based are fundamental human rights. The main aim is to ensure the implementation of these essential rights by those carrying out public duties. Viewed from this angle, equity in health care means equality: equality in access to services and treatment, and equality in the quality of care provided. As a result, this paper attempts to address both human dignity and efficiency through the context of equity to reconcile them in the middle ground.

  15. Policy Perspective: Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Gender Nonconforming Children and Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Dowshen, Nadia; Meadows, Rachel; Byrnes, Maureen; Hawkins, Linda; Eder, Jennifer; Noonan, Kathleen

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Despite recent notable advances in societal equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, youth who identify as trans* or gender nonconforming, in particular, continue to experience significant challenges accessing the services they need to grow into healthy adults. This policy perspective first offers background information describing this population, their unique healthcare needs, and obstacles when seeking care, including case study examples. The authors then provide recommendations for medical education, health systems, and insurance payers, as well as recommendations for school systems and broader public policy changes to improve the health and well-being of gender nonconforming youth. PMID:28861528

  16. The Human Rights Act: What are the implications for older people?

    PubMed

    2001-06-01

    Help the Aged is launching a report outlining the terms of the Human Rights Act and its implications both for older people themselves and for public bodies responsible for providing services to them. Tessa Harding, head of policy at Help the Aged said: 'The Human Rights Act is an important turning point for older people. Not only does it establish key rights of individuals to freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment, to private and family life and so on; it also prohibits discrimination in accessing these rights.We expect older people and their advocates to use the Act to ensure greater fairness and equality in our society.'

  17. 34 CFR 108.6 - Equal access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 34 Education 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Equal access. 108.6 Section 108.6 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EQUAL ACCESS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA AND OTHER DESIGNATED YOUTH GROUPS § 108...

  18. 34 CFR 108.6 - Equal access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 34 Education 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Equal access. 108.6 Section 108.6 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EQUAL ACCESS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA AND OTHER DESIGNATED YOUTH GROUPS § 108...

  19. 34 CFR 108.6 - Equal access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Equal access. 108.6 Section 108.6 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EQUAL ACCESS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA AND OTHER DESIGNATED YOUTH GROUPS § 108...

  20. 34 CFR 108.6 - Equal access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 34 Education 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Equal access. 108.6 Section 108.6 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EQUAL ACCESS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA AND OTHER DESIGNATED YOUTH GROUPS § 108...

  1. 34 CFR 108.6 - Equal access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 34 Education 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Equal access. 108.6 Section 108.6 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EQUAL ACCESS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA AND OTHER DESIGNATED YOUTH GROUPS § 108...

  2. Australia

    PubMed Central

    Belton, Suzanne

    2017-01-01

    Abstract This article adopts a human rights lens to consider Australian law and practice regarding elective abortion. As such, it considers Australian laws within the context of the right to equality, right to privacy, right to health, and right to life. After setting out the human rights framework and noting the connected nature of many of the rights (and their corresponding violations), the article shifts its focus to analyzing Australian law and practice within the framework of these rights. It considers the importance of decriminalizing abortion and regulating it as a standard medical procedure. It discusses the need to remove legal and practical restrictions on access to abortion, including financial obstacles and anti-abortion protestors. Further, it comments on the importance of facilitating access; for example, by keeping accurate health data, securing continuity of health care, increasing the availability of medical abortion, and ensuring appropriate care is provided to the most marginalized and vulnerable women. PMID:28630553

  3. Equality Matters: The Critical Implications of Precisely Defining Equality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Faulkner, Valerie; Walkowiak, Temple; Cain, Chris; Lee, Carrie

    2016-01-01

    Equality is such an important concept for children to develop. In this article it is argued that a precise definition is needed to ensure that students are provided with a consistent "picture" of what it is that equality really means.

  4. Control of adaptive optic element displacement with the help of a magnetic rheology drive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deulin, Eugeni A.; Mikhailov, Valeri P.; Sytchev, Victor V.

    2000-10-01

    The control system of adaptive optic of a large astronomical segmentated telescope was designed and tested. The dynamic model and the amplitude-frequency analysis of the new magnetic rheology (MR) drive are presented. The loop controlled drive consists of hydrostatic carrier, MR hydraulic loop controlling system, elastic thin wall seal, stainless seal which are united in a single three coordinate manipulator. This combination ensures short positioning error (delta) (phi)

  5. Biases in grant proposal success rates, funding rates and award sizes affect the geographical distribution of funding for biomedical research

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    The ability of the United States to most efficiently make breakthroughs on the biology, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases requires that physicians and scientists in each state have equal access to federal research grants and grant dollars. However, despite legislative and administrative efforts to ensure equal access, the majority of funding for biomedical research is concentrated in a minority of states. To gain insight into the causes of such disparity, funding metrics were examined for all NIH research project grants (RPGs) from 2004 to 2013. State-by-state differences in per application success rates, per investigator funding rates, and average award size each contributed significantly to vast disparities (greater than 100-fold range) in per capita RPG funding to individual states. To the extent tested, there was no significant association overall between scientific productivity and per capita funding, suggesting that the unbalanced allocation of funding is unrelated to the quality of scientists in each state. These findings reveal key sources of bias in, and new insight into the accuracy of, the funding process. They also support evidence-based recommendations for how the NIH could better utilize the scientific talent and capacity that is present throughout the United States. PMID:27077009

  6. Biases in grant proposal success rates, funding rates and award sizes affect the geographical distribution of funding for biomedical research.

    PubMed

    Wahls, Wayne P

    2016-01-01

    The ability of the United States to most efficiently make breakthroughs on the biology, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases requires that physicians and scientists in each state have equal access to federal research grants and grant dollars. However, despite legislative and administrative efforts to ensure equal access, the majority of funding for biomedical research is concentrated in a minority of states. To gain insight into the causes of such disparity, funding metrics were examined for all NIH research project grants (RPGs) from 2004 to 2013. State-by-state differences in per application success rates, per investigator funding rates, and average award size each contributed significantly to vast disparities (greater than 100-fold range) in per capita RPG funding to individual states. To the extent tested, there was no significant association overall between scientific productivity and per capita funding, suggesting that the unbalanced allocation of funding is unrelated to the quality of scientists in each state. These findings reveal key sources of bias in, and new insight into the accuracy of, the funding process. They also support evidence-based recommendations for how the NIH could better utilize the scientific talent and capacity that is present throughout the United States.

  7. South Africa’s protracted struggle for equal distribution and equitable access – still not there

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this contribution is to analyse and explain the South African HRH case, its historical evolution, and post-apartheid reform initiatives aimed at addressing deficiencies and shortfalls. HRH in South Africa not only mirrors the nature and diversity of challenges globally, but also the strategies pursued by countries to address these challenges. Although South Africa has strongly developed health professions, large numbers of professional and mid-level workers, and also well-established training institutions, it is experiencing serious workforce shortages and access constraints. This results from the unequal distribution of health workers between the well-resourced private sector over the poorly-resourced public sector, as well as from distributional disparities between urban and rural areas. During colonial and apartheid times, disparities were aggravated by policies of racial segregation and exclusion, remnants of which are today still visible in health-professional backlogs, unequal provincial HRH distribution, and differential access to health services for specific race and class groups. Since 1994, South Africa’s transition to democracy deeply transformed the health system, health professions and HRH establishments. The introduction of free-health policies, the district health system and the prioritisation of PHC ensured more equal distribution of the workforce, as well as greater access to services for deprived groups. However, the HIV/AIDS epidemic brought about huge demands for care and massive patient loads in the public-sector. The emigration of health professionals to developed countries and to the private sector also undermines the strength and effectiveness of the public health sector. For the poor, access to care thus remains constrained and in perpetual shortfall. The post-1994 government has introduced several HRH-specific strategies to recruit, distribute, motivate and retain health professionals to strengthen the public sector and to expand access and coverage. Of great significance among these is the NHI Plan that aims to bridge the structural divide and to redistribute material and human resources more equally. Its success largely hinges on HRH and the balanced deployment of the national workforce. Low- and middle-income countries have much to learn from South African HRH experiences. In turn, South Africa has much to learn from other countries, as this case study shows. PMID:24885691

  8. The U.S. Commercial Space Launch Program and the Department of Defense Dilemma

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Clapp, William G.

    1995-01-01

    The U.S. space launch program no longer dominates the world and is now playing 'catch-up' with the world's first commercial launch company, Arianespace. A healthy U.S. commercial launch program is essential and will assure continued low-cost military access to space. The effort to regain the lead in commercial space launch market has been hindered by declining Department of Defense budgets. President Clinton's space policy prohibits expensive new launch vehicles and limits the Department of Defense to low cost upgrades of existing launch vehicles. The U.S. government created the space sector and must ensure a smooth and effective split from the emerging commercial space program in order to regain world dominance. Until U.S. government and commercial ties are severed, the Department of Defense must consider commercial space launch interests when making military decisions. Ariane provides an excellent 'bench mark' for the U.S. to base future launch vehicle upgrades. Ariane advantages were identified and low-cost recommendations have been made. If the U.S. sets the target of first equaling and then surpassing Ariane by incorporating these recommendations, then the U.S. could once again dominate the world commercial launch market and ensure low cost military access to space.

  9. Access to health care: solidarity and justice or egoism and injustice?

    PubMed

    Prudil, Lukas

    2008-09-01

    The aim of this paper is to answer the question whether there is a real demand for equal access to health care or--better--to medical care and which interest groups (patients, health care professionals, policy makers and others) are interested in equal access. The focus is on EU countries including recent case law from the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights. We discuss whether there is a need to have legislative safeguards to protect equal access to medical care and whether such norms really work. The paper concludes that some of the key players in medical care are not primarily governed by a real willingness to have equal and just access to medical care, but by rather egoistic approaches. It seems that policy makers and politicians are the only ones who, surprisingly, must at least formally call for and enforce equal access to medical care. Interests of other groups seem to be different.

  10. Do Low-Income Students Have Equal Access to the Highest-Performing Teachers? Technical Appendix. NCEE 2011-4016

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glazerman, Steven; Max, Jeffrey

    2011-01-01

    This appendix describes the methods and provides further detail to support the evaluation brief, "Do Low-Income Students Have Equal Access to the Highest-Performing Teachers?" (Contains 8 figures, 6 tables and 5 footnotes.) [For the main report, "Do Low-Income Students Have Equal Access to the Highest-Performing Teachers? NCEE…

  11. More than a headcount: towards strategic stakeholder representation in catchment management in South Africa and Zimbabwe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manzungu, Emmanuel

    In 1998 both South Africa and Zimbabwe promulgated new water laws to ensure that ownership and user-ship patterns of water resources match the new socio-political order. Integrated water resource management, incorporating among other things decentralized and democratized water management institutions and the principles of stakeholder participation, was regarded as the cornerstone of the reforms. This article examines how stakeholder representation, particularly of the formerly disadvantaged people, has been handled. It is observed that there has been too much effort dedicated to ensure a mere headcount of the stakeholders at the water table rather than on strategic representation. Strategic representation emphasizes stakeholder identity instead of consensus. Selective alliance building is important as is establishing genuine local level platforms with enough political space outside the state-tailored formal straight jackets. It is equally important to address developmental aspects of establishing catchment-wide bodies and structural problems such as access to land and financial resources. Without addressing these issues stakeholder representation will remain hamstrung in good intentions.

  12. [The transformation of the healthcare model in Catalonia to improve the quality of care].

    PubMed

    Padrosa, Josep Maria; Guarga, Àlex; Brosa, Francesc; Jiménez, Josep; Robert, Roger

    2015-11-01

    The changes taking place in western countries require health systems to adapt to the public's evolving needs and expectations. The healthcare model in Catalonia is undergoing significant transformation in order to provide an adequate response to this new situation while ensuring the system's sustainability in the current climate of economic crisis. This transformation is based on converting the current disease-centred model which is fragmented into different levels, to a more patient-centred integrated and territorial care model that promotes the use of a shared network of the different specialities, the professionals, resources and levels of care, entering into territorial agreements and pacts which stipulate joint goals or objectives. The changes the Catalan Health Service (CatSalut) has undergone are principally focused on increasing resolution capacity of the primary level of care, eliminating differences in clinical practice, evolving towards more surgery-centred hospitals, promoting alternatives to conventional hospitalization, developing remote care models, concentrating and organizing highly complex care into different sectors at a territorial level and designing specific health codes in response to health emergencies. The purpose of these initiatives is to improve the effectiveness, quality, safety and efficiency of the system, ensuring equal access for the public to these services and ensuring a territorial balance. These changes should be facilitated and promoted using several different approaches, including implementing shared access to clinical history case files, the new model of results-based contracting and payment, territorial agreements, alliances between centres, harnessing the potential of information and communications technology and evaluation of results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  13. The Provision of Interventional Radiology Services in Europe: CIRSE Recommendations.

    PubMed

    Tsetis, Dimitrios; Uberoi, Raman; Fanelli, Fabrizio; Roberston, Iain; Krokidis, Miltiadis; van Delden, Otto; Radeleff, Boris; Müller-Hülsbeck, Stefan; Szerbo-Trojanowska, Malgorzata; Lee, Michael; Morgan, Robert; Brountzos, Elias; Belli, Anna Maria

    2016-04-01

    Interventional Radiology (IR) is an essential part of modern medicine, delivering minimally invasive patient-focused care, which has been proven to be safe and effective in both elective and emergency settings. The aim of this document is to outline the core requirements and standards for the provision of Interventional Radiological services, including training, certification, manpower, and accreditation. The ultimate challenge will be the adoption of these recommendations by different countries and health economies around the world, in turn ensuring equal access to IR treatments for all patients, the appropriate distribution of resources for IR service provision as well as the continued development of safe and high-quality IR services in Europe and beyond.

  14. Is Equal Access to Higher Education in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa Achievable by 2030?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ilie, Sonia; Rose, Pauline

    2016-01-01

    Higher education is back in the spotlight, with post-2015 sustainable development goals emphasising equality of access. In this paper, we highlight the long distance still to travel to achieve the goal of equal access to higher education for all, with a focus on poorer countries which tend to have lower levels of enrolment in higher education.…

  15. Observations and actions to ensure equal treatment of all candidates by the European Research Council

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rydin, Claudia Alves de Jesus; Farina Busto, Luis; El Mjiyad, Nadia; Kota, Jhansi; Thelen, Lionel

    2017-04-01

    The European Research Council (ERC), Europe's premiere funding agency for frontier research, views equality of opportunities as an important challenge. The ERC monitors closely gender figures on every call and has taken actions to tackle imbalances and potential unconscious biases. The ERC talk is focused on efforts made to understand and ensure equal treatment of all candidates, with particular focus on gender balance and with specific attention to geosciences. Data and statistics collected in running highly competitive and internationally recognised funding schemes are presented. Recent initiatives to tackle geographical imbalances will also be presented.

  16. [Multidisciplinary health houses and regional development: a necessarily shared dyanamics.].

    PubMed

    Autès, Michel; Dufay, Marie-Guite

    2009-03-29

    Many regional authorities (Conseils Régionaux) have taken up the issue of health houses by underlining their competence in dealing with regional development issues. This initiative is part of a broader process designed to ensure the continuity of healthcare at the different levels of provision as well as equal, universal access according to the specific needs of patients, from prevention to the most specialized forms of medical treatment. Health houses are one of the chief access points in this process, and are situated at the cross-roads of health and healthcare. The territorial health project must provide the fondations of the new health house model. According to the Health Committee of the Association of French Regions (Commission Santé de l'Association des Régions de France), there are three prerequisites: 1. a multidisciplinary offer of access to front-line healthcare services; 2. public healthcare activities: prevention, promotion of health...; 3. a network mode of organization with the local and regional hospital system to ensure optimum healthcare provision for patients. Yet a number of obstacles need to be overcome, particularly the risk of concentrating healthcare provision within a single center, thus depriving the surrounding area, but also the ill-adapted current framework of remuneration for independent medical practitioners. The purpose of regional authorities (i.e. Conseils Régionaux) is not to ensure the expansion of health houses, but rather to enable innovation by accompanying the different actors involved within the sector. Heeding the specific requirements of the local area and its needs, as well as the will of elected representatives and healthcare professionals, their aim is to develop a policy of exemplarity with all the actors involved in the sector and to uphold their legitimacy as agents of regional development. The ?Hospital, patients, health and territories' law (loi "Hôpital, patients, santé et territoires") may yet throw the entire process into question.

  17. U.S. National Womens Agenda

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Social Policy, 1976

    1976-01-01

    Priorities on the agenda include fair representation and participation in the political process, equal education and training, meaningful work and adequate compensation, equal access to economic power, adequate housing, physical safety, and fair treatment by and equal access to media and the arts. (Author/AM)

  18. Use of consumer wireless devices by South Africans with severe communication disability

    PubMed Central

    Bryen, Diane Nelson; Moolman, Enid; Morris, John

    2016-01-01

    Background Advancements in wireless technology (e.g. cell phones and tablets) have opened new communication opportunities and environments for individuals with severe communication disabilities. The advancement of these technologies poses challenges to ensuring that these individuals enjoy equal access to this increasingly essential technology. However, a paucity of research exists. Objectives To describe the nature and frequency with which South African adults with severe communication disabilities have access to and use wireless devices, as well as the types of activities for which wireless devices are used. Method Survey research was conducted with 30 individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology using the Survey of User Needs Questionnaire developed in the United States, and localized to the South African context. Results All participants, despite their limited education, unemployment and low economic status, owned and/or used mainstream wireless devices. Slightly more than half of the participants (53.3%) needed adaptations to their wireless devices. Advantages of using wireless devices were highlighted, including connecting with others (through using text messaging, social networking, making plans with others, sharing photos and videos with friends), for leisure activities (e.g. listening to music, watching videos, playing games), and for safety purposes (e.g. to navigate when lost, using the device when in trouble and needing immediate assistance). Conclusion These wireless devices offer substantial benefits and opportunities to individuals with disabilities who rely on AAC in terms of independence, social participation, education and safety/security. However, they still do not enjoy equal opportunity to access and use wireless devices relative to the non-disabled population. PMID:28730045

  19. Use of consumer wireless devices by South Africans with severe communication disability.

    PubMed

    Bornman, Juan; Bryen, Diane Nelson; Moolman, Enid; Morris, John

    2016-01-01

    Advancements in wireless technology (e.g. cell phones and tablets) have opened new communication opportunities and environments for individuals with severe communication disabilities. The advancement of these technologies poses challenges to ensuring that these individuals enjoy equal access to this increasingly essential technology. However, a paucity of research exists. To describe the nature and frequency with which South African adults with severe communication disabilities have access to and use wireless devices, as well as the types of activities for which wireless devices are used. Survey research was conducted with 30 individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology using the Survey of User Needs Questionnaire developed in the United States, and localized to the South African context. All participants, despite their limited education, unemployment and low economic status, owned and/or used mainstream wireless devices. Slightly more than half of the participants (53.3%) needed adaptations to their wireless devices. Advantages of using wireless devices were highlighted, including connecting with others (through using text messaging, social networking, making plans with others, sharing photos and videos with friends), for leisure activities (e.g. listening to music, watching videos, playing games), and for safety purposes (e.g. to navigate when lost, using the device when in trouble and needing immediate assistance). These wireless devices offer substantial benefits and opportunities to individuals with disabilities who rely on AAC in terms of independence, social participation, education and safety/security. However, they still do not enjoy equal opportunity to access and use wireless devices relative to the non-disabled population.

  20. Local health department activities to ensure access to care.

    PubMed

    Luo, Huabin; Sotnikov, Sergey; Shah, Gulzar

    2013-12-01

    Local health departments (LHDs) can play an important role in linking people to personal health services and ensuring the provision of health care when it is otherwise unavailable. However, the extent to which LHDs are involved in ensuring access to health care in its jurisdictions is not well known. To provide nationally representative estimates of LHD involvement in specific activities to ensure access to healthcare services and to assess their association with macro-environment/community and LHD capacity and process characteristics. Data used were from the 2010 National Profile of Local Health Departments Study, Area Resource Files, and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials' 2010 Profile of State Public Health Agencies Survey. Data were analyzed in 2012. Approximately 66.0% of LHDs conducted activities to ensure access to medical care, 45.9% to dental care, and 32.0% to behavioral health care. About 28% of LHDs had not conducted activities to ensure access to health care in their jurisdictions in 2010. LHDs with higher per capita expenditures and larger jurisdiction population sizes were more likely to provide access to care services (p <0.05). There is substantial variation in LHD engagement in activities to ensure access to care. Differences in LHD capacity and the needs of the communities in which they are located may account for this variation. Further research is needed to determine whether this variation is associated with adverse population health outcomes. © 2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine Published by American Journal of Preventive Medicine All rights reserved.

  1. 25 CFR 39.409 - How does the OIEP Director ensure accountability?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How does the OIEP Director ensure accountability? 39.409... EQUALIZATION PROGRAM Accountability § 39.409 How does the OIEP Director ensure accountability? (a) The Director of OIEP must ensure accountability in student counts and student transportation by doing all of the...

  2. Public Access for Teaching Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, A. Malcolm

    2003-01-01

    When the human genome project was conceived, its leaders wanted all researchers to have equal access to the data and associated research tools. Their vision of equal access provides an unprecedented teaching opportunity. Teachers and students have free access to the same databases that researchers are using. Furthermore, the recent movement to…

  3. Granting Each Equal Access.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walling, Linda Lucas

    1992-01-01

    Summarizes federal legislation regarding equal access for students with disabilities and discusses environmental barriers to accessibility in the library media center. Solutions to these design problems are suggested in the following areas: material formats and space requirements; the physical setting, including furniture, floor coverings,…

  4. Generic medicines: solutions for a sustainable drug market?

    PubMed

    Dylst, Pieter; Vulto, Arnold; Godman, Brian; Simoens, Steven

    2013-10-01

    Generic medicines offer equally high-quality treatment as originator medicines do at much lower prices. As such, they represent a considerable opportunity for authorities to obtain substantial savings. At the moment, the pharmaceutical landscape is changing and many pharmaceutical companies have altered their development and commercial strategies, combining both originator and generic divisions. In spite of this, the generic medicines industry is currently facing a number of challenges: delayed market access; the limited price differential with originator medicines; the continuous downwards pressure on prices; and the negative perception regarding generic medicines held by some key stakeholder groups. This could jeopardize the long-term sustainability of the generic manufacturing industry. Therefore, governments must focus on demand-side policies, alongside policies to accelerate market access, as the generic medicines industry will only be able to deliver competitive and sustainable prices if they are ensured a high volume. In the future, the generic medicines industry will increasingly look to biosimilars and generic versions of orphan drugs to expand their business.

  5. Race and time from diagnosis to radical prostatectomy: does equal access mean equal timely access to the operating room?--Results from the SEARCH database.

    PubMed

    Bañez, Lionel L; Terris, Martha K; Aronson, William J; Presti, Joseph C; Kane, Christopher J; Amling, Christopher L; Freedland, Stephen J

    2009-04-01

    African American men with prostate cancer are at higher risk for cancer-specific death than Caucasian men. We determine whether significant delays in management contribute to this disparity. We hypothesize that in an equal-access health care system, time interval from diagnosis to treatment would not differ by race. We identified 1,532 African American and Caucasian men who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) from 1988 to 2007 at one of four Veterans Affairs Medical Centers that comprise the Shared Equal-Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) database with known biopsy date. We compared time from biopsy to RP between racial groups using linear regression adjusting for demographic and clinical variables. We analyzed risk of potential clinically relevant delays by determining odds of delays >90 and >180 days. Median time interval from diagnosis to RP was 76 and 68 days for African Americans and Caucasian men, respectively (P = 0.004). After controlling for demographic and clinical variables, race was not associated with the time interval between diagnosis and RP (P = 0.09). Furthermore, race was not associated with increased risk of delays >90 (P = 0.45) or >180 days (P = 0.31). In a cohort of men undergoing RP in an equal-access setting, there was no significant difference between racial groups with regard to time interval from diagnosis to RP. Thus, equal-access includes equal timely access to the operating room. Given our previous finding of poorer outcomes among African Americans, treatment delays do not seem to explain these observations. Our findings need to be confirmed in patients electing other treatment modalities and in other practice settings.

  6. 49 CFR 230.111 - Spring rigging.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Spring rigging. 230.111 Section 230.111... Tenders Trucks, Frames and Equalizing System § 230.111 Spring rigging. (a) Arrangement of springs and equalizers. Springs and equalizers shall be arranged to ensure the proper distribution of weight to the...

  7. 49 CFR 230.111 - Spring rigging.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Spring rigging. 230.111 Section 230.111... Tenders Trucks, Frames and Equalizing System § 230.111 Spring rigging. (a) Arrangement of springs and equalizers. Springs and equalizers shall be arranged to ensure the proper distribution of weight to the...

  8. 49 CFR 230.111 - Spring rigging.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Spring rigging. 230.111 Section 230.111... Tenders Trucks, Frames and Equalizing System § 230.111 Spring rigging. (a) Arrangement of springs and equalizers. Springs and equalizers shall be arranged to ensure the proper distribution of weight to the...

  9. 49 CFR 230.111 - Spring rigging.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Spring rigging. 230.111 Section 230.111... Tenders Trucks, Frames and Equalizing System § 230.111 Spring rigging. (a) Arrangement of springs and equalizers. Springs and equalizers shall be arranged to ensure the proper distribution of weight to the...

  10. 17 CFR 49.27 - Access and fees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 49.27 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION SWAP DATA REPOSITORIES § 49.27 Access and fees. (a) Fair, open and equal access. (1) A registered swap data repository..., swap dealers, major swap participants and any other counterparties, on a fair, open and equal basis...

  11. 17 CFR 49.27 - Access and fees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 49.27 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SWAP DATA REPOSITORIES § 49.27 Access and fees. (a) Fair, open and equal access. (1) A registered swap data repository..., swap dealers, major swap participants and any other counterparties, on a fair, open and equal basis...

  12. 17 CFR 49.27 - Access and fees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 49.27 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION SWAP DATA REPOSITORIES § 49.27 Access and fees. (a) Fair, open and equal access. (1) A registered swap data repository..., swap dealers, major swap participants and any other counterparties, on a fair, open and equal basis...

  13. Access to Higher Education in Canada: Equality of Opportunity vs. Equality of Results.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anisef, Paul

    1983-01-01

    Discusses the issue of access to higher education in Canada and suggests that those who do not gain entry share common social and cultural properties. Recommends three strategies for enhancing accessibility: a monitoring system, compensatory education programs, and financial assistance programs. (JAC)

  14. The Politics of Racial Disparities: Desegregating the Hospitals in Jackson, Mississippi

    PubMed Central

    Smith, David Barton

    2005-01-01

    As health care policymakers and providers focus on eliminating the persistent racial disparities in treatment, it is useful to explore how resistance to hospital desegregation was overcome. Jackson, Mississippi, provides an instructive case study of how largely concealed deliberations achieved the necessary concessions in a still rigidly segregated community. The Veterans Administration hospital, the medical school hospital, and the private nonprofit facilities were successively desegregated, owing mainly to the threatened loss of federal dollars. Many of the changes, however, were cosmetic. In contrast to the powerful financial incentives offered to hospitals to desegregate and ensure equal access in the early years of the Medicare program, current trends in federal reimbursement encourage segregation and disparities in treatment. PMID:15960771

  15. Bomb or Boon: Linking Population, People and Power in Fragile Regions: Comment on "The Pill Is Mightier Than the Sword".

    PubMed

    Gilpin, Raymond

    2015-10-02

    The relationship between population structure and violent conflict is complex and heavily dependent on the behavior of other variables like governance, economic prospects, and urbanization. While addressing rapid population growth might be a necessary condition for peace, it is by no means sufficient. Concomitant steps must also be taken to foster inclusivity, guarantee broader rights for all, particularly women, rebuild social contracts and ensure that all citizens have equal access to economic opportunity. Measures to control family size could reduce dependency and create greater socio-economic opportunities for women and youth, By so doing, the "youth bulge" phenomenon could be a boon for rapidly growing developing countries. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

  16. The Provision of Interventional Radiology Services in Europe: CIRSE Recommendations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tsetis, Dimitrios, E-mail: tsetis@med.uoc.gr; Uberoi, Raman, E-mail: raman.uberoi@orh.nhs.uk; Fanelli, Fabrizio, E-mail: fabrizio.fanelli@uniroma1.it

    2016-04-15

    Interventional Radiology (IR) is an essential part of modern medicine, delivering minimally invasive patient-focused care, which has been proven to be safe and effective in both elective and emergency settings. The aim of this document is to outline the core requirements and standards for the provision of Interventional Radiological services, including training, certification, manpower, and accreditation. The ultimate challenge will be the adoption of these recommendations by different countries and health economies around the world, in turn ensuring equal access to IR treatments for all patients, the appropriate distribution of resources for IR service provision as well as the continuedmore » development of safe and high-quality IR services in Europe and beyond.« less

  17. U. S. Geological Survey programs in Michigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    1996-01-01

    For more than 100 years, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has provided earth-science information on which managers, scientists, and other interested citizens base decisions regarding Michigan’s natural resources and natural hazards. The non-regulatory and scientific nature of the USGS work ensures that our products are technically sound, unbiased, and equally accessible and available to all interested parties. The various programs of the USGS in Michigan reflect a response to the citizens of Michigan and their need for geologic, topographic, biologic, and hydrologic information. Much of the work of the USGS in Michigan is part of cooperative programs in which the diversity of interests among local, regional, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies is accommodated through joint planning and funding.

  18. Quality maternal and newborn care to ensure a healthy start for every newborn in the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region.

    PubMed

    Obara, H; Sobel, H

    2014-09-01

    In the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region, the high rates of births attended by skilled health personnel (SHP) do not equal access to quality maternal or newborn care. 'A healthy start for every newborn' for 23 million annual births in the region means that SHP and newborn care providers give quality intrapartum, postpartum and newborn care. WHO and the UNICEF Regional Action Plan for Healthy Newborn Infants provide a platform for countries to scale-up Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC). The plan emphasises the creation of an enabling environment for the practice of EENC; thereby, preventing 50,000 newborn deaths annually. © 2014 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

  19. Equality of Opportunity in American and Canadian Graduate Education: A Comparison of Gender Differences.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Symons, Gladys L.

    1980-01-01

    Women in Canada and the U.S. enjoy neither equality of access to higher education nor equality of treatment within graduate level institutions. While women in the U.S. have somewhat greater access to graduate study, they are excluded from the sponsorship system in which Canadian women participate. (SB)

  20. Equal Access.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    De Patta, Joe

    2003-01-01

    Presents an interview with Stephen McCarthy, co-partner and president of Equal Access ADA Consulting Architects of San Diego, California, about designing schools to naturally integrate compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). (EV)

  1. Primary Care Patients' Preference for Hospitals over Clinics in Korea.

    PubMed

    Kim, Agnus M; Cho, Seongcheol; Kim, Hyun Joo; Jung, Hyemin; Jo, Min-Woo; Lee, Jin Yong; Eun, Sang Jun

    2018-05-30

    Korea is in a unique condition to observe whether patients, when equal access to the levels of health care facilities is guaranteed by the support of the national health insurance, choose the appropriate levels of health care facilities. This study was performed to investigate the primary care patients' preference for hospitals over clinics under no restriction for their choice. We used the 2011 National Inpatient Sample database of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in Korea. A primary care patient was defined as a patient who visited as an outpatient in health care facilities with one of the 52 minor conditions defined by the Korean government. We found that approximately 15% of outpatient visits of the patients who were eligible for primary care in Korea happened in hospitals. In terms of cost, the outpatient visits in hospitals accounted for about 29% of total cost of outpatient visits. This arbitrary access to hospitals can lead to an inefficient use of health care resources. In order to ensure that health care facilities are stratified in terms of access as well as size and function, interventions to distribute patients to the appropriate level of care are required.

  2. A service-oriented data access control model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meng, Wei; Li, Fengmin; Pan, Juchen; Song, Song; Bian, Jiali

    2017-01-01

    The development of mobile computing, cloud computing and distributed computing meets the growing individual service needs. Facing with complex application system, it's an urgent problem to ensure real-time, dynamic, and fine-grained data access control. By analyzing common data access control models, on the basis of mandatory access control model, the paper proposes a service-oriented access control model. By regarding system services as subject and data of databases as object, the model defines access levels and access identification of subject and object, and ensures system services securely to access databases.

  3. Implementing the Equal Access Act and State Constitutional Provisions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bjorklun, Eugene C.

    1992-01-01

    Examines the issue of whether implementation of the Equal Access Act would violate the constitutions of some states that require a stricter separation of church and state than the federal Constitution. (MLF)

  4. Gender Equality in Public Higher Education Institutions of Ethiopia: The Case of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Egne, Robsan Margo

    2014-01-01

    Ensuring gender equality in higher education system is high on the agenda worldwide particularly in science disciplines. This study explores the problems and prospects of gender equality in public higher education institutions of Ethiopia, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Descriptive survey and analytical research…

  5. Equalizing Opportunity in NAFEO Institutions: A Case for Internal and External Action.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lockett, Gretchen C.

    This paper is a call to meet new challenges to ensure equal opportunity for historically African American colleges and universities. The paper suggests an inter-institutional effort among members of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education that begins internally and then moves beyond the institutions into the public…

  6. Equity and equality in health and health care.

    PubMed

    Culyer, A J; Wagstaff, A

    1993-12-01

    This paper explores four definitions of equity in health care: equality of utilization, distribution according to need, equality of access, and equality of health. We argue that the definitions of 'need' in the literature are inadequate and propose a new definition. We also argue that, irrespective of how need and access are defined, the four definitions of equity are, in general, mutually incompatible. In contrast to previous authors, we suggest that equality of health should be the dominant principle and that equity in health care should therefore entail distributing care in such a way as to get as close as is feasible to an equal distribution of health.

  7. Equal Access Initiative HIV/AIDS Information Resources from NLM

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Templin-Branner W. and N. Dancy

    The Equal Access Initiative: HIV/AIDS Information Resources from the National Library of Medicine training is designed specifically for the National Minority AIDS Council 2010 Equal Access Initiative (EAI) Computer Grants Program awardees to provide valuable health information resources from the National Library of Medicine and other reliable sources to increase awareness of the wealth of treatment information and educational materials that are available on the Internet and to improve prevention and treatment education for their clients. These resources will also meet the needs of community-based

  8. Universal Design and LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual, and Queer) Issues: Creating Equal Access and Opportunities for Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daniels, Jennifer R.; Geiger, Tracy J.

    2010-01-01

    The authors extend the ideals set forth by the universal design (UD) framework seeking to include the unique needs of students in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Universal design is a philosophy that, when applied to higher education, constitutes acceptance of, equal access for, and equal opportunities for…

  9. Equal Pay for Equal Work in Academic Obstetrics and Gynecology.

    PubMed

    Eichelberger, Kacey Y

    2018-02-01

    The most compelling data suggest women in academic obstetrics and gynecology earn approximately $36,000 less than male colleagues per year in regression models correcting for commonly cited explanatory variables. Although residual confounding may exist, academic departments in the United States should consider rigorous examination of their own internal metrics around salary to ensure gender-neutral compensation, commonly referred to as equal pay for equal work.

  10. The Pursuit of Equality: Evaluating and Monitoring Accessibility to Post-Secondary Education in Ontario.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anisef, Paul; And Others

    A report on the current status of accessibility to university education in Ontario has several major objectives: to review the social science literature on such concepts as equality of educational opportunity and accessibility, considering the social, political and intellectual climate of the times; to examine parliamentary minutes and reports of…

  11. Equality of opportunities in geosciences: The EGU Awards Committee experience

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karatekin, Özgür

    2017-04-01

    Scientists are evaluated on the basis of creativity and productivity, and their scientific excellence are rewarded by scientific associations. Providing equal opportunities and ensuring balance is a strict necessity when recognizing scientific excellence. The processes and procedures that lead to the recognition of excellence has to be transparent and free of gender biases. However, establishment of clear and transparent evaluation criteria and performance metrics in order to provide equal opportunities to researchers across gender, continents and ethnic groups can be challenging since the definition of scientific excellence is elusive. This talk aims to present the experience and the efforts of the European Geosciences Union to ensure balance, with a particular focus on gender balance. Data and statistics will be presented in the attempt to provide constructive indications to get to the target of giving equal opportunities to researchers across gender, continents and ethnic groups.

  12. 77 FR 69454 - Emergency Access Advisory Committee; Announcement of Date of Next Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-19

    ... subcommittees and other activities needed to ensure access to 911 by individuals with disabilities. DATES: The... Generation 911 (NG 9-1-1) emergency services by individuals with disabilities, and to make recommendations to... and other activities needed to ensure access to 911 by individuals with disabilities. The meeting site...

  13. 78 FR 23564 - Emergency Access Advisory Committee; Announcement of Date of Next Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-19

    ... activities needed to ensure access to 911 by individuals with disabilities. DATES: The Committee's next... Generation 911 (NG 9-1-1) emergency services by individuals with disabilities, and to make recommendations to... activities needed to ensure access to 911 by individuals with disabilities. The meeting site is fully...

  14. 77 FR 70777 - Emergency Access Advisory Committee; Announcement of Date of Next Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-27

    ... and other activities needed to ensure access to 911 by individuals with disabilities. DATES: The... Generation 911 (NG 9-1-1) emergency services by individuals with disabilities, and to make recommendations to... subcommittees and other activities needed to ensure access to 911 by individuals with disabilities. The meeting...

  15. Equal Opportunity Handbook: A Resource on Equal Opportunities for Education and Employment in Oregon Public Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oregon State Dept. of Education, Salem.

    This handbook is an information source for Oregon public school districts developing policies to ensure equal opportunities in education, employment, and the provision of educational services required by Federal and state laws, regulations, and policies. Not addressed are issues and services for the handicapped or programs for migrants, the…

  16. Future Policy Directions for Congress in Ensuring Equality of Opportunity: Toward Improved Incentives, Targeting, and Enforcement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeBray, Elizabeth; Blankenship, Ann Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    Congress's role in defining and promoting equality of educational opportunity has evolved over the past 55 years since "Brown v. Board of Education." Most recently, all three branches of the federal government have focused more on equality of educational opportunity for "individual" students rather than for protected classes.…

  17. 47 CFR 36.191 - Equal access equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... provided by long distance carriers affiliated with the local exchange company is included. (d) Effective... AND RESERVES FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES 1 Telecommunications Property Equal Access Equipment... excluded. In the case of independent telephone companies, intrastate toll service provided by the...

  18. Educating Homeless Youth in Texas: The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001.

    PubMed

    Windsor, Liliane Cambraia; Thompson, Sanna J

    2008-07-01

    This paper discusses homeless youth in the US focusing on educational issues addressed by the implementation of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001. This law requires that states ensure each homeless child has equal access to public education. Moreover, the law requires states to identify and remove barriers to homeless children's education, such as requirements for previous school records and proof of residency. Following description of homelessness, educational issues, and barriers for homeless youth, the McKinney-Vento Act is described as it is applied in Texas. Finally, the paper concludes that further development, education, and commitment from service providers in schools and other community agencies will be needed to improve outcomes for these highly vulnerable youth.

  19. Conceptualizing the Influence of Social Agents of Behavior Change: A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of HIV-Prevention Interventionists for Different Groups

    PubMed Central

    Durantini, Marta R.; Albarracín, Dolores; Mitchell, Amy L.; Earl, Allison N.; Gillette, Jeffrey C.

    2016-01-01

    A meta-analysis of 166 HIV-prevention interventions tested theoretical predictions about the effects of experts, lay community members, and similar and dissimilar others, as agents of change. In general, expert interventionists produced greater behavior change than lay community members, and the demographic and behavioral similarity between the interventionist and the recipients facilitated behavioral change. Equally importantly, there were differences across groups in the efficacy of various sources, especially among populations of low status and/or power. These findings support the hypothesis that unempowered populations are more sensitive to characteristics of the interventionists who can facilitate access to various resources. In addition, they suggest the need to ensure the availability of health professionals from diverse demographic and behavioral backgrounds. PMID:16536642

  20. Equal Access to Content Instruction for English Learners: An Example from Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Zoe Ann; DiRanna, Kathy

    2012-01-01

    Equal access to content instruction is the foundation of educational equity--it reduces opportunity gaps that lead to achievement gaps. Achievement gaps lead to gaps in college and career access, which lead to income gaps. Income gaps lead to language gaps, thus perpetuating one of the most critical gaps we face in education. This paper is about…

  1. Wireless technologies and accessibility for people with disabilities: findings from a policy research instrument.

    PubMed

    Baker, Paul M A; Moon, Nathan W

    2008-01-01

    The near universal deployment in the United States of a wide variety of information and communications technologies, both wired and wireless, creates potential barriers to use for several key populations, including the poor, people with disabilities, and the aging. Equal access to wireless technologies and services can be achieved through a variety of mechanisms, including legislation and regulations, market-based solutions, and awareness and outreach-based approaches. This article discusses the results of policy research conducted by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC) using policy Delphi polling methodology to probe stakeholders' opinions on key access barrier issues and to explore potential policy responses. Participants included disability advocates, disability/wireless technology policy makers, and product developers/manufacturers. Respondent input informed subsequent development of potential policy initiatives to increase access to these technologies. The findings from the Delphi suggest that awareness issues remain most important, especially manufacturer awareness of user needs and availability of consumer information for selecting the most appropriate wireless devices and services. Other key issues included the ability of people with disabilities to afford technologies and inadequacies in legislation and policy making for ensuring their general accessibility, as well as usefulness in emergencies. Technical issues, including interoperability, speech-to-text conversion, and hearing aid compatibility, were also identified by participating stakeholders as important. To address all these issues, Delphi respondents favored goals and options congruent with voluntary market-driven solutions where possible but also supported federal involvement, where necessary, to aid this process.

  2. Access to and utilisation of GP services among Burmese migrants in London: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

    PubMed

    Aung, Nyein Chan; Rechel, Bernd; Odermatt, Peter

    2010-10-12

    An estimated 10,000 Burmese migrants are currently living in London. No studies have been conducted on their access to health services. Furthermore, most studies on migrants in the United Kingdom (UK) have been conducted at the point of service provision, carrying the risk of selection bias. Our cross-sectional study explored access to and utilisation of General Practice (GP) services by Burmese migrants residing in London. We used a mixed-method approach: a quantitative survey using self-administered questionnaires was complemented by qualitative in-depth interviews for developing the questionnaire and triangulating the findings of the survey. Overall, 137 questionnaires were received (a response rate of 57%) and 11 in-depth interviews conducted. The main outcome variables of the study included GP registration, barriers towards registration, GP consultations, barriers towards consultations, and knowledge on entitlements to health care. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, association tests, and a multivariate analysis using logistic regression. The qualitative information was analysed using content analysis. The respondents were young, of roughly equal gender (51.5% female), well educated, and had a fair level of knowledge on health services in the UK. Although the GP registration rate was relatively high (80%, 109 out of 136), GP service utilisation during the last episode of illness, at 56.8% (54 out of 95), was low. The statistical analysis showed that age being younger than 35 years, lacking prior overseas experience, having an unstable immigration status, having a shorter duration of stay, and resorting to self-medication were the main barriers hindering Burmese migrants from accessing primary health care services. These findings were corroborated by the in-depth interviews. Our study found that having formal access to primary health care was not sufficient to ensure GP registration and health care utilisation. Some respondents faced difficulties in registering with GP practices. Many of those who have registered prefer to forego GP services in favour of self-medication, partly due to long waiting times and language barriers. To ensure that migrants enjoy the health services they need and to which they are entitled, more proactive steps are required, including those that make health services culturally responsive.

  3. Legal Comments.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hankins, Grover G.

    1985-01-01

    The crux of the problem addressed by the concept of comparable worth is sex and race discrimination in employment. Aggressive enforcement of Title VII and the Equal Pay Act to ensure equal employment opportunities and pay equity is the only way of combatting the problem. (Author)

  4. From the Research: Myths Worth Dispelling--Gender--Still a Long Way to Go

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farrington, Jeanne

    2012-01-01

    With the obvious gains in pay and employment equity for women in the workplace during the last 50 years, both in measurable changes and in legislation designed to ensure such changes, some have assumed that gender discrimination is a thing of the past. However, despite improvements, equal pay for equal work and equal opportunities for hiring,…

  5. Predictors of access to sex education for children with intellectual disabilities in public schools.

    PubMed

    Barnard-Brak, Lucy; Schmidt, Marcelo; Chesnut, Steven; Wei, Tianlan; Richman, David

    2014-04-01

    Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 ( SRI International, 2002 ) were analyzed to identify variables that predicted whether individuals with intellectual disability (ID) received sex education in public schools across the United States. Results suggested that individuals receiving special education services without ID were only slightly more likely to receive sex education than students with mild ID (47.5% and 44.1%, respectively), but the percentage of students with moderate to profound ID that received sex education was significantly lower (16.18%). Analysis of teacher opinions and perceptions of the likelihood of the students benefiting from sex education found that most teachers indicated that students without ID or with mild ID would benefit (60% and 68%, respectively), but the percentage dropped to 25% for students with moderate to profound ID. Finally, across all students, the only significant demographic variable that predicted receipt of sex education was more expressive communication skills. Results are discussed in terms of ensuring equal access to sex education for students with ID in public schools.

  6. The NVO in Day-to-Day Astronomy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McGlynn, T. A.; White, N. E.

    2000-12-01

    In the discussion following the decadal review's recommendation to establish a National Virtual Observatory (NVO) much attention has been paid to how the NVO could provide unprecedented capabilities to perform complex statistical analyses of the huge datasets now entering the community. It is equally important to recognize how it can also redefine how astronomers conduct smaller scale investigations. The NVO vision includes a federation of current major data providers, providing astronomers with seamless access to data from distributed sites, spanning the entire spectrum. This goes well beyond earlier services, e.g., SkyView, Astrobrowse, NED, .... The NVO's metadata standards, data mining capabilities, and data discovery services will enable all astronomers -- including those without substantial access to physical observatories -- to quickly and effectively use the archival resources of the community. In this paper we describe how the NVO may come to permeate the culture of astronomy in the coming decade. We discuss our experience with forerunners of the NVO including SkyView and Astrobrowse, and we also consider the requirements that the NVO must meet to ensure it achieves its potential for the entire astronomical community.

  7. Rectifying Social Inequalities in a Resource Allocation Task

    PubMed Central

    Elenbaas, Laura; Rizzo, Michael T.; Cooley, Shelby; Killen, Melanie

    2016-01-01

    To investigate whether children rectify social inequalities in a resource allocation task, participants (N = 185 African-American and European-American 5–6 year-olds and 10–11 year-olds) witnessed an inequality of school supplies between peers of different racial backgrounds. Assessments were conducted on how children judged the wrongfulness of the inequality, allocated new resources to racial ingroup and outgroup recipients, evaluated alternative allocation strategies, and reasoned about their decisions. Younger children showed ingroup favorability; their responses differed depending on whether they had witnessed their ingroup or an outgroup at a disadvantage. With age, children increasingly reasoned about the importance of equal access to school supplies and correcting past disparities. Older children judged the resource inequality negatively, allocated more resources to the disadvantaged group, and positively evaluated the actions of others who did the same, regardless of whether they had seen their racial ingroup or an outgroup at a disadvantage. Thus, balancing moral and social group concerns enabled individuals to rectify inequalities and ensure fair access to important resources regardless of racial group membership. PMID:27423813

  8. Equitable access to elective hospital services: the introduction of patient choice in a decentralised healthcare system.

    PubMed

    Ringard, Ånen

    2012-02-01

    During the 1980s and 1990s, increased waiting times for elective surgery was perceived to be a major accessibility problem in many countries. In an attempt to improve access, hospital choice reforms were introduced in a number of countries. In Norway, a nationwide reform to improve access came into effect in 2001. At the same time, renewed support was expressed for the long-standing political aim of ensuring equal access to healthcare services for all citizens regardless of their social position. The current aim is to analyse the relationship of the hospital choice reform and the goal of equitable access to hospital services. A survey conducted among Norwegian patients in 2004 provided information about whether a choice of hospital had been made. Information from the survey was merged with administrative data from the hospital that performed the treatment. The survey provided data on patients' socioeconomic position. Demographics, medical need, and prior use of healthcare services were controlled for to determine the effect of socioeconomic position on hospital choice. The patient's socioeconomic position, measured by education, was found to be significantly associated with hospital choice. The relationship resembled that of a social gradient. Patients with a primary education were less likely to have made a choice, followed by those with secondary education or a lower university degree. Patients with higher university education were most likely to have chosen. Hospital selection is a demanding task for many patients. Policymakers should therefore focus on crafting and implementing tools necessary for supporting uptake of choice in disadvantaged groups.

  9. Roadmap for Teacher Access to Student-Level Longitudinal Data: Key Focus Areas to Ensure Quality Implementation. Data for Action

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Data Quality Campaign, 2014

    2014-01-01

    Teachers have access to information about the students in their classrooms each year, but schools and districts often cannot provide teachers with longitudinal data (or data linked over time). Given resource constraints in schools and districts, states are best positioned to ensure that teachers have secure access to their students' longitudinal…

  10. 24 CFR 7.15 - Responsibilities of managers and supervisors.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... and Urban Development EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY; POLICY, PROCEDURES AND PROGRAMS Equal Employment... respect for and acceptance of minorities, women and persons with disabilities, veterans and others of diverse characteristics in the workforce; (d) Ensuring the non-discriminatory treatment of all employees...

  11. 24 CFR 7.15 - Responsibilities of managers and supervisors.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... and Urban Development EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY; POLICY, PROCEDURES AND PROGRAMS Equal Employment... respect for and acceptance of minorities, women and persons with disabilities, veterans and others of diverse characteristics in the workforce; (d) Ensuring the non-discriminatory treatment of all employees...

  12. 24 CFR 7.15 - Responsibilities of managers and supervisors.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... and Urban Development EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY; POLICY, PROCEDURES AND PROGRAMS Equal Employment... respect for and acceptance of minorities, women and persons with disabilities, veterans and others of diverse characteristics in the workforce; (d) Ensuring the non-discriminatory treatment of all employees...

  13. 49 CFR 601.3 - General responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... management of FTA-sponsored projects; representing the Administration before civil courts and administrative... Office of Civil Rights. Directed by a Director for Civil Rights, this office ensures full implementation of civil rights and equal opportunity initiatives by all recipients of FTA assistance, and ensures...

  14. 49 CFR 601.3 - General responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... management of FTA-sponsored projects; representing the Administration before civil courts and administrative... Office of Civil Rights. Directed by a Director for Civil Rights, this office ensures full implementation of civil rights and equal opportunity initiatives by all recipients of FTA assistance, and ensures...

  15. 49 CFR 601.3 - General responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... management of FTA-sponsored projects; representing the Administration before civil courts and administrative... Office of Civil Rights. Directed by a Director for Civil Rights, this office ensures full implementation of civil rights and equal opportunity initiatives by all recipients of FTA assistance, and ensures...

  16. 49 CFR 601.3 - General responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... management of FTA-sponsored projects; representing the Administration before civil courts and administrative... Office of Civil Rights. Directed by a Director for Civil Rights, this office ensures full implementation of civil rights and equal opportunity initiatives by all recipients of FTA assistance, and ensures...

  17. Nicotine replacement therapy, tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes in pharmacies in St. Louis, Missouri.

    PubMed

    Barnoya, Joaquin; Jin, Linda; Hudmon, Karen Suchanek; Schootman, Mario

    2015-01-01

    To compare availability of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in pharmacies in St. Louis, MO. Cross-sectional study, on-site store audits of 322 pharmacies. St. Louis, MO. 242 eligible community pharmacies located in the study area. Pharmacies were visited by trained research assistants who conducted a 5- to 10-minute store audit using a paper-based data collection tool. Availability, accessibility, and pricing of NRT as a function of neighborhood poverty rate and proportion of black residents as well as availability of tobacco products and e-cigarettes. NRT availability decreased as neighborhood poverty rate increased (P = 0.02). Availability without pharmacy personnel assistance also decreased with increasing poverty rate (r = -0.19; 95% CI = -0.06, -0.31) and higher percentage of black residents (r = -0.18; 95% CI = -0.06, -0.31). Prices were lower in neighborhoods with higher poverty rates (P = 0.02) and a higher percentage of black residents (P = 0.03). E-cigarettes were available in 43% of pharmacies, and their availability and price did not differ by poverty rate or percentage of black residents. Low access to NRT might perpetuate smoking disparities in disadvantaged and racially diverse neighborhoods. Study data support policies to ensure equal NRT access to reduce disparities.

  18. 29 CFR 2704.310 - Payment of award.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT IN COMMISSION PROCEEDINGS Procedures for Considering Applications § 2704.310 Payment of award. Payment of awards made under the Equal Access to Justice Act by final orders...

  19. 29 CFR 2204.102 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT IN PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION General... means the Equal Access to Justice Act, 5 U.S.C. 504. (d) The term judge means an administrative law...

  20. 19 CFR 212.01 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 19 Customs Duties 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Purpose. 212.01 Section 212.01 Customs Duties UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION INVESTIGATIONS OF UNFAIR PRACTICES IN IMPORT TRADE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT General Provisions § 212.01 Purpose. (a) The Equal Access to...

  1. 45 CFR 98.43 - Equal access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT FUND Program Operations (Child Care Services)-Lead Agency and Provider Requirements § 98.43 Equal access. (a) The Lead Agency shall certify that the payment rates for the provision of child care services under this part are...

  2. 45 CFR 98.43 - Equal access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... Department of Health and Human Services GENERAL ADMINISTRATION CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT FUND Program Operations (Child Care Services)-Lead Agency and Provider Requirements § 98.43 Equal access. (a) The Lead Agency shall certify that the payment rates for the provision of child care services under this part are...

  3. 45 CFR 98.43 - Equal access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT FUND Program Operations (Child Care Services)-Lead Agency and Provider Requirements § 98.43 Equal access. (a) The Lead Agency shall certify that the payment rates for the provision of child care services under this part are...

  4. 45 CFR 98.43 - Equal access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT FUND Program Operations (Child Care Services)-Lead Agency and Provider Requirements § 98.43 Equal access. (a) The Lead Agency shall certify that the payment rates for the provision of child care services under this part are...

  5. 45 CFR 98.43 - Equal access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT FUND Program Operations (Child Care Services)-Lead Agency and Provider Requirements § 98.43 Equal access. (a) The Lead Agency shall certify that the payment rates for the provision of child care services under this part are...

  6. Access of children with cerebral palsy to the physical, social and attitudinal environment they need: a cross-sectional European study.

    PubMed

    Colver, Allan F; Dickinson, Heather O; Parkinson, Kathryn; Arnaud, Catherine; Beckung, Eva; Fauconnier, Jérôme; Marcelli, Marco; McManus, Vicki; Michelsen, Susan I; Parkes, Jackie; Thyen, Ute

    2011-01-01

    The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires states 'to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, transportation, information and communications.' We explored whether this convention was respected for disabled children in Europe. One thousand one-hundred and seventy-four children aged 8-12 years were randomly selected from population-based registers of children with cerebral palsy in eight European regions. 743 children joined the study; one further region recruited 75 children from multiple sources. Researchers visited these 818 children and administered the European Child Environment Questionnaire, which records parents' perceptions of availability of the physical, social and attitudinal environment needed in home, school and community. Multilevel, multivariable regression related child access on these domains to their impairments and socio-demographic characteristics. Children with more impaired walking ability had less access to the physical environment, transport and social support they needed than other children. They also experienced less favourable attitudes from family and friends. However, attitudes of teachers and therapists were similar for children with all levels of impairment. The access of children, across all impairment severities, to their needed environment showed significant variation between regions (p ≤ 0.0001), some regions consistently providing better access on most or all domains. European states need to substantially improve environmental access for disabled children in order to meet their obligations under UN Conventions. In some regions, many environmental factors should and realistically could be changed. Legislation and regulation should be directed to making this happen. Local environmental planners and health and social service providers should listen carefully to parents to address mismatches between policy intentions and parental experience.

  7. 47 CFR 64.705 - Restrictions on charges related to the provision of operator services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... provision of operator services. 64.705 Section 64.705 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... operator services shall: (1) Not bill for unanswered telephone calls in areas where equal access is available; (2) Not knowingly bill for unanswered telephone calls where equal access is not available; (3...

  8. New Mexico Educator Equity Plan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    New Mexico Public Education Department, 2015

    2015-01-01

    Both the U.S. Department of Education and the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) believe that equal opportunity is a core American value. Equal access to excellent education provides meaningful opportunities for students to achieve their goals. Recognizing that family income and race often predicts a student's ability to access excellent…

  9. 77 FR 39117 - Equal Access to Justice Act Implementation Rule

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-29

    ... regularly perform services for remuneration for the applicant, under the applicant's direction and control... Director may delegate authority to take final action on matters pertaining to the Equal Access to Justice... that the Director's final order issued pursuant to Sec. 1081.405 is final and unappealable, both within...

  10. 29 CFR 2704.101 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... hereafter shall be to “administrative law judge”. The Act means the Equal Access to Justice Act 5 U.S.C. 504... Relating to Labor (Continued) FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT IN COMMISSION PROCEEDINGS General Provisions § 2704.101 Definitions. The following...

  11. Advanced digital signal processing for short-haul and access network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Junwen; Yu, Jianjun; Chi, Nan

    2016-02-01

    Digital signal processing (DSP) has been proved to be a successful technology recently in high speed and high spectrum-efficiency optical short-haul and access network, which enables high performances based on digital equalizations and compensations. In this paper, we investigate advanced DSP at the transmitter and receiver side for signal pre-equalization and post-equalization in an optical access network. A novel DSP-based digital and optical pre-equalization scheme has been proposed for bandwidth-limited high speed short-distance communication system, which is based on the feedback of receiver-side adaptive equalizers, such as least-mean-squares (LMS) algorithm and constant or multi-modulus algorithms (CMA, MMA). Based on this scheme, we experimentally demonstrate 400GE on a single optical carrier based on the highest ETDM 120-GBaud PDM-PAM-4 signal, using one external modulator and coherent detection. A line rate of 480-Gb/s is achieved, which enables 20% forward-error correction (FEC) overhead to keep the 400-Gb/s net information rate. The performance after fiber transmission shows large margin for both short range and metro/regional networks. We also extend the advanced DSP for short haul optical access networks by using high order QAMs. We propose and demonstrate a high speed multi-band CAP-WDM-PON system on intensity modulation, direct detection and digital equalizations. A hybrid modified cascaded MMA post-equalization schemes are used to equalize the multi-band CAP-mQAM signals. Using this scheme, we successfully demonstrates 550Gb/s high capacity WDMPON system with 11 WDM channels, 55 sub-bands, and 10-Gb/s per user in the downstream over 40-km SMF.

  12. [The global and national context regarding the challenges involved in ensuring adequate access to water for human consumption].

    PubMed

    Augusto, Lia Giraldo da Silva; Gurgel, Idê Gomes Dantas; Câmara Neto, Henrique Fernandes; de Melo, Carlos Henrique; Costa, André Monteiro

    2012-06-01

    The scope of this article is to analyze the challenges involved in ensuring access to water for human consumption taking the international and national context into consideration. Based on the UN declaration that access to safe and clean drinking water is a fundamental human right, vulnerabilities are identified that can consist in restrictions to access to adequate supplies. The distribution of water and the population across the planet, pollution, inadequate policies and management lead to environmental injustice. The iniquity of access to water constitutes the contemporary water crisis. From the 1980s onwards, the transnational water market emerged for private control that occurs at three main levels: surface and underground water sources; bottled water; and public water supply services. The conflicts of the multiple uses of water resources, the market and environmental problems have contributed to rendering the health of the population and ecosystems vulnerable. Adequate public policies are essential to ensure the basic human right to access to safe and clean drinking water.

  13. 12 CFR 1750.10 - General.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... establishes the methodology for computing the risk-based capital level for each Enterprise. The board of directors of each Enterprise is responsible for ensuring that the Enterprise maintains total capital at a level that is sufficient to ensure the continued financial viability of the Enterprise and is equal to...

  14. Report Task Force on Women in the Military

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-01-01

    Education, Training, Equal Opportunity, Assignments. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE ODEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE REPORT TASK FORCE4I ON WOMEN LN THE...ensure that instruction occurs at all levels of the organization; and, DoD review equal opportu- nity lessons learned for use in combating bixual...Servicewomen becoming full and equal members of their units. Each Service should be required to report the results of these evalua- tions and corrective

  15. Capabilities in Context: Evaluating the Net-Centric Enterprise

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-03-01

    with an intuitive keyword search using the enterprise’s federated search capability. Service accessibility. Testers will ensure that local service has...search using the enterprise’s federated search capability. Data accessibility. Testers will ensure that Feder- ated Search results provide active link...user may request access to the data, and be available within ‘‘2 clicks’’ from the active link provided by Federated Search . Data understandability

  16. Making reasonable and achievable adjustments: the contributions of learning disability liaison nurses in 'Getting it right' for people with learning disabilities receiving general hospitals care.

    PubMed

    MacArthur, Juliet; Brown, Michael; McKechanie, Andrew; Mack, Siobhan; Hayes, Matthew; Fletcher, Joan

    2015-07-01

    To examine the role of learning disability liaison nurses in facilitating reasonable and achievable adjustments to support access to general hospital services for people with learning disabilities. Mixed methods study involving four health boards in Scotland with established Learning Disability Liaison Nurses (LDLN) Services. Quantitative data of all liaison nursing referrals over 18 months and qualitative data collected from stakeholders with experience of using the liaison services within the previous 3-6 months. Six liaison nurses collected quantitative data of 323 referrals and activity between September 2008-March 2010. Interviews and focus groups were held with 85 participants included adults with learning disabilities (n = 5), carers (n = 16), primary care (n = 39), general hospital (n = 19) and liaison nurses (n = 6). Facilitating reasonable and achievable adjustments was an important element of the LDLNs' role and focussed on access to information; adjustments to care; appropriate environment of care; ensuring equitable care; identifying patient need; meeting patient needs; and specialist tools/resources. Ensuring that reasonable adjustments are made in the general hospital setting promotes person-centred care and equal health outcomes for people with a learning disability. This view accords with 'Getting it right' charter produced by the UK Charity Mencap which argues that healthcare professionals need support, encouragement and guidance to make reasonable adjustments for this group. LDLNs have an important and increasing role to play in advising on and establishing adjustments that are both reasonable and achievable. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Book review: Inside the Equal Access to Justice Act: Environmental litigation and the crippling battle over America's lands, endangered species, and critical habitats

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Organ, John F.

    2016-01-01

    Review info:  Inside the equal access to justice act: Environmental litigation and the crippling battle over America's lands, endangered species, and critical habitats. By Lowell E. Baier, 2016. ISBN: 978-1442257443, 678 pp.

  18. 75 FR 17622 - Equal Access to Justice Act Implementation

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-07

    ... enforceable by the Director of FHFA until such regulations are modified, terminated, set aside, or superseded by the Director of FHFA.\\2\\ \\2\\ See section 1302 and section 1312 of HERA. B. Equal Access to Justice... demand for a lesser amount. Director would be defined as the Director of the Federal Housing Finance...

  19. 14 CFR 14.01 - Purpose of these rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PROCEDURAL RULES RULES IMPLEMENTING THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT OF 1980 General Provisions § 14.01 Purpose of these rules. The Equal Access to Justice Act, 5 U.S.C. 504 (the Act), provides for the award of attorney fees and other...

  20. 14 CFR 14.01 - Purpose of these rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PROCEDURAL RULES RULES IMPLEMENTING THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT OF 1980 General Provisions § 14.01 Purpose of these rules. The Equal Access to Justice Act, 5 U.S.C. 504 (the Act), provides for the award of attorney fees and other...

  1. 14 CFR 14.01 - Purpose of these rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PROCEDURAL RULES RULES IMPLEMENTING THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT OF 1980 General Provisions § 14.01 Purpose of these rules. The Equal Access to Justice Act, 5 U.S.C. 504 (the Act), provides for the award of attorney fees and other...

  2. 14 CFR 14.01 - Purpose of these rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PROCEDURAL RULES RULES IMPLEMENTING THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT OF 1980 General Provisions § 14.01 Purpose of these rules. The Equal Access to Justice Act, 5 U.S.C. 504 (the Act), provides for the award of attorney fees and other...

  3. 14 CFR 14.01 - Purpose of these rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PROCEDURAL RULES RULES IMPLEMENTING THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT OF 1980 General Provisions § 14.01 Purpose of these rules. The Equal Access to Justice Act, 5 U.S.C. 504 (the Act), provides for the award of attorney fees and other...

  4. Sign Language Web Pages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fels, Deborah I.; Richards, Jan; Hardman, Jim; Lee, Daniel G.

    2006-01-01

    The World Wide Web has changed the way people interact. It has also become an important equalizer of information access for many social sectors. However, for many people, including some sign language users, Web accessing can be difficult. For some, it not only presents another barrier to overcome but has left them without cultural equality. The…

  5. Equal Opportunity -- and You.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lutes, Carol

    The author suggests alternatives to chip away at occupational traditionalism and vestigal hang-ups shared by men and women about women in the world of work, and which encourage the development of programs to ensure that equal opportunity will be a reality. Background statistics are presented which indicate that women are increasingly entering the…

  6. Improving the availability and accessibility of opioids for the treatment of pain: the International Pain Policy Fellowship.

    PubMed

    Bosnjak, Snezana; Maurer, Martha A; Ryan, Karen M; Leon, Marta X; Madiye, Gabriel

    2011-08-01

    Opioid analgesics are simultaneously indispensable medicines for the treatment of moderate to severe pain and are harmful when abused. The challenge for governments is to balance the obligation to prevent diversion, trafficking, and abuse of opioids with the equally important obligation to ensure their availability and accessibility for the relief of pain and suffering. Over the last 30 years, significant progress has been made toward improving access to opioids as measured by increasing global medical opioid consumption. However, this progress is marked by ongoing large disparities among countries, with most increases in medical opioid consumption attributed to high-income countries, not low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The International Pain Policy Fellowship (IPPF) was developed by the Pain & Policy Studies Group, with the central goal of developing national leaders from LMICs and empowering them to improve availability and accessibility of opioids for the treatment of pain. To date, two classes of fellows have been selected, representing 17 fellows from 15 countries. Progress achieved by the leadership of three fellows from Sierra Leone, Colombia, and Serbia is highlighted in this paper. The fellows from each country were successful at initiating collaboration with relevant governmental bodies, national authorities, and professional societies, which resulted in a new supply of oral opioids in Sierra Leone and Serbia, and improvements in the distribution of already available opioids in Colombia. All fellows were instrumental in facilitating evaluation of national policy. The IPPF program empowers fellows with the necessary knowledge, skills, and guidance to improve the availability and accessibility of opioids for the treatment of pain.

  7. A multiprofessional perspective on the principal barriers to universal health coverage and universal access to health in extremely poor territories: the contributions of nursing1

    PubMed Central

    de França, Viviane Helena; Modena, Celina Maria; Confalonieri, Ulisses Eugenio Cavalcanti

    2016-01-01

    Objective: to investigate the knowledge of managers and health professionals, social workers and education professionals regarding the principal barriers to universal health coverage and universal access to health on the part of the extremely poor population; and to point to the contributions made by nursing for the promotion of this right. Method: a qualitative study whose reference was, for ensuring the right to health, the reorientation of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) towards universal coverage and access in these territories. Interviews were held with 27 members of the multi-professional team of a municipality with high social vulnerability. The data were worked on using thematic content analysis. Results: the following were ascertained as the principal barriers to universal health coverage and access to health: failures in the expansion and strengthening of the services; absence of diagnosis of the priority demands; shortage of technology, equipment, and material and human resources; poor local infrastructure; and actions with low resolutive power and absence of interdepartmental policies. Within the multi-professional team, nursing acts in the SUS in unique health actions and social practices in these territories, presenting an in-depth perspective on this harsh reality, being able to contribute with indispensable support for confronting these disparities in universal health coverage and universal access to health. Conclusion: nursing's in-depth understanding regarding these barriers is essential for encouraging the processes reorienting the SUS, geared towards equality in the right to health. PMID:27143541

  8. 75 FR 36610 - Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Changes to the Hospital and Critical Access Hospital Conditions...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 42 CFR Parts 482... Critical Access Hospital Conditions of Participation To Ensure Visitation Rights for All Patients AGENCY...) to ensure the visitation rights of all patients. Medicare- and Medicaid- participating hospitals and...

  9. 76 FR 33372 - Proposed Extension of the Approval of Information Collection Requirements; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-08

    ... authorities prohibit employment discrimination but also require affirmative action to ensure that equal... physical or mental disability and requires affirmative action to ensure that persons are treated without... be subject to the Affirmative Action Program (AAP) requirements of 41 CFR 60-741.40, the associated...

  10. Weaving Together Student Supports

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benigni, Mark D.; Miller, Bruce A.

    2010-01-01

    Public schools must be the catalyst for achieving equity in education. Real equity is not simply achieving equality or about ensuring that everyone gets the same resources and receives the same instruction. Equity is about ensuring that all students get what they need to be successful. Fairness is not providing the same resources, instruction, and…

  11. Equal Access of Ethnic Minority Students to Different Types of Higher Education Institutions?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Jianxin; Verhoeven, Jef C.

    2012-01-01

    In this article we focus on answering the question "Is there equal access to different types of higher education institutions (HEIs) for ethnic minority (EM) students in Yunnan Province (China), and what explanation might be found for any differences?" In order to answer this question, we rely on the education attainment theory, and a…

  12. Diversity in Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beer, Janet

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents a lecture given at the 17th Annual Lecture of the Association of University Administrators (AUA). The subject of the lecture is equality and diversity in higher education (HE) leadership, or possibly the absence of equality and diversity. The author focuses on what can be done to ensure that capable women enter HE leadership…

  13. Eleventh Annual "Brown" Lecture in Education Research A Long Shadow: The American Pursuit of Political Justice and Education Equality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, James D.

    2015-01-01

    This article examines the historical relationship between political power and the pursuit of education and social equality from the Reconstruction era to the present. The chief argument is that education equality is historically linked to and even predicated on equal political power, specifically, equal access to the franchise and instruments of…

  14. The right to information and their exceptions in medical practices in the Iranian legal system.

    PubMed

    Sheykh-Talimi, Maysam; Shariati-Nasab, Sadegh; Zare, Mohammad Kazem; Omani-Samani, Reza

    2016-01-01

    The right to information Act was implemented in the Iranian legal system through accession of the Merida Convention ensuring the right to information as a fundamental right for the public. One significant aspects of this subject is the ratification of the "Disclosure and Access to Information Act" by which it is recognized as a right of all Persian individuals and citizens to access state-held information in Iran administration. The Iranian legislature, with regard to the role of access to information and its significance, clarified the scope, permitted subjects of access, and exceptions of the right to state-held information. In this essay, we will discuss the legal aspects and scope of ensuring access to medical information in the Iranian statutes and their exceptions. It is argued that the Iranian legislation ensures the principle of maximum disclosure, while sensitive subjects', specially classified and private information, are exempted. Therefore, the related rules in Iran's statutes not only do not threaten patient's information, but also protect them by criminalizing the breaching of the mentioned right.

  15. Intersections of 'sanitation, sexual coercion and girls' safety in schools'.

    PubMed

    Abrahams, Naeemah; Mathews, Shanaaz; Ramela, Petunia

    2006-05-01

    To explore safety for girls in schools, particularly how girls perceive and negotiate dangers and risks associated with the use of toilets. Participatory action research over a period of 3 days at three schools in South Africa. Informants were 81 girls 16 years and older, teachers and other relevant school personnel. Data were collected through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, participant observation, mapping and photography. Toilets had inadequate or no sanitation. Both their use and their avoidance were risky for female students and discouraged hygienic practices. Experience of sexual violence from male students and teachers was a major theme, but unrelated to school toilets. Male teachers used various strategies and opportunities to gain sexual access to the girls and previous experience of victimization prevented the girls from reporting them. To ensure a healthy school environment that promotes gender equality, all threats to safety, including the physical and social environment, must be considered.

  16. National Immunization Program: Computerized System as a tool for new challenges

    PubMed Central

    Sato, Ana Paula Sayuri

    2015-01-01

    The scope and coverage of the Brazilian Immunization Program can be compared with those in developed countries because it provides a large number of vaccines and has a considerable coverage. The increasing complexity of the program brings challenges regarding its development, high coverage levels, access equality, and safety. The Immunization Information System, with nominal data, is an innovative tool that can more accurately monitor these indicators and allows the evaluation of the impact of new vaccination strategies. The main difficulties for such a system are in its implementation process, training of professionals, mastering its use, its constant maintenance needs and ensuring the information contained remain confidential. Therefore, encouraging the development of this tool should be part of public health policies and should also be involved in the three spheres of government as well as the public and private vaccination services. PMID:26176746

  17. Equal Access to Early Learning. Cantigny Conference Report (Chicago, Illinois, June 5-7, 2001).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Black Child Development Inst., Inc., Washington, DC.

    Despite a growing acknowledgement that the United States needs to invest more in the early care and education needs of children, the country lacks a common vision for a comprehensive approach to an early childhood care and education system. The Equal Access to Early Learning Conference, sponsored by the National Black Child Development Institute…

  18. Struggles for Modern Education: Egalitarian Liberalism and Its Quest for Equal Access to Opportunity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pistone, Renee A.

    2010-01-01

    Egalitarian liberalism strives for equal access to opportunity and can achieve it. Every individual must be granted the chance to live his or her own life (Rawls, 1971). Our society must offer all citizens their own autonomy and live up to the egalitarian promises giving them respect. This paper disagrees with the notion that children raised in…

  19. Disability as Diversity: Assessing the Perceptions of Students with Physical Disabilities regarding Access and Equal Opportunity in Postsecondary Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Lisa Marie

    2012-01-01

    The initial purpose of this study was to utilize the Higher Education and Students with Physical Disabilities Survey (HESPDS) to develop a better understanding of the perceptions of students with physical disabilities regarding the extent to which private, residential colleges and universities provide access and equal opportunity. The significance…

  20. Equality or Equity, Player or Guardian? The Dutch Government and Its Role in Providing Access Opportunities for Government Sponsored International Secondary Education, 1979-2009

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prickarts, Boris

    2010-01-01

    This article focuses on the Dutch government's International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) Pilot, allowing Dutch pre-university students to take part in the IB DP. Is it likely to create "equal", or rather "equitable", access opportunities for government-sponsored Dutch international secondary schools? The article…

  1. [South African biltong--another close look].

    PubMed

    Osterhoff, D R; Leistner, L

    1984-12-01

    Twenty beef biltong samples from various commercial sources were investigated chemically and microbiologically. The biltong contained 5-10% NaCl, little sugar and nitrite but 10-860 ppm nitrate. The addition of nitrate apparently did not ensure stability, since spoiled biltong often contained much residual nitrate. Biltong was stable at the barrier combination of aw less than or equal to 0.77 and pH less than or equal to 5.5 because such samples did not spontaneously become mouldy. A high degree of contamination with moulds and yeasts was found indicating a real health hazard to which consumers might be exposed. Better control measures must be imposed to ensure a better product to the consumer.

  2. Age Discrimination in the US Higher Education and Employment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nikolaev, Boris; Pavlova, Nataliia

    2016-01-01

    The need to ensure equal rights to different age groups without discrimination in our country necessitates the study of international experience. One of the traditional and at the same time, urgent problems in the USA is the problem of age equality and the overcoming of discriminatory theory and practice. The goal of the study is to analyze the…

  3. Certifying Functional Literacy: Competency Testing and Implications for Due Process and Equal Educational Opportunity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewis, Donald Marion

    1979-01-01

    Demonstrates the role the guarantee of due process can play in ensuring that vital interests in public education not be lost through erroneous assessments of a student's proficiency in basic skills, and describes the limits constitutional and statutory guarantees of equal educational opportunity place on the use of competency testing. (Author/IRT)

  4. A prospective cohort study of treatment decision-making for prostate cancer following participation in a multidisciplinary clinic.

    PubMed

    Hurwitz, Lauren M; Cullen, Jennifer; Elsamanoudi, Sally; Kim, Daniel J; Hudak, Jane; Colston, Maryellen; Travis, Judith; Kuo, Huai-Ching; Porter, Christopher R; Rosner, Inger L

    2016-05-01

    Patients diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) are presented with several treatment options of similar efficacy but varying side effects. Understanding how and why patients make their treatment decisions, as well as the effect of treatment choice on long-term outcomes, is critical to ensuring effective, patient-centered care. This study examined treatment decision-making in a racially diverse, equal-access, contemporary cohort of patients with PCa counseled on treatment options at a multidisciplinary clinic. A prospective cohort study was initiated at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (formerly Walter Reed Army Medical Center) in 2006. Newly diagnosed patients with PCa were enrolled before attending a multidisciplinary clinic. Patients completed surveys preclinic and postclinic to assess treatment preferences, reasons for treatment choice, and decisional regret. As of January 2014, 925 patients with PCa enrolled in this study. Surgery (54%), external radiation (20%), and active surveillance (12%) were the most common primary treatments for patients with low- and intermediate-risk PCa, whereas patients with high-risk PCa chose surgery (34%) or external radiation with neoadjuvant hormones (57%). Treatment choice differed by age at diagnosis, race, comorbidity status, and calendar year in both univariable and multivariable analyses. Patients preferred to play an active role in the decision-making process and cited doctors at the clinic as the most helpful source of treatment-related information. Almost all patients reported satisfaction with their decision. This is one of the first prospective cohort studies to examine treatment decision-making in an equal-access, multidisciplinary clinic setting. Studies of this cohort would aid in understanding and improving the PCa decision-making process. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  5. Democracy, Equal Citizenship, and Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Callan, Eamonn

    2016-01-01

    Two appealing principles of educational distribution--equality and sufficiency--are comparatively assessed. The initial point of comparison is the distribution of civic educational goods. One reason to favor equality in educational distribution rather than sufficiency is the elimination of undeserved positional advantage in access to labor…

  6. Understanding Resource: Maldistribution and Acting on Inequality of Resources

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ochoa, Alberto M.; Pearl, Art

    2010-01-01

    The United States is both morally and legally obligated to equally educate all of its students. It means that the US has to provide all students with equal access and equal resources. Historically and currently this goal has not been met. To truly provide all students with equal resources would require reformative action at many levels. Leveling…

  7. Building the Capacity of States to Ensure Inclusion of Rural Communities in State and Local Primary Violence Prevention Planning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cook-Craig, Patricia G.; Lane, Karen G.; Siebold, Wendi L.

    2010-01-01

    Rural, frontier, and geographically isolated communities face unique challenges associated with ensuring that they are equal partners in capacity-building and prevention planning processes at the state and local level despite barriers that can inhibit participation. By their nature, rural, frontier, and geographically isolated communities and…

  8. 14 CFR 382.57 - What accessibility requirements apply to automated airport kiosks?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ..., accept payment for flight amenities such as seating upgrades/meals/WiFi access, rebook tickets, etc... seating upgrades/meals/WiFi access, rebook tickets, etc.), you must ensure that the accessible kiosks...

  9. 75 FR 35439 - Medical Diagnostic Equipment Accessibility Standards

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-22

    ... ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD Medical Diagnostic Equipment... accessibility standards for medical diagnostic equipment to ensure that such equipment is accessible to, and... respect to medical diagnostic equipment and existing guidance for designing accessible medical diagnostic...

  10. Disparities in Attention to HIV-Prevention Information

    PubMed Central

    Crause, Candi; Vaid, Awais; Albarracín, Dolores

    2016-01-01

    Compared to European-Americans, African-Americans have greater probability of becoming infected with HIV, as well as worse outcomes when they become infected. Therefore, adequate health communications should ensure that they capture the attention of African-Americans and do not perpetuate disadvantages relative to European-Americans. The objective of this report was to examine if racial disparities in attention to health information parallel racial disparities in health outcomes. Participants were clients of a public health clinic (Study 1 n = 64; Study 2 n = 55). Unobtrusive observation in a public health waiting room, message reading times, and response-time on a modified flanker task were used to examine attention to HIV- and flu-information across racial groups. In Study 1, participants were observed for the duration of their time in a public health clinic waiting room (average duration 31 minutes). In Study 2, participants completed tasks in a private room at the public health clinic (average duration 21 minutes). Across all attention measures, results suggest an interaction between race and information type on attention to health information. In particular, African-Americans differentially attended to information as a function of information type, with decreased attention to HIV versus flu information. In contrast, European-Americans attended equally to both HIV and flu information. As such, disparities in attention yielded less access to certain health information for African- than European-Americans in a health setting. The identified disparities in attention are particularly problematic because they disadvantage African-Americans at a time of great effort to correct racial disparities. Modifying the framing of health information in ways that ensure attention by all racial groups may be a strategy to increase attention, and thereby reduce disparities in health outcomes. Future research should find solutions that increase attentional access to health communications for all groups. PMID:26279308

  11. Disparities in attention to HIV-prevention information.

    PubMed

    Earl, Allison; Crause, Candi; Vaid, Awais; Albarracín, Dolores

    2016-01-01

    Compared to European-Americans, African-Americans have greater probability of becoming infected with HIV, as well as worse outcomes when they become infected. Therefore, adequate health communications should ensure that they capture the attention of African-Americans and do not perpetuate disadvantages relative to European-Americans. The objective of this report was to examine if racial disparities in attention to health information parallel racial disparities in health outcomes. Participants were clients of a public health clinic (Study 1 n = 64; Study 2 n = 55). Unobtrusive observation in a public health waiting room, message reading times, and response-time on a modified flanker task were used to examine attention to HIV- and flu-information across racial groups. In Study 1, participants were observed for the duration of their time in a public health clinic waiting room (average duration: 31 min). In Study 2, participants completed tasks in a private room at the public health clinic (average duration: 21 min). Across all attention measures, results suggest an interaction between race and information type on attention to health information. In particular, African-Americans differentially attended to information as a function of information type, with decreased attention to HIV- versus flu-information. In contrast, European-Americans attended equally to both HIV- and flu-information. As such, disparities in attention yielded less access to certain health information for African- than European-Americans in a health setting. The identified disparities in attention are particularly problematic because they disadvantage African-Americans at a time of great effort to correct racial disparities. Modifying the framing of health information in ways that ensure attention by all racial groups may be a strategy to increase attention, and thereby reduce disparities in health outcomes. Future research should find solutions that increase attentional access to health communications for all groups.

  12. Level and determinants of incentives for village midwives in Indonesia.

    PubMed

    Ensor, Tim; Quayyum, Zahid; Nadjib, Mardiati; Sucahya, Purwa

    2009-01-01

    Since the early 1990s Indonesia has attempted to increase the level of skilled attendance at birth by placing rural midwives in every village in an effort to reduce persistently high levels of maternal mortality. Yet evidence suggests that there remains insufficient incentive to ensure an equal distribution across areas while the poor in all areas continue to access skilled attendance much less than those in richer groups. We report on a survey that was conducted as part of a complex evaluation of the rural midwife programme in Banten Province, to better understand the effect of financial incentives on the distribution of midwives and use of services. Midwives obtain almost two-thirds of their income from private clinical practice. Private income is strongly associated with competence and experience. Multivariate analysis suggests that midwives are well able to earn a substantial private income even in remoter areas. Yet the study also found a high level of unwillingness to move posts to a more remote area for a variety of non-financial reasons. The results suggest that the access to skilled attendance of those unable to afford fees may be impaired by the dependence on fee income, a result supported by companion household studies. In addition, ensuring that staff live and work in remoter areas is only likely to be financially sustainable if midwives can be attracted to live in these areas early in their careers. Finally, the overall strategy of basing skilled attendance mainly on village services throughout the country may need to be re-visited, with alternative models offered in areas where it continues to be impractical even with a change in the incentive framework.

  13. Women, gender equality, and diabetes.

    PubMed

    Hannan, Carolyn

    2009-03-01

    Discussion of women, gender equality, and diabetes should be placed in the context of United Nations mandates on women's health which highlight the need for equal access to information, prevention activities, services, and care across the life cycle. Gender differences and inequalities have been identified in relation to causes and consequences of diabetes and access to services and support between women and men, and among different groups of women. Appropriate gender-sensitive policy responses, including research and data collection, need to be developed. The recent United Nations resolution on diabetes provides an opportunity to strengthen the focus on women and diabetes.

  14. Advancing the sexual and reproductive health and human rights of women living with HIV.

    PubMed

    Loutfy, Mona; Khosla, Rajat; Narasimhan, Manjulaa

    2015-01-01

    Many women living with HIV can have safe, healthy and satisfying sexual and reproductive health, but there is still a long way to go for this to be a reality, especially for the most vulnerable amongst them who face repeated violations of their rights. The contributions in this Supplement from researchers, clinicians, programme managers, policy makers, and women living with HIV demands an important appreciation that the field of sexual and reproductive health and human rights for women living with HIV is complex on many levels, and women living with HIV form a very diverse community. The manuscripts emphasize that attention must be paid to the following critical dimensions: 1) Placing human rights and gender equality at the centre of a comprehensive approach to health programming, in particular in relation to sexuality and sexual health; 2) Ensuring health systems responsiveness to minimizing inequalities in access to health care and quality of care that often do not meet the needs of women living with HIV; 3) Engaging and empowering women living with HIV in the development of policies and programmes that affect them; and 4) Strengthening monitoring, evaluation and accountability procedures to provide good quality data and ensuring remedies for violations of health and human rights of women living with HIV.

  15. HIV epidemic and human rights among men who have sex with men in sub-Saharan Africa: Implications for HIV prevention, care, and surveillance.

    PubMed

    Abara, Winston E; Garba, Ibrahim

    2017-04-01

    Recent research has presented evidence that men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a disproportionate burden of HIV and are at increased risk for HIV in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, many countries in SSA have failed to address the needs of MSM in national HIV/AIDS programmes. Furthermore, many MSM face structural barriers to HIV prevention and care, the most significant of which include laws that criminalise male-to-male sexual contact and facilitate stigma and discrimination. This in turn increases the vulnerability of MSM to acquiring HIV and presents barriers to HIV prevention, care, and surveillance. This relationship illustrates the link between human rights, social justice, and health outcomes and presents considerable challenges to addressing the HIV epidemic among MSM in SSA. The response to the HIV epidemic in SSA requires a non-discriminatory human rights approach to all at-risk groups, including MSM. Existing international human rights treaties, to which many SSA countries are signatories, and a 'health in all policies' approach provides a strong basis to reduce structural barriers to HIV prevention, care, surveillance, and research, and to ensure that all populations in SSA, including MSM, have access to the full range of rights that help ensure equal opportunities for health and wellness.

  16. Vocational Guidance for Equal Access and Opportunity for Girls and Women in Technical and Vocational Education. UNEVOC Studies in Technical and Vocational Education 6.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Juliet V.; Vetter, Louise

    A study examined the relevance of vocational information and guidance for the equal access of girls and women to technical/vocational education in the following countries: Argentina; India; Mexico; Republic of Korea; South Africa; Spain; Sweden; Turkey; United Arab Emirates; and Zambia. Case studies were conducted by using a multiple-strategy…

  17. Promotion of the Equal Access of Girls and Women to Technical and Vocational Education. Studies on Technical and Vocational Education 7.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France).

    This monograph includes the final report of the International Expert Meeting on the Promotion of Equal Access of Girls and Women to Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and country discussion papers. The final report is composed of an introduction that proposes that many Member States require special measures…

  18. Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy in Adults with Learning Disability: Current Uptake and Adjustments to Facilitate Equality of Access

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pilling, Rachel F.

    2015-01-01

    Equality of access to health care for adults with learning disability has been in the spotlight in the UK in recent years due to publication of several reports. Adults with learning disability are thought to account for a significant proportion of the diabetic population in the UK. A list of adults known to the learning disability health…

  19. End User Evaluations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jay, Caroline; Lunn, Darren; Michailidou, Eleni

    As new technologies emerge, and Web sites become increasingly sophisticated, ensuring they remain accessible to disabled and small-screen users is a major challenge. While guidelines and automated evaluation tools are useful for informing some aspects of Web site design, numerous studies have demonstrated that they provide no guarantee that the site is genuinely accessible. The only reliable way to evaluate the accessibility of a site is to study the intended users interacting with it. This chapter outlines the processes that can be used throughout the design life cycle to ensure Web accessibility, describing their strengths and weaknesses, and discussing the practical and ethical considerations that they entail. The chapter also considers an important emerging trend in user evaluations: combining data from studies of “standard” Web use with data describing existing accessibility issues, to drive accessibility solutions forward.

  20. Authoring Tools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Treviranus, Jutta

    Authoring tools that are accessible and that enable authors to produce accessible Web content play a critical role in web accessibility. Widespread use of authoring tools that comply to the W3C Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) would ensure that even authors who are neither knowledgeable about nor particularly motivated to produce accessible content do so by default. The principles and techniques of ATAG are discussed. Some examples of accessible authoring tools are described including authoring tool content management components such as TinyMCE. Considerations for creating an accessible collaborative environment are also covered. As part of providing accessible content, the debate between system-based personal optimization and one universally accessible site configuration is presented. The issues and potential solutions to address the accessibility crisis presented by the advent of rich internet applications are outlined. This challenge must be met to ensure that a large segment of the population is able to participate in the move toward the web as a two-way communication mechanism.

  1. Web accessibility: a longitudinal study of college and university home pages in the northwestern United States.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Terrill; Burgstahler, Sheryl; Moore, Elizabeth J

    2010-01-01

    This article reports on a follow-up assessment to Thompson et al. (Proceedings of The First International Conference on Technology-based Learning with Disability, July 19-20, Dayton, Ohio, USA; 2007. pp 127-136), in which higher education home pages were evaluated over a 5-year period on their accessibility to individuals with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to identify trends in web accessibility and long-term impact of outreach and education. Home pages from 127 higher education institutions in the Northwest were evaluated for accessibility three times over a 6-month period in 2004-2005 (Phase I), and again in 2009 (Phase II). Schools in the study were offered varying degrees of training and/or support on web accessibility during Phase I. Pages were evaluated for accessibility using a set of manual checkpoints developed by the researchers. Over the 5-year period reported in this article, significant positive gains in accessibility were revealed on some measures, but accessibility declined on other measures. The areas of improvement are arguably the more basic, easy-to-implement accessibility features, while the area of decline is keyboard accessibility, which is likely associated with the emergence of dynamic new technologies on web pages. Even on those measures where accessibility is improving, it is still strikingly low. In Phase I of the study, institutions that received extensive training and support were more likely than other institutions to show improved accessibility on the measures where institutions improved overall, but were equally or more likely than others to show a decline on measures where institutions showed an overall decline. In Phase II, there was no significant difference between institutions who had received support earlier in the study, and those who had not. Results suggest that growing numbers of higher education institutions in the Northwest are motivated to add basic accessibility features to their home pages, and that outreach and education may have a positive effect on these measures. However, the results also reveal negative trends in accessibility, and outreach and education may not be strong enough to counter the factors that motivate institutions to deploy inaccessible emerging technologies. Further research is warranted toward identifying the motivational factors that are associated with increased and decreased web accessibility, and much additional work is needed to ensure that higher education web pages are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

  2. One and done? Equality of opportunity and repeated access to scarce, indivisible medical resources

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Existing ethical guidelines recommend that, all else equal, past receipt of a medical resource (e.g. a scarce organ) should not be considered in current allocation decisions (e.g. a repeat transplantation). Discussion One stated reason for this ethical consensus is that formal theories of ethics and justice do not persuasively accept or reject repeated access to the same medical resources. Another is that restricting attention to past receipt of a particular medical resource seems arbitrary: why couldn’t one just as well, it is argued, consider receipt of other goods such as income or education? In consequence, simple allocation by lottery or first-come-first-served without consideration of any past receipt is thought to best afford equal opportunity, conditional on equal medical need. There are three issues with this view that need to be addressed. First, public views and patient preferences are less ambiguous than formal theories of ethics. Empirical work shows strong preferences for fairness in health care that have not been taken into account: repeated access to resources has been perceived as unfair. Second, while difficult to consider receipt of many other prior resources including non-medical resources, this should not be used a motive for ignoring the receipt of any and all goods including the focal resource in question. Third, when all claimants to a scarce resource are equally deserving, then use of random allocation seems warranted. However, the converse is not true: mere use of a randomizer does not by itself make the merits of all claimants equal. Summary My conclusion is that not ignoring prior receipt of the same medical resource, and prioritizing those who have not previously had access to the medical resource in question, may be perceived as fairer and more equitable by society. PMID:22624597

  3. One and done? Equality of opportunity and repeated access to scarce, indivisible medical resources.

    PubMed

    Huesch, Marco D

    2012-05-24

    Existing ethical guidelines recommend that, all else equal, past receipt of a medical resource (e.g. a scarce organ) should not be considered in current allocation decisions (e.g. a repeat transplantation). One stated reason for this ethical consensus is that formal theories of ethics and justice do not persuasively accept or reject repeated access to the same medical resources. Another is that restricting attention to past receipt of a particular medical resource seems arbitrary: why couldn't one just as well, it is argued, consider receipt of other goods such as income or education? In consequence, simple allocation by lottery or first-come-first-served without consideration of any past receipt is thought to best afford equal opportunity, conditional on equal medical need.There are three issues with this view that need to be addressed. First, public views and patient preferences are less ambiguous than formal theories of ethics. Empirical work shows strong preferences for fairness in health care that have not been taken into account: repeated access to resources has been perceived as unfair. Second, while difficult to consider receipt of many other prior resources including non-medical resources, this should not be used a motive for ignoring the receipt of any and all goods including the focal resource in question. Third, when all claimants to a scarce resource are equally deserving, then use of random allocation seems warranted. However, the converse is not true: mere use of a randomizer does not by itself make the merits of all claimants equal. My conclusion is that not ignoring prior receipt of the same medical resource, and prioritizing those who have not previously had access to the medical resource in question, may be perceived as fairer and more equitable by society.

  4. Equity Implications for Mathematics Learning Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reznichenko, Nataliya

    2013-01-01

    The call for "mathematics for all" reaffirms the belief that all students should have equal access, equal educational experiences, and equal educational outcomes. Existing gap in students' mathematics achievement have long been coupled with the demographic categories of race and ethnicity, culture and language, SES and social class,…

  5. 3 CFR - Coordination of Policies and Programs To Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women and Girls...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ..., are free from violence, and have equal access to education, economic opportunity, and health care... Equality and Female Empowerment Policy. The Millennium Challenge Corporation issued Gender Integration..., Defense, Justice, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Homeland...

  6. A study on the equality and benefit of China's national health care system.

    PubMed

    Zhai, Shaoguo; Wang, Pei; Dong, Quanfang; Ren, Xing; Cai, Jiaoli; Coyte, Peter C

    2017-08-29

    This study is designed to evaluate whether the benefit which the residents received from the national health care system is equal in China. The perceived equality and benefit are used to measure the personal status of health care system, health status. This study examines variations in perceived equality and benefit of the national health care system between urban and rural residents from five cities of China and assessed their determinants. One thousand one hundred ninty eight residents were selected from a random survey among five nationally representative cities. The research characterizes perceptions into four population groupings based on a binary assessment of survey scores: high equality & high benefit; low equality & low benefit; high equality & low benefit; and low equality & high benefit. The distribution of the four groups above is 30.4%, 43.0%, 4.6% and 22.0%, respectively. Meanwhile, the type of health insurance, educational background, occupation, geographic regions, changes in health status and other factors have significant impacts on perceived equality and benefit derived from the health care system. The findings demonstrate wide variations in perceptions of equality and benefit between urban and rural residents and across population characteristics, leading to a perceived lack of fairness in benefits and accessibility. Opportunities exist for policy interventions that are targeted to eliminate perceived differences and promote greater equality in access to health care.

  7. The Promise of Equality Schools: Improving Learning of Marginal Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ghory, Ward; Sinclair, Robert

    Public schools are responsible for ensuring that all citizens are prepared for success. An analysis of the needs of high risk students and the introduction of the idea of an "Equality School" are described in this report. Research suggests that too many young people, many of whom come from minority groups, are forced to live and learn on…

  8. An Annotated Summary of the Regulation for Title IX Education Amendments of 1972.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    NETWORK, Inc., Andover, MA.

    This document is one of a two-part set of publications. Both deal with equal education and provide a concise overview of Title IX and gender equity issues in education and steps to take to ensure nondiscrimination and equal education opportunity for all. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is the major federal law prohibiting sex…

  9. Answering the Call for Equitable Access to Effective Teachers: Lessons Learned from State-Based Teacher Preparation Efforts in Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, 2015

    2015-01-01

    The nation's teacher education programs are not producing the quantity or quality of teachers needed, particularly in needed subjects. The only way to ensure a strong enough pipeline of effective teachers to ensure equitable access is to dramatically increase how states are preparing prospective educators. The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship…

  10. Evaluating multiple dimensions of visitors' tradeoffs between access and crowding at Arches National Park using indifference curve analysis

    Treesearch

    Steven R. Lawson; Robert E. Manning

    2001-01-01

    Tradeoffs are an inherent part of many of the decisions faced by outdoor recreation managers. For example, decisions concerning the social carrying capacity of popular attraction sites involve tradeoffs between limiting visitor use to ensure a high quality experience and allowing high levels of visitor use to ensure that large numbers of visitors retain access to park...

  11. Accessible transit services for all.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-12-01

    Ensuring the provision of accessible transit services for all requires that both accessible fixed-route transit services and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complementary paratransit services be provided. Significant progress has been made on b...

  12. When unequals are treated equally: the 2002 commission of inquiry into Orica's Geomelt proposal.

    PubMed

    Jensen-Lee, Catherine

    2009-04-01

    This paper deals with the Commission of Inquiry (COI) established by the NSW Department of Planning to examine Orica's proposal to build a Geomelt plant at its Botany site to destroy its stockpile of Hexachlorobenzene. The Inquiry is analysed in light of the literature on democracy/democratisation. The paper argues that the standard operating procedures of the Inquiry ensured that all stakeholders were treated equally. However, this equality was found to be purely formal, and drawing on the critique of formal equality dating back to Aristotle, it is argued that treating unequals equally results in the circumvention of deliberative democratic ideals by perpetuating entrenched structural inequalities while nonetheless giving the superficial appearance of fair play.

  13. Enabling Scientists: Serving Sci-Tech Library Users with Disabilities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coonin, Bryna

    2001-01-01

    Discusses how librarians in scientific and technical libraries can contribute to an accessible electronic library environment for users with disabilities to ensure independent access to information. Topics include relevant assistive technologies; creating accessible Web pages; monitoring accessibility of electronic databases; preparing accessible…

  14. 29 CFR 33.11 - Communications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... beneficiaries by telephone, telecommunications devices for deaf persons (TDDs), or equally effective... about accessible facilities. The international symbol for accessibility shall be used at each primary...

  15. Accessibility | FNLCR Staging

    Cancer.gov

    The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research campus is making every effort to ensure that the information available on our website is accessible to all. If you use special adaptive equipment to access the web and encounter problems when usin

  16. 77 FR 18814 - Emergency Access Advisory Committee; Announcement of Date of Next Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-28

    ... Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), Public Law 11-260, for the purpose of achieving equal access... those effective and efficient technologies and methods. Public Law 111-260 Sec. 106(c). During the... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION [DA 12-406] Emergency Access Advisory Committee; Announcement of...

  17. The Effects of Implementing Web Accessibility Standards on the Success of Secondary Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Savi, Christine Opitz; Savenye, Wilhelmina; Rowland, Cynthia

    2008-01-01

    Web accessibility has become a paramount concern in providing equal access to audiences of all abilities. Unless web accessibility is supported and employed, the internet does not deliver worldwide access as it was intended. This study engaged 60 students in a secondary school setting in order to identify the navigational effectiveness and…

  18. Not All Lexical Access Tasks Are Created Equal: Lexical Development between Three and Five

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Isacoff, Nora M.; Stromswold, Karin

    2014-01-01

    Lexical access tasks are designed to measure efficiency of lexical access, but task demands and methods vary greatly. Many lexical access tasks do not account for confounding factors including competence in other linguistic abilities. In this study, preschoolers were given two lexical access tasks. In the single-category naming (SCN) task,…

  19. 20 CFR 667.275 - What are a recipient's obligations to ensure nondiscrimination and equal opportunity, and what...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What are a recipient's obligations to ensure... administered and enforced by the DOL Civil Rights Center. (3) As described in § 667.260(a), financial... religious worship are described at 29 CFR 37.6(f)(2). See section 188(a)(3) of the Workforce Investment Act...

  20. Brown v. Board of Education: The Challenge for Today's Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lagemann, Ellen Condliffe, Ed.; Miller, Lamar P., Ed.

    The 1954 Supreme Court decision in the case of "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas" provided the legal basis for equal educational opportunity. More than 40 years after the decision, equal opportunity, equal access, and affirmative action remain issues of intense debate. This book offers essays by 23 prominent voices in…

  1. The Education Equality Initiative and the Citizen Learner

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shannon, Denise

    2005-01-01

    The Education Equality Initiative (EEI) has been established by the Department of Education and Science in an attempt to address educational disadvantage through the strategic allocation of funding to promote equality of access, treatment and outcomes within a lifelong learning framework for individuals and groups. The aim of this initiative is to…

  2. Concise Review: The High Cost of High Tech Medicine: Planning Ahead for Market Access

    PubMed Central

    Driscoll, Dawn; Farnia, Stephanie; Kefalas, Panos

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Cellular therapies and other regenerative medicines are emerging as potentially transformative additions to modern medicine, but likely at a staggering financial cost. Public health care systems’ budgets are already strained by growing and aging populations, and many private insurer's budgets are equally stretched. The current systems that most payers employ to manage their cash flow are not structured to absorb a sudden onslaught of very expensive prescriptions for a large portion of their covered population. Despite this, developers of new regenerative medicines tend to focus on the demands of regulators, not payers, in order to be compliant throughout the clinical trials phases, and to develop a product that ultimately will be approvable. It is not advisable to assume that an approved product will automatically become a reimbursed product, as examples from current practice in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the U.S. demonstrate; similarly, in Europe numerous Advanced‐therapy Medicinal Products achieved market authorization but failed to secure reimbursement (e.g., Glybera, Provenge, ChondroCelect, MACI). There are however strategies and approaches that developers can employ throughout clinical development, in order to generate clinical and health economic data which will be necessary to demonstrate the value proposition of the new product and help ensure market access for patients; furthermore, performance based managed entry agreements coupled with post‐launch evidence generation can help overcome challenges around product uncertainty at launch and reduce market access delays. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:1723–1729 PMID:28749065

  3. International Charter of principles for sharing bio-specimens and data.

    PubMed

    Mascalzoni, Deborah; Dove, Edward S; Rubinstein, Yaffa; Dawkins, Hugh J S; Kole, Anna; McCormack, Pauline; Woods, Simon; Riess, Olaf; Schaefer, Franz; Lochmüller, Hanns; Knoppers, Bartha M; Hansson, Mats

    2015-06-01

    There is a growing international agreement on the need to provide greater access to research data and bio-specimen collections to optimize their long-term value and exploit their potential for health discovery and validation. This is especially evident for rare disease research. Currently, the rising value of data and bio-specimen collections does not correspond with an equal increase in data/sample-sharing and data/sample access. Contradictory legal and ethical frameworks across national borders are obstacles to effective sharing: more specifically, the absence of an integrated model proves to be a major logistical obstruction. The Charter intends to amend the obstacle by providing both the ethical foundations on which data sharing should be based, as well as a general Material and Data Transfer Agreement (MTA/DTA). This Charter is the result of a careful negotiation of different stakeholders' interest and is built on earlier consensus documents and position statements, which provided the general international legal framework. Further to this, the Charter provides tools that may help accelerate sharing. The Charter has been formulated to serve as an enabling tool for effective and transparent data and bio-specimen sharing and the general MTA/DTA constitutes a mechanism to ensure uniformity of access across projects and countries, and may be regarded as a consistent basic agreement for addressing data and material sharing globally. The Charter is forward looking in terms of emerging issues from the perspective of a multi-stakeholder group, and where possible, provides strategies that may address these issues.

  4. Global surgery: current evidence for improving surgical care.

    PubMed

    Fuller, Jennifer C; Shaye, David A

    2017-08-01

    The field of global surgery is undergoing rapid transformation, owing to several recent prominent reports positioning it as a cost-effective means of relieving global disease burden. The purpose of this article is to review the recent advances in the field of global surgery. Efforts to grow the global surgical workforce and procedural capacity have focused on innovative methods to increase surgeon training, enhance international collaboration, leverage technology, optimize existing health systems, and safely implement task-sharing. Computer modeling offers a novel means of informing policy to optimize timely access to care, equitably promote health and financial protection, and efficiently grow infrastructure. Tools and checklists have recently been developed to enhance data collection and ensure methodologically rigorous publications to inform planning, benchmark surgical systems, promote accurate modeling, track key health indicators, and promote safety. Creation of institutional partnerships and trainee exchanges can enrich training, stimulate commitment to humanitarian work, and promote the equal exchange of ideas and expertise. The recent body of work creates a strong foundation upon which work toward the goal of universal access to safe, affordable surgical care can be built; however, further collection and analysis of country-specific data is necessary for accurate modeling and outcomes research into the efficacy of policies such as task-sharing is greatly needed.

  5. 5 CFR 1850.160 - Communications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... applicants and beneficiaries by telephone, telecommunication devices for deaf persons (TDD's) or equally... international symbol for accessibility shall be used at each primary entrance of an accessible facility. (d...

  6. 24 CFR 582.330 - Nondiscrimination and equal opportunity requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... diseases). However, other eligible disabled homeless persons must be considered for housing designed for... recipient must establish additional procedures that will ensure that interested persons can obtain...

  7. 24 CFR 582.330 - Nondiscrimination and equal opportunity requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... diseases). However, other eligible disabled homeless persons must be considered for housing designed for... recipient must establish additional procedures that will ensure that interested persons can obtain...

  8. 24 CFR 582.330 - Nondiscrimination and equal opportunity requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... diseases). However, other eligible disabled homeless persons must be considered for housing designed for... recipient must establish additional procedures that will ensure that interested persons can obtain...

  9. 24 CFR 582.330 - Nondiscrimination and equal opportunity requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... diseases). However, other eligible disabled homeless persons must be considered for housing designed for... recipient must establish additional procedures that will ensure that interested persons can obtain...

  10. Restricted daily consumption of a highly palatable food (chocolate Ensure(R)) alters striatal enkephalin gene expression.

    PubMed

    Kelley, A E; Will, M J; Steininger, T L; Zhang, M; Haber, S N

    2003-11-01

    Brain opioid peptide systems are known to play an important role in motivation, emotion, attachment behaviour, the response to stress and pain, and the control of food intake. Opioid peptides within the ventral striatum are thought to play a key role in the latter function, regulating the affective response to highly palatable, energy-dense foods such as those containing fat and sugar. It has been shown previously that stimulation of mu opiate receptors within the ventral striatum increases intake of palatable food. In the present study, we examined enkephalin peptide gene expression within the striatum in rats that had been given restricted daily access to an energy-dense, palatable liquid food, chocolate Ensure(R). Rats maintained on an ad libitum diet of rat chow and water were given 3-h access to Ensure(R) daily for two weeks. One day following the end of this period, preproenkephalin gene expression was measured with quantitative in situ hybridization. Compared with control animals, rats that had been exposed to Ensure(R) had significantly reduced enkephalin gene expression in several striatal regions including the ventral striatum (nucleus accumbens), a finding that was confirmed in a different group with Northern blot analysis. Rats fed this regimen of Ensure(R) did not differ in weight from controls. In contrast to chronic Ensure(R), acute ingestion of Ensure(R) did not appear to affect enkephalin peptide gene expression. These results suggest that repeated consumption of a highly rewarding, energy-dense food induces neuroadaptations in cognitive-motivational circuits.

  11. 12 CFR 1732.7 - Record hold.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... storage method. (d) Access to and retrieval of records. The record retention program of an Enterprise shall ensure access to and retrieval of records by the Enterprise and access, upon request, by OFHEO... availability of the records and existing information technology. ...

  12. 12 CFR 1732.7 - Record hold.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... storage method. (d) Access to and retrieval of records. The record retention program of an Enterprise shall ensure access to and retrieval of records by the Enterprise and access, upon request, by OFHEO... availability of the records and existing information technology. ...

  13. Accessibility | Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research

    Cancer.gov

    The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research campus is making every effort to ensure that the information available on our website is accessible to all. If you use special adaptive equipment to access the web and encounter problems when usin

  14. Water for Two Worlds: Designing Terrestrial Applications for Exploration-class Sanitation Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Adams, Constance; Andersson, Ingvar; Feighery, John

    2004-01-01

    At the United Nations Millennium Summit in September of 2000, the world leaders agreed on an ambitious agenda for reducing poverty and improving lives: the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a list of issues they consider highly pernicious, threatening to human welfare and, thereby, to global security and prosperity. Among the eight goals are included fundamental human needs such as the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the promotion of gender equality, the reduction of child mortality and improvement of maternal health, and ensuring the sustainability of our shared environment. In order to help focus the efforts to meet these goals, the United Nations (UN) has established a set of eighteen concrete targets, each with an associated schedule. Among these is Target 10: "By 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water." A closely related target of equal dignity was agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, September 2002): "By 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation." One of the greatest successes in the development of Exploration-class technologies for closed-loop, sustainable support of long-duration human space missions has been the work both ESA and NASA have done in bioregenerative water reclamation (WRS), and secondarily, in solid-waste management. Solid-waste and WRS systems tend to be combined in the commercial world into the field of sanitation, although as we will see, the most essential principles of sustainable terrestrial sanitation actually insist upon the separation of solid and liquid excreta. Seeing the potential synergy between the space program ALS technologies developed for Mars and the urgent needs of hundreds of millions of people for secure access to clean water here on Earth, we set out to organize the adaptation of these technologies to help the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) meet Target 10. In this paper, we will summarize the issues and results of the first "Water for Two Worlds" summit held in January of this year, describe,the status of the sustainable sanitation systems that are on the table for adaptation to widespread terrestrial use, and present fundamental strategies for forward work.

  15. Data stewardship - a fundamental part of the scientific method (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foster, C.; Ross, J.; Wyborn, L. A.

    2013-12-01

    This paper emphasises the importance of data stewardship as a fundamental part of the scientific method, and the need to effect cultural change to ensure engagement by earth scientists. It is differentiated from the science of data stewardship per se. Earth System science generates vast quantities of data, and in the past, data analysis has been constrained by compute power, such that sub-sampling of data often provided the only way to reach an outcome. This is analogous to Kahneman's System 1 heuristic, with its simplistic and often erroneous outcomes. The development of HPC has liberated earth sciences such that the complexity and heterogeneity of natural systems can be utilised in modelling at any scale, global, or regional, or local; for example, movement of crustal fluids. Paradoxically, now that compute power is available, it is the stewardship of the data that is presenting the main challenges. There is a wide spectrum of issues: from effectively handling and accessing acquired data volumes [e.g. satellite feeds per day/hour]; through agreed taxonomy to effect machine to machine analyses; to idiosyncratic approaches by individual scientists. Except for the latter, most agree that data stewardship is essential. Indeed it is an essential part of the science workflow. As science struggles to engage and inform on issues of community importance, such as shale gas and fraccing, all parties must have equal access to data used for decision making; without that, there will be no social licence to operate or indeed access to additional science funding (Heidorn, 2008). The stewardship of scientific data is an essential part of the science process; but often it is regarded, wrongly, as entirely in the domain of data custodians or stewards. Geoscience Australia has developed a set of six principles that apply to all science activities within the agency: Relevance to Government Collaborative science Quality science Transparent science Communicated science Sustained science capability Every principle includes data stewardship: this is to effect cultural change at both collective and individual levels to ensure that our science outcomes and technical advice are effective for the Government and community.

  16. A Scorecard on Gender Equality and Girls' Education in Asia, 1990-2000. Advocacy Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Unterhalter, Elaine; Rajagopalan, Rajee; Challender, Chloe

    2005-01-01

    Background: Existing measures for access to and efficiency in the school system are very limited as measures of gender equality, even though there have been marked improvements in sex-disaggregated data. A methodology for developing a scorecard which measures gender equality in schooling and education partly based on Amartya Sen's capability…

  17. A Model Policy Statement and Guidelines for Implementation: Equal Treatment of Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO.

    This booklet offers a model policy statement that schools shall provide equal educational opportunities to all students regardless of sex. It includes stipulations and guidelines to achieve equal access in all areas of education. The following areas are considered: (1) Course offerings: every course shall be open to all students and schools should…

  18. Accessible Information for Equally-Distant Partially-Entangled Alphabet State Resource

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hao, San-Ru; Hou, Bo-Yu; Xi, Xiao-Qiang; Yue, Rui-Hong

    2002-02-01

    We have proposed a quantum system with equally-distant partially-entangled alphabet states which has the minimal mutual overlap and the highly distinguishability, these quantum states are used as the "signal states" of the quantum communication. We have also constructed the positive operator-valued measure for these "signal states" and discussed their entanglement properties and measurement of entanglement. We calculate the accessible information for these alphabet states and show that the accessible information is closely related to the entanglement of the "signal states": the higher the entanglement of the "signal states", the better the accessible information of the quantum system, and the accessible information reaches its maximal value when the alphabet states have their maximal entanglement. The project supported in part by Foundation of the Science and Technology Committee of China, and Foundation of the Science and Technology Committee of Hunan Province of China under the contract FSTCH-21000205

  19. The effect of centralization of health care services on travel time and its equality.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, Daisuke; Otsubo, Tetsuya; Imanaka, Yuichi

    2015-03-01

    To analyze the regional variations in travel time between patient residences and medical facilities for the treatment of ischemic heart disease and breast cancer, and to simulate the effects of health care services centralization on travel time and equality of access. We used medical insurance claims data for inpatients and outpatients for the two target diseases that had been filed between September 2008 and May 2009 in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Using a geographical information system, patient travel times were calculated based on the driving distance between patient residences and hospitals via highways and toll roads. Locations of residences and hospital locations were identified using postal codes. We then conducted a simulation analysis of centralization of health care services to designated regional core hospitals. The simulated changes in potential spatial access to care were examined. Inequalities in access to care were examined using Gini coefficients, which ranged from 0.4109 to 0.4574. Simulations of health care services centralization showed reduced travel time for most patients and overall improvements in equality of access, except in breast cancer outpatients. Our findings may contribute to the decision-making process in policies aimed at improving the potential spatial access to health care services. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Migrants' access to healthcare services within the European Union: a content analysis of policy documents in Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

    PubMed

    Ledoux, Céline; Pilot, Eva; Diaz, Esperanza; Krafft, Thomas

    2018-06-15

    The current migration flow into Europe is leading to a growing ethnically diverse population in many European countries. Now more than ever, those populations have different healthcare needs, languages, traditions, and previous level of care. This higher level of diversity is likely to increase health inequalities that might challenge healthcare systems if not addressed. In this context, this study aims at reviewing the policy framework for migrants' access to healthcare in Spain, Portugal and Ireland, countries with a long history of immigration, to identify lessons to be learned for policies on migrants' health. A content analysis of official policy documents was undertaken and the conceptual framework developed by Mladowsky was adapted to classify the actions indicated in the policies. The content analysis revealed that the policy aim for all three analysed countries is the improvement of the health status of the immigrant population based on equity and equality principles. The main strategies are the adaptation of services through actions targeting patients and providers, such as the implementation of cultural mediators and trainings for health professionals. The three countries propose a great range of policies aiming at improving access to healthcare services for immigrants that can inspire other European countries currently welcoming refugees. Developing inclusive policies, however does not necessarily mean they will be implemented or felt on the ground. Inclusive policies are indeed under threat due to the economic and social crises and due to the respective nationalistic attitudes towards integration. The European Union is challenged to take a more proactive leadership and ensure that countries effectively implement inclusive actions to improve migrant's access to health services.

  1. Improving equitable access to imaging under universal-access medicine: the ontario wait time information program and its impact on hospital policy and process.

    PubMed

    Kielar, Ania Z; El-Maraghi, Robert H; Schweitzer, Mark E

    2010-08-01

    In Canada, equal access to health care is the goal, but this is associated with wait times. Wait times should be fair rather than uniform, taking into account the urgency of the problem as well as the time an individual has already waited. In November 2004, the Ontario government began addressing this issue. One of the first steps was to institute benchmarks reflecting "acceptable" wait times for CT and MRI. A public Web site was developed indicating wait times at each Local Health Integration Network. Since starting the Wait Time Information Program, there has been a sustained reduction in wait times for Ontarians requiring CT and MRI. The average wait time for a CT scan went from 81 days in September 2005 to 47 days in September 2009. For MRI, the resulting wait time was reduced from 120 to 105 days. Increased patient scans have been achieved by purchasing new CT and MRI scanners, expanding hours of operation, and improving patient throughput using strategies learned from the Lean initiative, based on Toyota's manufacturing philosophy for car production. Institution-specific changes in booking procedures have been implemented. Concurrently, government guidelines have been developed to ensure accountability for monies received. The Ontario Wait Time Information Program is an innovative first step in improving fair and equitable access to publicly funded imaging services. There have been reductions in wait times for both CT and MRI. As various new processes are implemented, further review will be necessary for each step to determine their individual efficacy. Copyright 2010 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Knowledge of Breast Density and Awareness of Related Breast Cancer Risk

    PubMed Central

    Duric, Neb; Littrup, Peter; Bey-Knight, Lisa; Penner, Louis; Albrecht, Terrance L.

    2013-01-01

    Little is known about women’s knowledge of breast density or between-race differences in this knowledge. In the current study, we examined knowledge of breast density and awareness of its role as a breast cancer risk factor among women who had previously taken part in a breast imaging study. Seventy-seven women (54.5 % Black) returned a survey assessing perceptions and accuracy of breast density knowledge, knowledge of one’s own breast density, and breast cancer risk awareness. White women had greater perceived knowledge of breast density compared to Black women; however, differences in the accuracy of definitions of breast density were due to education. Black women were less likely to know how dense their own breasts were. Black and White women both lacked awareness that having dense breast increased breast cancer risk. The results highlight the need to disseminate information regarding breast density to women, while ensuring that the information is equally accessible to both Black and White women. PMID:23467999

  3. Knowledge of breast density and awareness of related breast cancer risk.

    PubMed

    Manning, Mark A; Duric, Neb; Littrup, Peter; Bey-Knight, Lisa; Penner, Louis; Albrecht, Terrance L

    2013-06-01

    Little is known about women's knowledge of breast density or between-race differences in this knowledge. In the current study, we examined knowledge of breast density and awareness of its role as a breast cancer risk factor among women who had previously taken part in a breast imaging study. Seventy-seven women (54.5 % Black) returned a survey assessing perceptions and accuracy of breast density knowledge, knowledge of one's own breast density, and breast cancer risk awareness. White women had greater perceived knowledge of breast density compared to Black women; however, differences in the accuracy of definitions of breast density were due to education. Black women were less likely to know how dense their own breasts were. Black and White women both lacked awareness that having dense breast increased breast cancer risk. The results highlight the need to disseminate information regarding breast density to women, while ensuring that the information is equally accessible to both Black and White women.

  4. Mental Health Support Service for University Students.

    PubMed

    Gale, Jill; Thalitaya, Madhusudan Deepak

    2015-09-01

    The Mental Health Support Service provides substantial one to one practical support for students to enable them to manage their mental health and study to provide coordinated support and ensure compliance with the Equality Act 2010. The service consists of a full time Mental Health Advisor and a part time Support Worker and is available all year round. Supervision is received from a Consultant Psychiatrist. To liaise with students and professionals when a student is admitted to hospital/Crisis Teams. Close communication with other services such as Student Engagement, the International Office, the Chaplain and academics. Data from the Office of National Statistics between 2007 and 2011 have shown an increase in the number of student suicides since the start of the recession. Feedback highlights that students benefit from the support and value the professional and welcoming attitude of the team. The service continues to provide good quality support to those who access it. Student feedback shows that they believe the support has helped them to stay at university and complete their degree.

  5. Strategic thinking.

    PubMed

    Davies, Jill; Burke, Christine

    2012-01-01

    The new framework is seen as a positive move to improve the nation's mental health and wellbeing. However, despite the strategy highlighting the needs of people with learning disabilities, the framework offers very little specifically for this group. This raises concern that this group will remain off the radar for those in mainstream services and organisations that could support them to maintain their mental health and wellbeing. With the Valuing People Now team disbanded, there is no nationally-accredited body given the role to champion people with learning disabilities. Those with a learning disability and a mental illness should be able to access services and be treated in the same way as anyone else with reasonable adjustments being made in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act (2005) and the Disability Equality Duty (2006). But as the implementation framework is lacking in attention to this group more work will be required by mainstream and specialist organisations to ensure the key messages from the frameworks are applicable to people with learning disabilities.

  6. The Italian health-care system.

    PubMed

    France, George; Taroni, Francesco; Donatini, Andrea

    2005-09-01

    Italy's national health service is statutorily required to guarantee the uniform provision of comprehensive care throughout the country. However, this is complicated by the fact that, constitutionally, responsibility for health care is shared between the central government and the 20 regions. There are large and growing differences in regional health service organisation and provision. Public health-care expenditure has absorbed a relatively low share of gross domestic product, although in the last 25 years it has consistently exceeded central government forecasts. Changes in payment systems, particularly for hospital care, have helped to encourage organisational appropriateness and may have contributed to containing expenditure. Tax sources used to finance the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN) have become somewhat more regressive. The limited evidence on vertical equity suggests that the SSN ensures equal access to primary care but lower income groups face barriers to specialist care. The health status of Italians has improved and compares favourably with that in other countries, although regional disparities persist. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Equality and Excellence in Higher Education--Is It Possible?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guri, Sarah

    1986-01-01

    The underlying philosophy of Everyman's University, Israel's open university, is to maintain educational excellence while providing equal educational opportunity to large segments of the population through free access and a flexible program of distance education. (MSE)

  8. Quality and Equality in Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanford, George H.

    1984-01-01

    College Board programs and publications aimed at increasing access to higher education while helping maintain and enhance educational quality are discussed, including the Educational Equality Project on college preparation, Advanced Placement, College-Level Exaination Program, and Options for Excellence. (MSE)

  9. Experiences that develop the ability to think strategically.

    PubMed

    Goldman, Ellen; Cahill, Terrence; Filho, Rubens Pessanha

    2009-01-01

    The ability to think strategically is an admired and a sought-after leadership requirement, yet we know little about how it develops. The purpose of this study is to identify specific experiences that contribute to the development of an individual's ability to think strategically. We identified eight work experiences, including different types of organizational projects, processes, and relationships, that contribute to an individual's strategic thinking ability. We also delineate specific characteristics material to each experience. These characteristics indicate that considerable time and focus are required to develop the ability to think strategically. In addition, the experiences are not all accessed equally: Women are less likely to have nonrelational experiences, while chief executive officers are more likely to have the most challenging ones. In addition, we found differences regarding work-related continuing education activities. Respondents rated nonhealthcare conferences and reading behind all other identified experiences that contribute to strategic thinking ability. Individuals can implement several strategies to improve their strategic thinking ability, including deliberately incorporating the requisite experiences into their development plans, ensuring that the experiences incorporate the required characteristics, and improving the benefit received from attending educational programs in nonhealthcare industries. Organizations can implement several strategies to ensure the experiences are as effective as possible, such as appraising gender differences across the experiences and reviewing the organization's strategic planning processes for the characteristics that best encourage strategic thinking.

  10. 49 CFR 28.160 - Communications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ..., telecommunications devices for deaf persons (TDDs) or equally effective telecommunication systems, shall be used to... accessibility shall be used at each primary entrance of an accessible facility. (d) This section does not...

  11. 32 CFR 216.3 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ...’ secured its access * * * We do not think that the military recruiter has received equal 'access' [when a... institution of higher education is a discrete (although not necessarily autonomous) organizational entity that...

  12. The morally uncomfortable global drug gap.

    PubMed

    Cohen-Kohler, J C

    2007-11-01

    Pharmaceuticals are one of the cornerstones of human development as their rational consumption can reduce morbidity and mortality rates and enhance the quality of life. Pharmaceuticals have curative and therapeutic qualities, so they cannot be considered as ordinary products. In line with this, ensuring public policy fosters access to medicines demands thoughtful and careful consideration, as it is often about whether a patient lives or dies. Despite the flow of international aid for pharmaceuticals, particularly used for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, there is a morally concerning drug gap globally; the World Health Organization (WHO) notes that one-third of the global population lacks regular access to essential medicines and that in some parts of Asia and Africa these figures are even more severe.(1) But what is troubling is that, despite the knowledge that we live in a world with inequitable access to medicines, we have not examined how we need to put in place policies that not only support drug access but also do not undermine it, which will be addressed later. What is promising, is that slowly, a paradigm shift is taking place. Access to essential medicines is increasingly viewed as a fundamental human right, with international human rights laws placing attendant obligations on states to ensure access.(2, 3) But governments also have to ensure that the policy environment is supportive of access to medicines. And this includes making sure that social policy is not undercut by economic interests.

  13. School-Based Health Centers Make Sense: Ensuring All Kids Have Access to the Health Care They Need to Be Healthy and Safe, and to Do Their Best in School. Issue Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Children Now, 2014

    2014-01-01

    School-based health centers (SBHCs) are an innovative and effective way to address California's severe health care access problem among children. By providing critical health care services to kids in school, SBHCs ensure children get the medical, mental health, and dental care they need to be healthy and safe, and to support their ability to…

  14. Aesops Guide to Space Acquisition: Glimpses of Past and Future

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-04-01

    Defense AT&L: March–April 2015 6 Aesop’s Guide to Space Acquisition Glimpses of Past and Future John Krieger n William “Lance” Krieger n Rick...U.S.C.) § 2273—Policy regarding assured access to space : national security payloads, establishes the requirement for the President to ensure our...access to space . (a) Policy—It is the policy of the United States for the President to undertake actions appropriate to ensure, to the maximum

  15. Implementation of Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996: access to telecommunications services, telecommunications equipment, and customer premises equipment by persons with disabilities--FCC. Notice of proposed rulemaking.

    PubMed

    1998-05-22

    This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is an important step in the Commission's effort to increase the accessibility of telecommunications services and equipment to Americans with disabilities. The NPRM proposes a framework for implementing section 255 of the Communications Act of 1934 (Act), which requires telecommunications equipment manufacturers and service providers to ensure that their equipment and services are accessible to persons with disabilities, to the extent it is readily achievable to do so. In addition, if accessibility is not readily achievable, section 255 requires manufacturers and service providers to ensure compatibility with existing peripheral devices or specialized customer premises equipment commonly used by individuals with disabilities to achieve access, to the extent it is readily achievable to do so. The NPRM first explores the Commission's legal authority to establish rules implementing section 255. The NPRM then seeks comment on the interpretation of specific statutory terms that are relevant to the proceeding. Finally, the NPRM seeks comment on proposals to implement and enforce the requirement that telecommunications equipment and services be made accessible to the extent readily achievable. The actions proposed in the NPRM are needed to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind in the telecommunications revolution and consequently isolated from contemporary life.

  16. Improving Web Accessibility in a University Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olive, Geoffrey C.

    2010-01-01

    Improving Web accessibility for disabled users visiting a university's Web site is explored following the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) guidelines and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act rules for Web page designers to ensure accessibility. The literature supports the view that accessibility is sorely lacking, not only in the USA, but also…

  17. Guidelines for Making Web Content Accessible to All Users

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Terrill; Primlani, Saroj; Fiedor, Lisa

    2009-01-01

    The main goal of accessibility standards and guidelines is to design websites everyone can use. The "IT Accessibility Constituent Group" developed this set of draft guidelines to help EQ authors, reviewers, and staff and the larger EDUCAUSE community ensure that web content is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. This…

  18. Assured Access/Mobile Computing Initiatives on Five University Campuses.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blurton, Craig; Chee, Yam San; Long, Phillip D.; Resmer, Mark; Runde, Craig

    Mobile computing and assured access are becoming popular terms to describe a growing number of university programs which take advantage of ubiquitous network access points and the portability of notebook computers to ensure all students have access to digital tools and resources. However, the implementation of such programs varies widely from…

  19. 78 FR 70189 - National Child's Day, 2013

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-25

    ...- profit organizations to ensure families have the information they need to give our children the happy, healthy futures they deserve. Yet equal opportunity cannot exist while some parents are forced to choose...

  20. 34 CFR 300.172 - Access to instructional materials.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES State Eligibility Other Provisions Required for State Eligibility § 300.172... that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible formats, but are not... this section to ensure that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible...

  1. 34 CFR 300.172 - Access to instructional materials.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES State Eligibility Other Provisions Required for State Eligibility § 300.172... that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible formats, but are not... this section to ensure that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible...

  2. 34 CFR 300.172 - Access to instructional materials.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES State Eligibility Other Provisions Required for State Eligibility § 300.172... that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible formats, but are not... this section to ensure that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible...

  3. 34 CFR 300.172 - Access to instructional materials.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES State Eligibility Other Provisions Required for State Eligibility § 300.172... that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible formats, but are not... this section to ensure that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible...

  4. 34 CFR 300.172 - Access to instructional materials.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES State Eligibility Other Provisions Required for State Eligibility § 300.172... that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible formats, but are not... this section to ensure that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible...

  5. Access & Persistence. Summer 2008

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, 2008

    2008-01-01

    This issue of "Access & Persistence" describes the roundtable discussion, "Ensuring Access to College Amid Economic Uncertainty," held on June 13, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. The purpose of the discussion was to gather information from a variety of perspectives within the higher education community on effects of the…

  6. 78 FR 31769 - Accessible Emergency Information; Apparatus Requirements for Emergency Information and Video...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-24

    ... Accessible Emergency Information; Apparatus Requirements for Emergency Information and Video Description...] Accessible Emergency Information; Apparatus Requirements for Emergency Information and Video Description... manufacturers of devices that display video programming to ensure that certain apparatus are able to make...

  7. 24 CFR 40.7 - Availability of Accessibility Standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... Standards. 40.7 Section 40.7 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing... OWNED RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES § 40.7 Availability of Accessibility Standards. Copies of the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards are available from the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, U.S...

  8. Procedure: Ensuring EPA Public Content in the EPA Web Environment

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This document outlines the procedures for ensuring access to EPA information by hosting EPA data and information on the epa.gov server. Additionally, it provides the procedures for obtaining waivers of this requirement.

  9. Assessing State Performance in Equalizing Access to Educational Resources: The Case of Rhode Island (1992-1996).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fastrup, Jerry C.

    2002-01-01

    Uses a foundation-equalizing model to develop a number of indicators measuring the extent to which states utilize the full range of equalization tools at its disposal. Illustrates the utility of these indicators through an evaluation of the school finance reform instituted by Rhode Island between 1992 and 1996. (Contains 25 references.)…

  10. Homonormativity, Charternormativity, and Processes of Legitimation: Exploring the Affective-Spatio-Temporal-Fixed Dimensions of Marriage Equality and Charter Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stern, Mark

    2015-01-01

    Over the past five years, marriage equality and charter schools have emerged at the forefront of political conversations about equality and rights. Some argue that these policies extend access to certain benefits and opportunities to historically oppressed communities, thus furthering liberalism and egalitarianism. In this article, I engage these…

  11. Numerical difficulties associated with using equality constraints to achieve multi-level decomposition in structural optimization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thareja, R.; Haftka, R. T.

    1986-01-01

    There has been recent interest in multidisciplinary multilevel optimization applied to large engineering systems. The usual approach is to divide the system into a hierarchy of subsystems with ever increasing detail in the analysis focus. Equality constraints are usually placed on various design quantities at every successive level to ensure consistency between levels. In many previous applications these equality constraints were eliminated by reducing the number of design variables. In complex systems this may not be possible and these equality constraints may have to be retained in the optimization process. In this paper the impact of such a retention is examined for a simple portal frame problem. It is shown that the equality constraints introduce numerical difficulties, and that the numerical solution becomes very sensitive to optimization parameters for a wide range of optimization algorithms.

  12. How Can We Ensure That All Children Have Excellent Teachers? A Choicework Discussion Guide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Public Agenda, 2015

    2015-01-01

    The U.S. Department of Education has renewed its focus on ensuring that all students--especially those in under-resourced communities--have access to excellent educators. By June of 2015, all states must engage education stakeholders on locally-developed solutions to ensure every student has effective educators. This discussion starter is designed…

  13. Beyond the Millennium Development Goals: public health challenges in water and sanitation.

    PubMed

    Rheingans, R; Dreibelbis, R; Freeman, M C

    2006-01-01

    Over 1 billion people lack access to improved water sources and 2.6 billion lack access to appropriate sanitation, greatly contributing to the global burden of disease. The international community has committed to reducing by half the proportion of the world's population lacking access to water and sanitation as a part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, the disease burden due to poor access, is borne primarily by the poorest countries and the poorest people within them. Simply reducing the proportion of people without adequate access will not automatically result in proportional reductions in the related disease burden. The public health challenge inherent in meeting the MDG targets is ensuring that improvements result in access to water and sanitation for the critical at-risk populations. Innovative approaches are required to ensure the availability of low-cost, simple, and locally acceptable water and sanitation interventions and integrating these approaches into existing social institutions, such as schools, markets, and health facilities.

  14. [Public control and equity of access to hospitals under non-State public administration].

    PubMed

    Carneiro Junior, Nivaldo; Elias, Paulo Eduardo

    2006-10-01

    To analyze social health organizations in the light of public control and the guarantee of equity of access to health services. Utilizing the case study technique, two social health organizations in the metropolitan region of São Paulo were selected. The analytical categories were equity of access and public control, and these were based on interviews with key informants and technical-administrative reports. It was observed that the overall funding and administrative control of the social health organizations are functions of the state administrator. The presence of a local administrator is important for ensuring equity of access. Public control is expressed through supervisory actions, by means of accounting and financial procedures. Equity of access and public control are not taken into consideration in the administration of these organizations. The central question lies in the capacity of the public authorities to have a presence in implementing this model at the local level, thereby ensuring equity of access and taking public control into consideration.

  15. 77 FR 45471 - White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-01

    ... safe and healthy environments, and have access to high-level, rigorous course work and support services...-rounded education in safe and healthy environments, as well as access to support services, which will... system. African Americans lack equal access to highly effective teachers and principals, safe schools...

  16. The Need for Federal Legislation and Regulation Prohibiting Telecommunications and Information Services Discrimination

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strauss, Karen Peltz

    2006-01-01

    This paper explores the need to adopt legislative and regulatory safeguards to guarantee equal access by people with disabilities to evolving high speed broadband, wireless and Internet-based technologies. Recommendations include: (1) Communications Access--FCC or Congress: Extend the telecommunications accessibility requirements of Section 255 of…

  17. What does equity in health mean?

    PubMed

    Mooney, G

    1987-01-01

    The author posits some ethical concerns and theories of distribution in order to gain some insight into the meaning of equity in health, as referred to in WHO documents. It is pointed out that the lack of clarity in the WHO positions is evidenced by examining 1) the European strategy document, which focuses on giving equal health to all and equity access to health care, and 2) the Global Strategy for Health, which talks about reducing inequality and health as a human right. The question raised in document 1 is whether more equal sharing of health might mean less health for the available quantity of resources. The question raised in document 2 is whether there is a right to health per se. The question is how does one measure health policy effects. Health effects are different for an 8-year-old girl and an octogenarian. How does one measure the fairness of access to health care in remote mountain villages versus an urban area? Is equal utilization which is more easily measured comparable to equal need as a measure? How does one distribute doctors equitably? The author espouses the determinant of health as Aday's illness and health promotion, which is not biased by class and controversy. The Aday definition embraces both demand and need, although his definition is still open to question. Concepts of health with distinction between need and demand are made. Theories of Veatch which relate to distributive justice and equity in health care are provided as entitlement theory (market forces determine allocation of resources), utilitarianism (greatest good for the greatest number regardless of redistribution issues), maximum theory (maximize the minimum position or giver priority to the least well off), and equality (fairness in distribution). Different organizational and financing structures will influence the approach to equity. The conclusion is that equity is a value laden concept which has no uniquely correct definition. 5 theories of equity in distribution of health resources are discussed: 1) a theory of maximum (Rawl's theory modified to include health care institutions providing opportunity as the social good), 2) altruism as a basis for equity (Titmuss' Kantian view of national responsibility to provide equitable service delivery altruistically or equal access), 3) a fair share theory of distribution (Margolis' process utility theory of doing one's fair share or equality of access for equal need, 4) commitment to equity (Sen's focus on sympathy and commitment to another's ill health status and access), and 5) equity as externality (Culyer's health care consumption where government determines the merit good or extent of consumption). If policy objectives are not clear and the definitions muddy, resources may be badly wasted or misdirected and the pursuit of equity unfulfilled, even though there is agreement in principle.

  18. 33 CFR 106.260 - Security measures for access control.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARINE SECURITY: OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) FACILITIES Outer Continental... unattended spaces that adjoin areas to which OCS facility personnel and visitors have access; (9) Ensure OCS...

  19. 33 CFR 106.260 - Security measures for access control.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARINE SECURITY: OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) FACILITIES Outer Continental... unattended spaces that adjoin areas to which OCS facility personnel and visitors have access; (9) Ensure OCS...

  20. 33 CFR 106.260 - Security measures for access control.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARINE SECURITY: OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) FACILITIES Outer Continental... unattended spaces that adjoin areas to which OCS facility personnel and visitors have access; (9) Ensure OCS...

  1. 33 CFR 106.260 - Security measures for access control.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARINE SECURITY: OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) FACILITIES Outer Continental... unattended spaces that adjoin areas to which OCS facility personnel and visitors have access; (9) Ensure OCS...

  2. 33 CFR 106.260 - Security measures for access control.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARINE SECURITY: OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) FACILITIES Outer Continental... unattended spaces that adjoin areas to which OCS facility personnel and visitors have access; (9) Ensure OCS...

  3. 75 FR 75187 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development Meeting Notice

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-02

    ... ``six focus areas'': (1) Access to capital (loans, surety bonding and franchising); (2) Ensure...) Reducing paperwork and administrative burdens in accessing business development and entrepreneurship...

  4. 18 CFR 37.2 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... ENERGY REGULATIONS UNDER THE FEDERAL POWER ACT OPEN ACCESS SAME-TIME INFORMATION SYSTEMS § 37.2 Purpose. (a) The purpose of this part is to ensure that potential customers of open access transmission... Transmission Provider (or its agent) to create and operate an Open Access Same-time Information System (OASIS...

  5. 18 CFR 37.2 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... ENERGY REGULATIONS UNDER THE FEDERAL POWER ACT OPEN ACCESS SAME-TIME INFORMATION SYSTEMS § 37.2 Purpose. (a) The purpose of this part is to ensure that potential customers of open access transmission... Transmission Provider (or its agent) to create and operate an Open Access Same-time Information System (OASIS...

  6. Sickness absence in gender-equal companies: a register study at organizational level.

    PubMed

    Sörlin, Ann; Ohman, Ann; Lindholm, Lars

    2011-07-11

    The differences in sickness absence between men and women in Sweden have attracted a great deal of interest nationally in the media and among policymakers over a long period. The fact that women have much higher levels of sickness absence has been explained in various ways. These explanations are contextual and one of the theories points to the lack of gender equality as an explanation. In this study, we evaluate the impact of gender equality on health at organizational level. Gender equality is measured by an index ranking companies at organizational level; health is measured as days on sickness benefit. Gender equality was measured using the Organizational Gender Gap Index or OGGI, which is constructed on the basis of six variables accessible in Swedish official registers. Each variable corresponds to a key word illustrating the interim objectives of the "National Plan for Gender Equality", implemented by the Swedish Parliament in 2006. Health is measured by a variable, days on sickness benefit, also accessible in the same registers. We found significant associations between company gender equality and days on sickness benefit. In gender-equal companies, the risk for days on sickness benefit was 1.7 (95% CI 1.6-1.8) higher than in gender-unequal companies. The differences were greater for men than for women: OR 1.8 (95% CI 1.7-2.0) compared to OR 1.4 (95% CI 1.3-1.5). Even though employees at gender-equal companies had more days on sickness benefit, the differences between men and women in this measure were smaller in gender-equal companies. Gender equality appears to alter health patterns, converging the differences between men and women.

  7. Sickness absence in gender-equal companies A register study at organizational level

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background The differences in sickness absence between men and women in Sweden have attracted a great deal of interest nationally in the media and among policymakers over a long period. The fact that women have much higher levels of sickness absence has been explained in various ways. These explanations are contextual and one of the theories points to the lack of gender equality as an explanation. In this study, we evaluate the impact of gender equality on health at organizational level. Gender equality is measured by an index ranking companies at organizational level; health is measured as days on sickness benefit. Methods Gender equality was measured using the Organizational Gender Gap Index or OGGI, which is constructed on the basis of six variables accessible in Swedish official registers. Each variable corresponds to a key word illustrating the interim objectives of the "National Plan for Gender Equality", implemented by the Swedish Parliament in 2006. Health is measured by a variable, days on sickness benefit, also accessible in the same registers. Results We found significant associations between company gender equality and days on sickness benefit. In gender-equal companies, the risk for days on sickness benefit was 1.7 (95% CI 1.6-1.8) higher than in gender-unequal companies. The differences were greater for men than for women: OR 1.8 (95% CI 1.7-2.0) compared to OR 1.4 (95% CI 1.3-1.5). Conclusions Even though employees at gender-equal companies had more days on sickness benefit, the differences between men and women in this measure were smaller in gender-equal companies. Gender equality appears to alter health patterns, converging the differences between men and women. PMID:21745375

  8. Legal. Post-agenda gender battles.

    PubMed

    Leach, Mark

    2010-10-28

    Comparable overall remuneration is not enough to protect employers from Equal Pay claims. Employers must ensure that they can provide legitimate reasons for any difference in remuneration structures, particularly when contrasting predominantly male roles with predominantly female roles.

  9. 78 FR 21811 - National Equal Pay Day, 2013

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-11

    ... make what men did in the previous one. Wage inequality undermines the promise of fairness and... a long way toward ensuring everyone gets a fair shot at opportunity, no matter who you are or where...

  10. 34 CFR 108.1 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... ACCESS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA AND OTHER DESIGNATED YOUTH GROUPS § 108.1 Purpose. The purpose of this part is to implement the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, 20 U...

  11. 34 CFR 108.1 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... ACCESS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA AND OTHER DESIGNATED YOUTH GROUPS § 108.1 Purpose. The purpose of this part is to implement the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, 20 U...

  12. 34 CFR 108.1 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... ACCESS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA AND OTHER DESIGNATED YOUTH GROUPS § 108.1 Purpose. The purpose of this part is to implement the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, 20 U...

  13. 34 CFR 108.1 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... ACCESS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA AND OTHER DESIGNATED YOUTH GROUPS § 108.1 Purpose. The purpose of this part is to implement the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, 20 U...

  14. 34 CFR 108.1 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... ACCESS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA AND OTHER DESIGNATED YOUTH GROUPS § 108.1 Purpose. The purpose of this part is to implement the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, 20 U...

  15. Evaluating a primary care psychology service in Ireland: a survey of stakeholders and psychologists.

    PubMed

    Corcoran, Mark; Byrne, Michael

    2017-05-01

    Primary care psychology services (PCPS) represent an important resource in meeting the various health needs of our communities. This study evaluated the PCPS in a two-county area within the Republic of Ireland. The objectives were to (i) examine the viewpoints of the service for both psychologists and stakeholders (healthcare professionals only) and (ii) examine the enactment of the stepped care model of service provision. Separate surveys were sent to primary care psychologists (n = 8), general practitioners (GPs; n = 69) and other stakeholders in the two counties. GPs and stakeholders were required to rate the current PCPS. The GP survey specifically examined referrals to the PCPS and service configuration, while the stakeholder survey also requested suggestions for future service provision. Psychologists were required to provide information regarding their workload, time spent on certain tasks and productivity ideas. Referral numbers, waiting lists and waiting times were also obtained. All 8 psychologists, 23 GPs (33% response rate) and 37 stakeholders (unknown response rate) responded. GPs and stakeholders reported access to the PCPS as a primary concern, with waiting times of up to 80 weeks in some areas. Service provision to children and adults was uneven between counties. A stepped care model of service provision was not observed. Access can be improved by further implementation of a stepped care service, developing a high-throughput service for adults (based on a stepped care model), and employing a single waiting list for each county to ensure equal access. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Can performance-based financing help reaching the poor with maternal and child health services? The experience of rural Rwanda.

    PubMed

    Lannes, Laurence; Meessen, Bruno; Soucat, Agnes; Basinga, Paulin

    2016-07-01

    More than 20 countries in Africa are scaling up performance-based financing (PBF), but its impact on equity in access to health services remains to be documented. This paper draws on evidence from Rwanda to examine the capacity of PBF to ensure equal access to key health interventions especially in rural areas where most of the poor live. Specifically, it focuses on maternal and child health services, distinguishing two wealth groups, and uses data from a rigorous impact evaluation. Difference-in-difference technique is used, and different model specifications are tested: control for unobserved heterogeneity and common random error using linear probability model, seemingly unrelated regression equations, and clustering and fixed effects. Results suggest that in Rwanda, PBF improved efficiency rather than equity for most health services. We find that PBF achieved efficiency gains by improving access to health services for those easier to reach, generally the relatively more affluent. It turns out to be less effective in reaching the poorest. Our results illustrate the advantages of rigorous randomized impact evaluation data as results published earlier using a nationally representative survey (Demographic and Health Survey) were not able to capture the pro-rich nature of the PBF scheme in Rwanda. Our paper advocates for building mechanisms targeting the vulnerable groups in PBF strategies. It also highlights the need to understand the impact of PBF together with the specific development of health insurance coverage and the organization of the health system. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. The needs of health promoters on a health promotion programme for families with adolescents orphaned by HIV and AIDS.

    PubMed

    Mthobeni, Maseapo P; Peu, Mmapheko D

    2013-02-01

    The South African communities has shown to have a challenge in accessing health services especially in rural areas; hence the national strategic objective 1.7 aimed at strengthening community systems to expand access to services using the community-based care programmes (NSP 2012-2016). The programmes enhance access to health services whilst promoting health and educating the community to improve health knowledge and work towards attaining a healthy living (NSP 2012-2016). However, the health promoters from the rural Hammanskraal region in the North West Province of South Africa often found themselves rendering the health promotion services in their communities with limited resources. This study aimed at exploring and describing the challenges faced by health promoters in implementing health promotion programmes for families with adolescents orphaned by HIV and AIDS. The study followed a qualitative design. Data was collected using focus group interviews. Participants were purposely selected by the social worker and the health promotion coordinator working at Hammanskraal. The process of data analysis was adapted from the eight steps of Tesch method of data analysis where categories, sub-categories and themes were isolated. The following categories emerged as the needs of health promoters on health promotion programmes for families with adolescents orphaned by HIV and AIDS, (1) financial needs, (2) resources, (3) basic life needs, (4) educational needs and (5) health promoter's needs. It is therefore recommended that equal distribution of resources: including medicine, equipment and finances, should be maintained in order to ensure non-interrupted services.

  18. Education policy and gender in Zimbabwe.

    PubMed

    Gordon, R

    1994-01-01

    It is concluded that equality for women in education, which was a state aim in 1980, is no longer a state concern in Zimbabwe. It is argued that protection of the patriarchal order has been the operating principle of both colonial and post-colonial periods, and education is used to maintain the gender imbalance. Black women under colonialism were subjected to both sexism and racism. The socioeconomic order was maintained by ensuring that Blacks remained uneducated and unskilled. Colonial policy was race specific. Education was free and compulsory for Whites only. Black parents paid fees for a son's education. Post colonialism and in 1971, only 43.5% of Black children were enrolled in school, of which 3.9% were in secondary school. Only 19 girls with at the highest level in school. School curriculum was gender based, which meant girls were taught cooking and typing. During independence, education policy was instituted, and education was considered as a human right and gender neutral. Tuition fees in primary grades were eliminated, and education was expanded. However, changes after independence did not result in equal advantage for girls. By 1985-91, girls had lower enrollments at all grade levels. The widest gaps in enrollment were at the highest levels. School curriculum changed very little, and girls were directed to the "feminine" courses of study. Girls performed poorly in math and sciences. Girls were underenrolled in technical and vocational institutions. After 1989, structural adjustment programs negatively impacted on women. There was reduced access to employment, limited access to services, and increased demands on women's time in order to compensate for gaps created by cuts in services. New changes in education policy are expected to negatively impact on girl's education. Fees for primary school were reintroduced in urban areas, and secondary school fees were increased. The government dropped the requirement of certification for technical and commercial education, which could benefit the 64% of women employed in the informal sector. Export-oriented adjustment programs relied on cheap, low-skilled female employees.

  19. Ensuring Universal Access to Eye Health in Urban Slums in the Global South: The Case of Bhopal (India).

    PubMed

    Pregel, Andrea; Vaughan Gough, Tracy; Jolley, Emma; Buttan, Sandeep; Bhambal, Archana

    2016-01-01

    Sightsavers is an international organisation working with partners in over 30 countries to eliminate avoidable blindness and help people with disabilities participate more fully in society. In the context of its Urban Eye Health Programme in Bhopal (India), the organisation launched a pilot approach aimed at developing an Inclusive Eye Health (IEH) model and IEH Minimum Standards. Accessibility audits were conducted in a tertiary eye hospital and four primary vision centres located within urban slums, addressing the accessibility of physical infrastructures, communication and service provision. The collection and analysis of disaggregated data inform the inclusion strategy and provide a baseline to measure the impact of service provision. Trainings of eye health staff and sensitisation of decision makers on accessibility, Universal Design, disability and gender inclusion are organised on a regular basis. A referral network is being built to ensure participation of women, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups, explore barriers at demand level, and guarantee wider access to eye care in the community. Finally, advocacy interventions will be developed to raise awareness in the community and mainstream disability and gender inclusion within the public health sector. Founded on principles of Universal Design, accessibility and participation, and in line with international human rights treaties, Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sightsavers' IEH model ultimately aims to develop a sustainable, scalable and universally accessible system-strengthening approach, capable of ensuring more inclusive services to people with disabilities, women and other marginalised groups, and designed to more effectively meet the health needs of the entire population.

  20. Health care on equal terms? Assessing horizontal equity in health care use in Northern Sweden.

    PubMed

    San Sebastián, Miguel; Mosquera, Paola A; Ng, Nawi; Gustafsson, Per E

    2017-08-01

    The Swedish health care system has successively moved toward increased market-orientation, which has raised concerns as to whether Sweden still offers health on equal terms. To explore this issue, this study aimed (i) to assess if the principles of horizontal equity (equal access for equal need regardless of socio-economic factors) are met in Northern Sweden 2006-14; and (ii) to explore the contribution of different factors to the inequalities in access along the same period. Data came from cross sectional surveys known in 2006, 2010 and 2014 targeting 16-84-year-old residents in the four northern-most counties in Sweden. The horizontal inequity index was calculated based on variables representing (i) the individual socioeconomic status, (ii) the health care needs, (iii) non-need factors as well as (iv) health care utilization: general practitioner (GP), specialist doctors, hospitalization. Decomposition analysis of the concentration index for need-standardized health care utilization was applied. Adjusting for needs, there was a higher use of GP services by rich people during the two last surveys, a roughly equal use of specialists, and hospitalization concentrated among the poor but with a clear time trend toward equality. The pro-rich inequalities in GP use were to a large part explained by the income gap. While health care utilization can be considered equitable regarding specialist and hospital use, the increasing pro-rich trend in the use of GP is a concern. Further studies are required to investigate the reasons and a constant monitoring of socioeconomic differences in health care access is recommended. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

  1. Universal access: making health systems work for women.

    PubMed

    Ravindran, T K Sundari

    2012-01-01

    Universal coverage by health services is one of the core obligations that any legitimate government should fulfil vis-à-vis its citizens. However, universal coverage may not in itself ensure universal access to health care. Among the many challenges to ensuring universal coverage as well as access to health care are structural inequalities by caste, race, ethnicity and gender. Based on a review of published literature and applying a gender-analysis framework, this paper highlights ways in which the policies aimed at promoting universal coverage may not benefit women to the same extent as men because of gender-based differentials and inequalities in societies. It also explores how 'gender-blind' organisation and delivery of health care services may deny universal access to women even when universal coverage has been nominally achieved. The paper then makes recommendations for addressing these.

  2. Linking research to global health equity: the contribution of product development partnerships to access to medicines and research capacity building.

    PubMed

    Pratt, Bridget; Loff, Bebe

    2013-11-01

    Certain product development partnerships (PDPs) recognize that to promote the reduction of global health disparities they must create access to their products and strengthen research capacity in developing countries. We evaluated the contribution of 3 PDPs--Medicines for Malaria Venture, Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, and Institute for One World Health--according to Frost and Reich's access framework. We also evaluated PDPs' capacity building in low- and middle-income countries at the individual, institutional, and system levels. We found that these PDPs advance public health by ensuring their products' registration, distribution, and adoption into national treatment policies in disease-endemic countries. Nonetheless, ensuring broad, equitable access for these populations--high distribution coverage; affordability, particularly for the poor; and adoption at provider and end-user levels--remains a challenge.

  3. The Commission on Preservation and Access Newsletter. 1994.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Commission on Preservation and Access Newsletter, 1994

    1994-01-01

    The Commission on Preservation and Access was established in 1986 to foster and support collaboration among libraries and allied organizations in order to ensure the preservation of the published and documentary record in all formats and to provide enhanced access to scholarly information. The Commission's newsletter keeps the preservation and…

  4. 75 FR 19464 - Interagency Guidance on Response Programs for Unauthorized Access to Customer Information and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-14

    ... for Unauthorized Access to Customer Information and Customer Notice AGENCY: Office of Thrift...: Interagency Guidance on Response Programs for Unauthorized Access to Customer Information and Customer Notice... physical safeguards to: (1) Ensure the security and confidentiality of customer records and information; (2...

  5. 75 FR 6790 - Interagency Guidance on Response Programs for Unauthorized Access to Customer Information and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-10

    ... for Unauthorized Access to Customer Information and Customer Notice AGENCY: Office of Thrift... for Unauthorized Access to Customer Information and Customer Notice. OMB Number: 1550-0110. Form...) Ensure the security and confidentiality of customer records and information; (2) protect against any...

  6. 49 CFR 38.125 - Mobility aid accessibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... mechanical, electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Intercity Rail Cars and Systems § 38.125 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All intercity rail cars, other than level entry cars, required to be accessible by...

  7. 49 CFR 38.125 - Mobility aid accessibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... mechanical, electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Intercity Rail Cars and Systems § 38.125 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All intercity rail cars, other than level entry cars, required to be accessible by...

  8. 49 CFR 38.125 - Mobility aid accessibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... mechanical, electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Intercity Rail Cars and Systems § 38.125 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All intercity rail cars, other than level entry cars, required to be accessible by...

  9. 50 CFR 697.8 - Vessel identification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... limited access American lobster permit and over 25 ft (7.6 m) in registered length must: (1) Have affixed... fishing vessel issued a limited access American lobster permit must display its official number in block... each vessel issued a limited access American lobster permit shall ensure that— (1) The vessel's name...

  10. 50 CFR 697.8 - Vessel identification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... access American lobster permit and over 25 ft (7.6 m) in registered length must: (1) Have affixed... fishing vessel issued a limited access American lobster permit must display its official number in block... each vessel issued a limited access American lobster permit shall ensure that— (1) The vessel's name...

  11. 47 CFR 1.20003 - Policies and procedures for employee supervision and control.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... or employee responsible for ensuring that any interception of communications or access to call... to implement the interception of communications or access to call-identifying information; (2) An... description of how long it will maintain its records of each interception of communications or access to call...

  12. Accessing Digital Libraries: A Study of ARL Members' Digital Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kahl, Chad M.; Williams, Sarah C.

    2006-01-01

    To ensure efficient access to and integrated searching capabilities for their institution's new digital library projects, the authors studied Web sites of the Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) 111 academic, English-language libraries. Data were gathered on 1117 digital projects, noting library Web site and project access, metadata, and…

  13. Performance and Cost Efficiency of KRAS Mutation Testing for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in Routine Diagnosis: The MOKAECM Study, a Nationwide Experience

    PubMed Central

    Chatellier, Gilles; Côté, Jean-François; Pages, Jean-Christophe; de Fraipont, Florence; Boyer, Jean-Christophe; Merlio, Jean Philippe; Morel, Alain; Gorisse, Marie-Claude; de Cremoux, Patricia; Leroy, Karen; Milano, Gérard; Ouafik, L’Houcine; Merlin, Jean-Louis; Le Corre, Delphine; Aucouturier, Pascaline; Sabourin, Jean-Christophe; Nowak, Frédérique; Frebourg, Thierry; Emile, Jean-François; Durand-Zaleski, Isabelle; Laurent-Puig, Pierre

    2013-01-01

    Purpose Rapid advances in the understanding of cancer biology have transformed drug development thus leading to the approval of targeted therapies and to the development of molecular tests to select patients that will respond to treatments. KRAS status has emerged as a negative predictor of clinical benefit from anti-EGFR antibodies in colorectal cancer, and anti-EGFR antibodies use was limited to KRAS wild type tumors. In order to ensure wide access to tumor molecular profiling, the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) has set up a national network of 28 regional molecular genetics centers. Concurrently, a nationwide external quality assessment for KRAS testing (MOKAECM) was granted to analyze reproducibility and costs. Methods 96 cell-line DNAs and 24 DNA samples from paraffin embedded tumor tissues were sent to 40 French laboratories. A total of 5448 KRAS results were collected and analyzed and a micro-costing study was performed on sites for 5 common methods by an independent team of health economists. Results This work provided a baseline picture of the accuracy and reliability of KRAS analysis in routine testing conditions at a nationwide level. Inter-laboratory Kappa values were >0.8 for KRAS results despite differences detection methods and the use of in-house technologies. Specificity was excellent with only one false positive in 1128 FFPE data, and sensitivity was higher for targeted techniques as compared to Sanger sequencing based methods that were dependent upon local expertise. Estimated reagent costs per patient ranged from €5.5 to €19.0. Conclusion The INCa has set-up a network of public laboratories dedicated to molecular oncology tests. Our results showed almost perfect agreements in KRAS testing at a nationwide level despite different testing methods ensuring a cost-effective equal access to personalized colorectal cancer treatment. PMID:23935912

  14. Performance and cost efficiency of KRAS mutation testing for metastatic colorectal cancer in routine diagnosis: the MOKAECM study, a nationwide experience.

    PubMed

    Blons, Hélène; Rouleau, Etienne; Charrier, Nathanaël; Chatellier, Gilles; Côté, Jean-François; Pages, Jean-Christophe; de Fraipont, Florence; Boyer, Jean-Christophe; Merlio, Jean Philippe; Morel, Alain; Gorisse, Marie-Claude; de Cremoux, Patricia; Leroy, Karen; Milano, Gérard; Ouafik, L'houcine; Merlin, Jean-Louis; Le Corre, Delphine; Aucouturier, Pascaline; Sabourin, Jean-Christophe; Nowak, Frédérique; Frebourg, Thierry; Emile, Jean-François; Durand-Zaleski, Isabelle; Laurent-Puig, Pierre

    2013-01-01

    Rapid advances in the understanding of cancer biology have transformed drug development thus leading to the approval of targeted therapies and to the development of molecular tests to select patients that will respond to treatments. KRAS status has emerged as a negative predictor of clinical benefit from anti-EGFR antibodies in colorectal cancer, and anti-EGFR antibodies use was limited to KRAS wild type tumors. In order to ensure wide access to tumor molecular profiling, the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) has set up a national network of 28 regional molecular genetics centers. Concurrently, a nationwide external quality assessment for KRAS testing (MOKAECM) was granted to analyze reproducibility and costs. 96 cell-line DNAs and 24 DNA samples from paraffin embedded tumor tissues were sent to 40 French laboratories. A total of 5448 KRAS results were collected and analyzed and a micro-costing study was performed on sites for 5 common methods by an independent team of health economists. This work provided a baseline picture of the accuracy and reliability of KRAS analysis in routine testing conditions at a nationwide level. Inter-laboratory Kappa values were >0.8 for KRAS results despite differences detection methods and the use of in-house technologies. Specificity was excellent with only one false positive in 1128 FFPE data, and sensitivity was higher for targeted techniques as compared to Sanger sequencing based methods that were dependent upon local expertise. Estimated reagent costs per patient ranged from €5.5 to €19.0. The INCa has set-up a network of public laboratories dedicated to molecular oncology tests. Our results showed almost perfect agreements in KRAS testing at a nationwide level despite different testing methods ensuring a cost-effective equal access to personalized colorectal cancer treatment.

  15. Securing Gender Equality through a Nexus of Energy Policy Performance and Relative Political Performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perkins-Ozuagiemhe, Andrea Christen

    This dissertation presents what is believed to be the first empirical study that measures the effect of increasing access to modern household energy sources upon advancing gender equality within developing countries. As a powerful and fundamental public infrastructural socio-economic building block, improved access to modern energy in developing countries delivers the necessary economic ingredient of time as a major component of household production and consumption and captures the interdependence between market and household economies. Thus, because it has been empirically proven that men and women differ in their utilization of household energy with women spending more time engaged in non-market household labor than men, improving access to modern household energy in developing countries, especially in rural areas, theoretically would disproportionately affect women's lives. Essentially, the element of "time" not only extends the day for women to use towards more economically and educationally productive activities, but also lessens the burden of domestic chores from women with technological advancements in more time-efficient household appliances and cleaner modern energy sources. This dissertation introduces gender differentiation in a model in the form of a gender relative status composite measure comparing socio-economic achievements in secondary education, life expectancy, and labor force participation rates by varying degree of demographic transition, thereby, measuring the effect of improved access to modern household energy upon overall gender equality. Fixed effects panel regressions employing a Driscoll-Kraay non-parametric covariance matrix, and estimated and interpreted adjusted predictions and marginal effects of the two-way interaction between a country's available access to residential electric power (kWh per capita) and the level of relative political performance against predicted values of gender relative status are employed. The models confirm that, in fact, that women are not impacted equally by energy policy preferences as men and that women in developing countries benefit from increased access to modern household energy. Thus, gender-differentiated energy usage illustrates why treating population as a homogenous group fails to capture how energy policy preferences and energy policy performance can affect different subgroups of population in terms of individual choices and how those differences can affect an overall economic growth and development. Fundamental theoretical implications emerge from this dissertation's empirical findings. First, improving gender equality through technological advancements in household electricity facilitates the progress of demographic transition in terms of reducing fertility rates. Time altering effects of increased access and use of household electricity modify intra-household relations by diminishing differing roles between men and women. When women gain greater autonomy facilitated by increasing time via access to modern household electricity for more economically and educationally productive activities, fertility rates and child births tend to decrease by altering choice in family size with increased investments in children. The effect that the reduction in fertility generated by increased gender equality has upon demographic transition is that it alters the change in age structure in a developing country by decreasing youth dependency ratios generating the demographic dividend. Gender equality-generated fertility reductions may also facilitate the return to human capital by lessening the burden of non-SNA work and activities including reducing child care, increasing female labor force participation rates.

  16. Advanced Placement and Rural Schools: Access, Success, and Exploring Alternatives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gagnon, Douglas J.; Mattingly, Marybeth J.

    2016-01-01

    Completing Advanced Placement (AP) coursework is an important part of the selective college admissions process, and access to AP coursework can be viewed as a measure of equal opportunity. Relatively little research has fully examined how access to AP coursework is mediated by school characteristics. Rural schools are at a particular disadvantage…

  17. The Future Revisited.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mason, Marilyn Gell

    1996-01-01

    Reviews earlier predictions about technological change in libraries, finds that providing equal access to information remains the library's mission, and forecasts the future. Topics include ownership versus access, electronic resources, information infrastructure, users, levels of service fees, circulation, librarians as "information…

  18. Enhancing access to health information in Africa: a librarian's perspective.

    PubMed

    Gathoni, Nasra

    2012-01-01

    In recent years, tremendous progress has been made toward providing health information in Africa, in part because of technological advancements. Nevertheless, ensuring that information is accessible, comprehensible, and usable remains problematic, and there remain needs in many settings to address issues such as computer skills, literacy, and the infrastructure to access information. To determine how librarians might play a more strategic role in meeting information needs of health professionals in Africa, the author reviewed key components of information systems pertinent to knowledge management for the health sector, including access to global online resources, capacity to use computer technology for information retrieval, information literacy, and the potential for professional networks to play a role in improving access to and use of information. The author concluded that, in regions that lack adequate information systems, librarians could apply their knowledge and skills to facilitate access and use by information seekers. Ensuring access to and use of health information can also be achieved by engaging organizations and associations working to enhance access to health information, such as the Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa. These groups can provide assistance through training, dissemination, information repackaging, and other approaches known to improve information literacy.

  19. Design and experimental study on Fresnel lens of the combination of equal-width and equal-height of grooves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Limin; Liu, Youqiang; Huang, Rui; Wang, Zhiyong

    2017-06-01

    High concentrating PV systems rely on large Fresnel lens that must be precisely oriented in the direction of the Sun to maintain high concentration ratio. We propose a new Fresnel lens design method combining equal-width and equal-height of grooves in this paper based on the principle of focused spot maximum energy. In the ring band near the center of Fresnel lens, the design with equal-width grooves is applied, and when the given condition is reached, the design with equal-height grooves is introduced near the edges of the Fresnel lens, which ensures all the lens grooves are planar. In this paper, we establish a Fresnel lens design example model by Solidworks, and simulate it with the software ZEMAX. An experimental test platform is built to test, and the simulation correctness is proved by experiments. Experimental result shows the concentrating efficiency of this example is 69.3%, slightly lower than the simulation result 75.1%.

  20. 24 CFR 14.345 - Payment of award.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT IN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS Procedures for Considering... Equal Opportunity and Administrative Law, Room 10244, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC 20410. A statement that review of the underlying decision is not being sought in the United...

  1. "The Impacts of External Constraints on the Institutional Research Function."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Law, Bill, Ed.

    This document contains seventeen presentations delivered at the ninth annual meeting of the Florida Statewide Conference on Institutional Research. Part one contains: (1) "Your Legislative Session--1976"; (2) "Equal Access/Equal Opportunity: Institutions, Students, Politics, and Fairness"; (3) "The Impact of the Equal…

  2. 3 CFR 8913 - Proclamation 8913 of December 3, 2012. International Day of Persons With Disabilities, 2012

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... shot at opportunity, all of us do better. For more than two decades, our country has upheld those basic... by the belief that equal access and equal opportunity are common principles that unite us as one...

  3. 77 FR 16319 - Amtrak's Petition for Determination of PRIIA Section 209 Cost Methodology

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-20

    ... surrounding its development, the Board concludes that the methodology will: (1) Ensure equal treatment in the....stb.dot.gov . This decision will not significantly affect either the human environment or the...

  4. Do free caesarean section policies increase inequalities in Benin and Mali?

    PubMed

    Ravit, Marion; Audibert, Martine; Ridde, Valéry; De Loenzien, Myriam; Schantz, Clémence; Dumont, Alexandre

    2018-06-05

    Benin and Mali introduced user fee exemption policies focused on caesarean sections (C-sections) in 2005 and 2009, respectively. These policies had a positive impact on access to C-sections and facility based deliveries among all women, but the impact on socioeconomic inequality is still highly uncertain. The objective of this study was to observe whether there was an increase or a decrease in urban/rural and socioeconomic inequalities in access to C-sections and facility based deliveries after the free C-section policy was introduced. We used data from three consecutive Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS): 2001, 2006 and 2011-2012 in Benin and 2001, 2006 and 2012-13 in Mali. We evaluated trends in inequality in terms of two outcomes: C-sections and facility based deliveries. Adjusted odds ratios were used to estimate whether the distributions of C-sections and facility based deliveries favoured the least advantaged categories (rural, non-educated and poorest women) or the most advantaged categories (urban, educated and richest women). Concentration curves were used to observe the degree of wealth-related inequality in access to C-sections and facility based deliveries. We analysed 47,302 childbirths (23,266 in Benin and 24,036 in Mali). In Benin, we found no significant difference in access to C-sections between urban and rural women or between educated and non-educated women. However, the richest women had greater access to C-sections than the poorest women. There was no significant change in these inequalities in terms of access to C-sections and facility based deliveries after introduction of the free C-section policy. In Mali, we found a reduction in education-related inequalities in access to C-sections after implementation of the policy (p-value = 0.043). Inequalities between urban and rural areas had already decreased prior to implementation of the policy, but wealth-related inequalities were still present. Urban/rural and socioeconomic inequalities in C-section access did not change substantially after the countries implemented free C-section policies. User fee exemption is not enough. We recommend switching to mechanisms that combine both a universal approach and targeted action for vulnerable populations to address this issue and ensure equal health care access for all individuals.

  5. A descriptive study of the experiences of lesbian, gay and transgender parents accessing health services for their children.

    PubMed

    Chapman, Rose; Wardrop, Joan; Freeman, Phoenix; Zappia, Tess; Watkins, Rochelle; Shields, Linda

    2012-04-01

    To explore the experiences of lesbian, gay and transgender families accessing health care for their children. Although lesbian, gay and transgender families are becoming more common, little is known about their health-seeking experiences. These families may be fearful about disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity to health professionals. As a result, lesbian, gay and transgender parents may not be receiving optimal care for their children. Descriptive qualitative study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 11 lesbian, gay and transgender parents in Australia. Three themes were generated from the data: 'managing health care experiences', 'attitudes' and 'transforming bureaucracies'. Negative experiences included encountering homophobia or transphobia and being required to educate health professionals. Positive experiences occurred when both parents were acknowledged as having an equal say in their child's health care. Many health professionals lack the skill or knowledge to meet the needs of lesbian, gay and transgender families. Health services are required to ensure that all policies and procedures are inclusive of all family constellations and that staff receive relevant and up-to-date sensitivity training and create an environment that is respectful of all family groups. Adopting a philosophy of family centred care can enable health providers and health professionals to provide lesbian, gay and transgender families with inclusive non-discriminatory care. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  6. Rapid population growth. Effects on the social infrastructures of southern Africa.

    PubMed

    Smith, J D

    1995-01-01

    Southern Africa's high rate of population growth and widespread poverty have serious implications for the region's social infrastructure. Large increases in the school-age population have undermined efforts to improve the quality of education since all resources are directed toward expansion of availability. To achieve a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:40 at the primary level and 1:35 at the secondary level, an estimated additional 50,000 classrooms would be required. Also jeopardized by high fertility is access to health services, safe water, and sanitation. In Mozambique, for example, where only 30% of the population has access to health services, the under-five years mortality rate is 297/1000 live births and the physician-population ratio is 1:37,970. Substandard housing, homelessness, congestion, deteriorating public services, pollution, and crime dominate urban areas. The single most effective intervention to reduce population growth in Southern Africa is female education. Women without a secondary education bear an average of seven children; if 40% of women attend secondary school, this drops to three children. Thus, governments must make gender equality a central focus of development planning and ensure that women are participants in this process. Property and inheritance laws that serve to increase the economic need for early marriage should be eliminated. Public health programs, including family planning, must be expanded. Finally, women's organizations should be strengthened and urged to foster female empowerment.

  7. Disability inclusion in higher education in Uganda: Status and strategies.

    PubMed

    Emong, Paul; Eron, Lawrence

    2016-01-01

    Uganda has embraced inclusive education and evidently committed itself to bringing about disability inclusion at every level of education. Both legal and non-legal frameworks have been adopted and arguably are in line with the intent of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on education. The CRPD, in Article 24, requires states to attain a right to education for persons with disabilities without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunities at all levels of education. Despite Uganda's robust disability legal and policy framework on education, there is evidence of exclusion and discrimination of students with disabilities in the higher education institutions. The main objective of this article is to explore the status of disability inclusion in higher education and strategies for its realisation, using evidence from Emong's study, workshop proceedings where the authors facilitated and additional individual interviews with four students with disabilities by the authors. The results show that there are discrimination and exclusion tendencies in matters related to admissions, access to lectures, assessment and examinations, access to library services, halls of residence and other disability support services. The article recommends that institutional policies and guidelines on support services for students with disabilities and special needs in higher education be developed, data on students with disabilities collected to help planning, collaboration between Disabled Peoples Organisations (DPO's) strengthened to ensure disability inclusion and the establishment of disability support centres.

  8. Safe, accessible medical abortion in a rural Tamil Nadu clinic, India, but what about sexual and reproductive rights?

    PubMed

    Sri, Subha B; Ravindran, T K Sundari

    2015-02-01

    Women's control over their own bodies and reproduction is a fundamental prerequisite to the achievement of sexual and reproductive health and rights. A woman's ability to terminate an unwanted pregnancy has been seen as the exercise of her reproductive rights. This study reports on interviews with 15 women in rural South India who had a medical abortion. It examines the circumstances under which they chose to have an abortion and their perspectives on medical abortion. Women in this study decided to have an abortion when multiple factors like lack of spousal support for child care or contraception, hostile in-laws, economic hardship, poor health of the woman herself, spousal violence, lack of access to suitable contraceptive methods, and societal norms regarding reproduction and sexuality converged to oppress them. The availability of an easy and affordable method like medical abortion pills helped the women get out of a difficult situation, albeit temporarily. Medical abortion also fulfilled their special needs by ensuring confidentiality, causing least disruption of their domestic schedule, and dispensing with the need for rest or a caregiver. The study concludes that medical abortion can help women in oppressive situations. However, this will not deliver gender equality or women's empowerment; social conditions need to change for that. Copyright © 2015 Reproductive Health Matters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Attitudes About Regulation Among Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Customers

    PubMed Central

    Green, Robert C.; Kaufman, David

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: The first regulatory rulings by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing services are expected soon. As the process of regulating these and other genetic tests moves ahead, it is important to understand the preferences of DTC genetic testing customers about the regulation of these products. Methods: An online survey of customers of three DTC genetic testing companies was conducted 2–8 months after they had received their results. Participants were asked about the importance of regulating the companies selling DTC genetic tests. Results: Most of the 1,046 respondents responded that it would be important to have a nongovernmental (84%) or governmental agency (73%) monitor DTC companies' claims to ensure the consistency with scientific evidence. However, 66% also felt that it was important that DTC tests be available without governmental oversight. Nearly, all customers favored a policy to ensure that insurers and law enforcement officials could not access their information. Discussion: Although many DTC customers want access to genetic testing services without restrictions imposed by the government regulation, most also favor an organization operating alongside DTC companies that will ensure that the claims made by the companies are consistent with sound scientific evidence. This seeming contradiction may indicate that DTC customers want to ensure that they have unfettered access to high-quality information. Additionally, policies to help ensure privacy of data would be welcomed by customers, despite relatively high confidence in the companies. PMID:23560882

  10. Attitudes about regulation among direct-to-consumer genetic testing customers.

    PubMed

    Bollinger, Juli Murphy; Green, Robert C; Kaufman, David

    2013-05-01

    The first regulatory rulings by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing services are expected soon. As the process of regulating these and other genetic tests moves ahead, it is important to understand the preferences of DTC genetic testing customers about the regulation of these products. An online survey of customers of three DTC genetic testing companies was conducted 2-8 months after they had received their results. Participants were asked about the importance of regulating the companies selling DTC genetic tests. Most of the 1,046 respondents responded that it would be important to have a nongovernmental (84%) or governmental agency (73%) monitor DTC companies' claims to ensure the consistency with scientific evidence. However, 66% also felt that it was important that DTC tests be available without governmental oversight. Nearly, all customers favored a policy to ensure that insurers and law enforcement officials could not access their information. Although many DTC customers want access to genetic testing services without restrictions imposed by the government regulation, most also favor an organization operating alongside DTC companies that will ensure that the claims made by the companies are consistent with sound scientific evidence. This seeming contradiction may indicate that DTC customers want to ensure that they have unfettered access to high-quality information. Additionally, policies to help ensure privacy of data would be welcomed by customers, despite relatively high confidence in the companies.

  11. Rights to Equality for Disabled Persons under Federal and State Law

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stapleton, Margaret

    1976-01-01

    Legislation has mandated equal opportunity in American society for persons with handicaps, creating mechanisms for ending discrimination against them. Access to education, employment, public transportation vehicles and other facilities, and community living situations is specifically guaranteed in federal legislation. State statutes and municipal…

  12. Race Equality Scheme 2005-2008

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) is strongly committed to promoting race equality in the way that HMIE staff go about performing their role within Scottish education. Scottish society reflects cultural, ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity and Scottish education should be accessible to all. No-one should be disadvantaged or…

  13. Education and Muslim Identity: The Case of France.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Limage, Leslie J.

    2000-01-01

    Background for understanding the experience of Muslim immigrant students in French schools. Discusses the philosophy of equal education as equal access to the same knowledge (defined exclusively by the state and teachers); lack of teacher accountability; examination-based selection; and church-state separation. Describes government responses to…

  14. An Integrated Framework for Gender Equity in Academic Medicine.

    PubMed

    Westring, Alyssa; McDonald, Jennifer M; Carr, Phyllis; Grisso, Jeane Ann

    2016-08-01

    In 2008, the National Institutes of Health funded 14 R01 grants to study causal factors that promote and support women's biomedical careers. The Research Partnership on Women in Biomedical Careers, a multi-institutional collaboration of the investigators, is one product of this initiative.A comprehensive framework is needed to address change at many levels-department, institution, academic community, and beyond-and enable gender equity in the development of successful biomedical careers. The authors suggest four distinct but interrelated aspects of culture conducive to gender equity: equal access to resources and opportunities, minimizing unconscious gender bias, enhancing work-life balance, and leadership engagement. They review the collection of eight articles in this issue, which each address one or more of the four dimensions of culture. The articles suggest that improving mentor-mentee fit, coaching grant reviewers on unconscious bias, and providing equal compensation and adequate resources for career development will contribute positively to gender equity in academic medicine.Academic medicine must adopt an integrated perspective on culture for women and acknowledge the multiple facets essential to gender equity. To effect change, culture must be addressed both within and beyond academic health centers (AHCs). Leaders within AHCs must examine their institutions' processes, resources, and assessment for fairness and transparency; mobilize personnel and financial resources to implement evidence-based initiatives; and assign accountability for providing transparent progress assessments. Beyond AHCs, organizations must examine their operations and implement change to ensure parity of funding, research, and leadership opportunities as well as transparency of assessment and accreditation.

  15. Efficient resource allocation scheme for visible-light communication system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Woo-Chan; Bae, Chi-Sung; Cho, Dong-Ho; Shin, Hong-Seok; Jung, D. K.; Oh, Y. J.

    2009-01-01

    A visible-light communication utilizing LED has many advantagies such as visibility of information, high SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), low installation cost, usage of existing illuminators, and high security. Furthermore, exponentially increasing needs and quality of LED have helped the development of visible-light communication. The visibility is the most attractive property in visible-light communication system, but it is difficult to ensure visibility and transmission efficiency simultaneously during initial access because of the small amount of initial access process signals. In this paper, we propose an efficient resource allocation scheme at initial access for ensuring visibility with high resource utilization rate and low data transmission failure rate. The performance has been evaluated through the numerical analysis and simulation results.

  16. Human rights and access to healthcare services for indigenous peoples in Africa.

    PubMed

    Durojaye, Ebenezer

    2017-09-20

    In September 2015, the United Nations adopted the sustainable development goals (SDGs) to address among others poverty and inequality within and among countries of the world. In particular, the SDGs aim at ameliorating the position of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in societies. One of the over-arching goals of the SDGs is to ensure that no one is left behind in the realisation of their access to health care. African governments are obligated under international and regional human rights law to ensure access to healthcare services for everyone, including indigenous populations, on a non-discriminatory basis. This requires the governments to adopt appropriate measures that will remove barriers to healthcare services for disadvantaged and marginalised groups such as indigenous peoples.

  17. 24 CFR 983.102 - Housing accessibility for persons with disabilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Housing accessibility for persons...) and implementing regulations at 24 CFR part 8. The PHA shall ensure that the percentage of accessible.... 794), as implemented by HUD's regulations at 24 CFR part 8, subpart C. (b) Design and construction...

  18. The National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS): State Implementation Update. inForum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Etemad, Pontea; Burdette, Paula

    2009-01-01

    The National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) was added to the Individuals with Disabilities Act in 2004. The purpose of this standard is to provide guidance to schools to ensure that students with print disabilities have access to the general education curriculum through specially adapted print materials. In 2007, Project…

  19. Ensuring Rights: Improving Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Female International Students in Australia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poljski, Carolyn; Quiazon, Regina; Tran, Chau

    2014-01-01

    Drawing on the research and advocacy work being conducted by the Multicultural Centre for Women's Health (MCWH), a national community-based organization in Victoria, Australia, the paper analyzes female international students' experiences with accessing sexual and reproductive health information and services. Accessibility of sexual and…

  20. Technology for People, Not Disabilities: Ensuring Access and Inclusion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foley, Alan; Ferri, Beth A.

    2012-01-01

    The potential of technology to connect people and provide access to education, commerce, employment and entertainment has never been greater or more rapidly changing. Communication technologies and new media promise to "revolutionize our lives" by breaking down barriers and expanding access for disabled people. Yet, it is also true that technology…

  1. Assessment of Web Content Accessibility Levels in Spanish Official Online Education Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roig-Vila, Rosabel; Ferrández, Sergio; Ferri-Miralles, Imma

    2014-01-01

    Diversity-based designing, or the goal of ensuring that web-based information is accessible to as many diverse users as possible, has received growing international acceptance in recent years, with many countries introducing legislation to enforce it. This paper analyses web content accessibility levels in Spanish education portals according to…

  2. 33 CFR 127.1325 - Access to marine transfer area for LHG.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Access to marine transfer area... to marine transfer area for LHG. Each operator of a waterfront facility handling LHG shall ensure that— (a) Access to the marine transfer area for LHG from shoreside and waterside is limited to— (1...

  3. 33 CFR 127.1325 - Access to marine transfer area for LHG.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Access to marine transfer area... to marine transfer area for LHG. Each operator of a waterfront facility handling LHG shall ensure that— (a) Access to the marine transfer area for LHG from shoreside and waterside is limited to— (1...

  4. 33 CFR 127.1325 - Access to marine transfer area for LHG.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Access to marine transfer area... to marine transfer area for LHG. Each operator of a waterfront facility handling LHG shall ensure that— (a) Access to the marine transfer area for LHG from shoreside and waterside is limited to— (1...

  5. Intensification of the impact of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) with special spatiotemporal modulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gusev, V. A.; Rudenko, O. V.

    2013-01-01

    The principle of forming a special form of powerful acoustic signals is proposed, which makes it possible to ensure precise spatiotemporal beam focusing. The introduction of a transverse-coordinate-dependent local wave frequency is suggested, due to which the equality of the formation lengths of a discontinuity for all rays is achieved. This thereby ensures an increase in nonlinear absorption; as a result, the temperature and radiation action of focused ultrasound on the medium increase.

  6. The Relationship between Selected Educational Technologies and Student-Centered versus Teacher-Centered Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kollmer, Michael J.

    2013-01-01

    Not all teachers and students have equal access to technology. This inequality of access creates an uneven instructional practice that may result in varied student learning. By and large, students have limited access to technology within the confines of the classroom. New educational technologies provide schools with an opportunity to broaden and…

  7. Equity and Access in the Workplace: A Feminist HRD Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Valenziano, Laura

    2008-01-01

    The issues of equity and access are becoming increasingly important as the workforce becomes diversified. As the number of minority groups in the ranks of organizations grows, there is a need to examine the issues related to equity and access from a perspective that strives for equality, e.g. feminist theory. This paper examines feminism's…

  8. Emulation of Equal Open Access and Competition Creation in the Wireline Telecommunications Local and Last Mile Market Segments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Epps, Daniel L.

    2013-01-01

    Expanded telecommunications was deemed a serious need for end users. The "Local Market" and "Last Mile" market segments have largely consolidated into "natural utilities". Competition and access problems occur if new providers enter the local market and desire competitive access and service to end users. Local and…

  9. Equal Telecommunications Access for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Virginians (TDD/Message Relay Programs). Report to the Governor and the General Assembly of Virginia. House Document No. 9.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Virginia State Dept. for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Richmond.

    The report addresses issues of telecommunications access for hearing and speech impaired persons in Virginia. Six analyses were performed: (1) Accessibility of service organizations--over 89% of sample organizations were not accessible by a telecommunications device for the deaf and existing TDDs were underutilized; (2) Telephone use by persons…

  10. The National Space Science Data Center: An operational perspective

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blitstein, Ronald; Green, James L.

    1991-01-01

    The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) manages over 110,000 data tapes with over 4,000 data sets. The size of the digital archive is approximately 6,000 GBytes and is expected to grow to more than 28,000 GBytes by 1995. The NSSDC is involved in several initiatives to better serve the scientific community and improve the management of current and future data holdings. These initiatives address the need to manage data to ensure ready access by the user and manage the media to ensure continuing accessibility and integrity of the data. An operational view of the NSSDC, outlining current policies and procedures that have been implemented to ensure the effective use of available resources to support service and mission goals, and maintain compliance with prescribed data management directives is presented.

  11. The National Space Science Data Center: An operational perspective

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blitstein, Ronald; Green, James L.

    1992-01-01

    The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) manages over 110,000 data tapes with over 4,000 data sets. The size of the digital archive is approximately 6,000 GBytes and is expected to grow to more than 28,000 GBytes by 1995. The NSSDC is involved in several initiatives to better serve the scientific community and improve the management of current and future data holdings. These initiatives address the need to manage data to ensure ready access by the user and manage the media to ensure continuing accessibility and integrity of the data. This paper will present an operational view of the NSSDC, outlining current policies and procedures that were implemented to ensure the effective use of available resources to support service and mission goals, and maintain compliance with prescribed data management directives.

  12. How automated access verification can help organizations demonstrate HIPAA compliance: A case study.

    PubMed

    Hill, Linda

    2006-01-01

    This case study of Sharp HealthCare takes an in depth look at how the organization has embedded security policies into its business process and automated workflow to ensure users are granted only the IT access that is necessary for them to perform their jobs and to ensure patient privacy Some of the most pressing audit and compliance concerns in healthcare organizations today revolve around the need to constantly review and give an account for users' IT access. The need for this at Sharp is exacerbated because of the high rate of change within the organization and the large percentage of non-employee staff such as traveling nurses moving throughout hospital departments on their rotations. By implementing a software solution to verify the accuracy of user access rights or automatically initiate appropriate corrective actions, Sharp is now able to extend the responsibility and accountability for compliance to the most appropriate resources.

  13. Breast cancer screening patterns among military beneficiaries: racial variations in screening eliminated in an equal-access model.

    PubMed

    Oseni, Tawakalitu O; Soballe, Peter W

    2014-10-01

    African American women present with more aggressive breast tumors and at later stages than white women. Many factors have been proposed to explain these findings, including socioeconomic status, cultural beliefs, and access to medical care. The purpose of this project was to determine if stage at presentation would be equivalent in a system providing equal access to care and if screening was equivalent. The Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) tumor registry from 2007 to 2012 was queried for this cross-sectional study. Eligible women included all those diagnosed and treated for breast cancer at NMCSD. Distribution of tumor stage (early vs. advanced) between racial groups was compared by age, treatment, and receptor status. A total of 624 women were eligible; 88 % were early stage (0-II) and 12 % presented with advanced stage (III or IV). Racial differences in distribution were significant among African American and Hispanic women for early versus advanced presentation (p = 0.011). No racial disparity was seen in screening patterns among women. In a military health system with equal access to care and standard screening recommendations, screening patterns did not vary with race but did vary with stage and active duty status. African American women present with breast cancer at later stages and with more hormone-receptor negative tumors, suggesting that biology rather than socioeconomic or access factors may be the most important determinant of stage at presentation of breast cancer for African American women.

  14. Silent Policy Feedback through School Choice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Little-Hunt, Catherine Cecchini

    2017-01-01

    Increasing numbers of Florida parents are withdrawing their children from traditional public schools in highly-rated school districts to enroll them in tuition-free, startup, charter schools. Since not all parents have equal access or are as equally motivated to elect school choice alternatives, the fiscal sustainability of the traditional public…

  15. Discipline: Impact on Access to Equal Educational Opportunities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Joubert, Rika; de Waal, Elda; Rossouw, JP

    2004-01-01

    Complying with the founding values (human dignity, equality and freedom) of the South African Constitution is one of the most important challenges of creating and maintaining a safe, disciplined environment where effective teaching and learning can take place. All school principals, educators and school governing bodies--bearing in mind the…

  16. Access or Inclusion? Conceptualisation and Operationalisation of Gender Equality in Zimbabwean State Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chauraya, Efiritha

    2014-01-01

    This article explores concerns about gender inequality in Zimbabwean state universities. The researcher's interest arose from the realisation of persistent gender inequalities despite initiatives to close gender gaps. Of particular concern is the conceptualization and operationalisation of gender equality in institutions. Focusing only on the…

  17. Educational Opportunity: El Salvador's Barriers to Achieving Equality Persist.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosekrans, Kristin

    This paper analyzes barriers to educational equality in El Salvador, using a multi-layered framework of educational opportunity. To improve educational opportunity and give the most marginalized sectors of society the possibility of changing their life circumstances requires policies that go beyond mere access to formal schooling. The model…

  18. 3 CFR 13621 - Executive Order 13621 of July 26, 2012. White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... America's history, African American men and women have strengthened our Nation, including by leading.... Board of Education decision put America on a path toward equal educational opportunity, America's... educational opportunity still remain in America's educational system. African Americans lack equal access to...

  19. Economic Justice: Necessary Condition for Human Rights.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cloud, Fred

    1993-01-01

    Economic justice means taking the personhood of poor people into account; respecting their needs, personal ambitions, rights, and dignity; and affording equal opportunity and equal access to education, health care, housing, and jobs. Examples of injustice to minority groups are provided, citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (SLD)

  20. 25 CFR 1000.431 - Does the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) apply to appeals under this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... Justice Act (EAJA) apply to appeals under this subpart? Yes. EAJA claims against the DOI will be heard under 48 CFR 6101.30, 6101.31 (CBCA) and 43 CFR 4.602, 4.604 through 4.628 (DOI) and under the Equal...

  1. Applying human rights to improve access to reproductive health services.

    PubMed

    Shaw, Dorothy; Cook, Rebecca J

    2012-10-01

    Universal access to reproductive health is a target of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5B, and along with MDG 5A to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters, progress is currently too slow for most countries to achieve these targets by 2015. Critical to success are increased and sustainable numbers of skilled healthcare workers and financing of essential medicines by governments, who have made political commitments in United Nations forums to renew their efforts to reduce maternal mortality. National essential medicine lists are not reflective of medicines available free or at cost in facilities or in the community. The WHO Essential Medicines List indicates medicines required for maternal and newborn health including the full range of contraceptives and emergency contraception, but there is no consistent monitoring of implementation of national lists through procurement and supply even for basic essential drugs. Health advocates are using human rights mechanisms to ensure governments honor their legal commitments to ensure access to services essential for reproductive health. Maternal mortality is recognized as a human rights violation by the United Nations and constitutional and human rights are being used, and could be used more effectively, to improve maternity services and to ensure access to drugs essential for reproductive health. Copyright © 2012 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. 12 CFR 1235.5 - Record hold.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... alternative storage method. (d) Access to and retrieval of records during a record hold. The record retention program of each regulated entity or the Office of Finance shall ensure access to and retrieval of records... records and existing information technology. ...

  3. 12 CFR 1235.5 - Record hold.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... alternative storage method. (d) Access to and retrieval of records during a record hold. The record retention program of each regulated entity or the Office of Finance shall ensure access to and retrieval of records... records and existing information technology. ...

  4. 12 CFR 1235.5 - Record hold.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... alternative storage method. (d) Access to and retrieval of records during a record hold. The record retention program of each regulated entity or the Office of Finance shall ensure access to and retrieval of records... records and existing information technology. ...

  5. Speed limits set lower than engineering recommendations : project summary report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-08-01

    The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) generally ensures that posted speed limits are set in accordance with engineering recommendations, which means that speed limits are typically set such that they are about equal to the observed 85th-perc...

  6. [From care to consideration of disabled people].

    PubMed

    Chossy, Jean-François

    2014-05-01

    The law of 11th February 2005 relating to the equality of the rights and opportunities, participation and citizenship of disabled people was a major step forward. Nevertheless, more progress is needed to ensure more consideration is given to disabled people.

  7. Saliva-based immunoassay of waterborne pathogen exposure

    EPA Science Inventory

    Water is our most important resource and ensuring its safety, security and sustainability is a global priority. Of almost equal importance is the protection of the global community from microbiological and chemical contaminants in our drinking and recreational water sources. Meth...

  8. 12 CFR 1750.1 - General.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... a level that is sufficient to ensure the continued financial viability of the Enterprise and that equals or exceeds the minimum capital requirement contained in this subpart A. ... AND SOUNDNESS CAPITAL Minimum Capital § 1750.1 General. The regulation contained in this subpart A...

  9. Good Work Ensures Employment Success. Myths and Realities No. 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Bettina Lankard

    It is a myth that skills alone ensure employment. Other keys to workplace success include continuous learning, emotional intelligence, networking, flexibility, and commitment to business objectives. Although academic degrees, skill certifications, and other documentation of accomplishments provide access to employment, they are significant only at…

  10. 42 CFR 423.124 - Special rules for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. 423.124 Section 423.124 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE... for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. (a) Out-of-network access to covered part D drugs—(1) Out-of-network pharmacy access. A Part D sponsor must ensure that Part...

  11. 42 CFR 423.124 - Special rules for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. 423.124 Section 423.124 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE... for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. (a) Out-of-network access to covered part D drugs—(1) Out-of-network pharmacy access. A Part D sponsor must ensure that Part...

  12. 42 CFR 423.124 - Special rules for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. 423.124 Section 423.124 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE... for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. (a) Out-of-network access to covered part D drugs—(1) Out-of-network pharmacy access. A Part D sponsor must ensure that Part...

  13. 36 CFR § 1192.125 - Mobility aid accessibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ..., electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3) Emergency... VEHICLES Intercity Rail Cars and Systems § 1192.125 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All intercity rail cars, other than level entry cars, required to be accessible by § 1192.111 (a) and (e) of...

  14. Region, Locality Characteristics, High School Tracking and Equality in Access to Educational Credentials: The Case of Palestinian Arab Communities in Israel.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mazawi, Andre Elias

    1998-01-01

    Examines the effects of regional, locality, and high school characteristics on access opportunities to educational credentials of Palestinian Arab students in Israel. Reveals that while tracking patterns are affected by high school variables at the community level, access to educational credentials is determined by community-level, socioeconomic…

  15. Poverty, Equity and Access to Education in Bangladesh. CREATE Pathways to Access. Research Monograph No. 51

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hossain, Altaf; Zeitlyn, Benjamin

    2010-01-01

    Bangladesh has made great improvements in the scale and quality of access to education in recent years and gender equality has almost been achieved in primary education (World Bank, 2008). Evidence from CREATE's nationwide community and school survey (ComSS) confirms results from other research (such as Al-Samarrai, 2009) which suggests that…

  16. Validation of the 2015 prostate cancer grade groups for predicting long-term oncologic outcomes in a shared equal-access health system.

    PubMed

    Schulman, Ariel A; Howard, Lauren E; Tay, Kae Jack; Tsivian, Efrat; Sze, Christina; Amling, Christopher L; Aronson, William J; Cooperberg, Matthew R; Kane, Christopher J; Terris, Martha K; Freedland, Stephen J; Polascik, Thomas J

    2017-11-01

    A 5-tier prognostic grade group (GG) system was enacted to simplify the risk stratification of patients with prostate cancer in which Gleason scores of ≤6, 3 + 4, 4 + 3, 8, and 9 or 10 are considered GG 1 through 5, respectively. The authors investigated the utility of biopsy GG for predicting long-term oncologic outcomes after radical prostatectomy in an equal-access health system. Men who underwent prostatectomy at 1 of 6 Veterans Affairs hospitals in the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital database between 2005 and 2015 were reviewed. The prognostic ability of biopsy GG was examined using Cox models. Interactions between GG and race also were tested. In total, 2509 men were identified who had data available on biopsy Gleason scores, covariates, and follow-up. The cohort included men with GG 1 (909 patients; 36.2%), GG 2 (813 patients; 32.4%), GG 3 (398 patients; 15.9%), GG 4 (279 patients; 11.1%), and GG 5 (110 patients; 4.4%) prostate cancer. The cohort included 1002 African American men (41%). The median follow-up was 60 months (interquartile range, 33-90 months). Higher GG was associated with higher clinical stage, older age, more recent surgery, and surgical center (P < .001) as well as increased biochemical recurrence, secondary therapy, castration-resistant prostate cancer, metastases, and prostate cancer-specific mortality (all P < .001). There were no significant interactions with race in predicting measured outcomes. The 5-tier GG system predicted multiple long-term endpoints after radical prostatectomy in an equal-access health system. The predictive value was consistent across races. Cancer 2017;123:4122-4129. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

  17. China's rural public health system performance: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Tian, Miaomiao; Feng, Da; Chen, Xi; Chen, Yingchun; Sun, Xi; Xiang, Yuanxi; Yuan, Fang; Feng, Zhanchun

    2013-01-01

    In the past three years, the Government of China initiated health reform with rural public health system construction to achieve equal access to public health services for rural residents. The study assessed trends of public health services accessibility in rural China from 2008 to 2010, as well as the current situation about the China's rural public health system performance. The data were collected from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2011, which used a multistage stratified random sampling method to select 12 counties and 118 villages from China. Three sets of indicators were chosen to measure the trends in access to coverage, equality and effectiveness of rural public health services. Data were disaggregated by provinces and by participants: hypertension patients, children, elderly and women. We examined the changes in equality across and within region. China's rural public health system did well in safe drinking water, children vaccinations and women hospital delivery. But more hypertension patients with low income could not receive regular healthcare from primary health institutions than those with middle and high income. In 2010, hypertension treatment rate of Qinghai in Western China was just 53.22% which was much lower than that of Zhejiang in Eastern China (97.27%). Meanwhile, low performance was showed in effectiveness of rural public health services. The rate of effective treatment for controlling their blood pressure within normal range was just 39.7%. The implementation of health reform since 2009 has led the public health development towards the right direction. Physical access to public health services had increased from 2008 to 2010. But, inter- and intra-regional inequalities in public health system coverage still exist. Strategies to improve the quality and equality of public health services in rural China need to be considered.

  18. Predictors of appendiceal perforation in an equal access system.

    PubMed

    Walker, Avery; Hatch, Quinton; Drake, Thurston; Nelson, Daniel W; Fitzpatrick, Emilie; Bingham, Jason; Black, George; Maykel, Justin A; Steele, Scott R

    2014-07-01

    Discrepancies in socioeconomic factors have been associated with higher rates of perforated appendicitis. As an equal-access health care system theoretically removes these barriers, we aimed to determine if remaining differences in demographics, education, and pay result in disparate outcomes in the rate of perforated appendicitis. All patients undergoing appendectomy for acute appendicitis (November 2004-October 2009) at a tertiary care equal access institution were categorized by demographics and perioperative data. Rank of the sponsor was used as a surrogate for economic status. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to determine patient and clinical characteristics associated with perforated appendicitis. A total of 680 patients (mean age 30±16 y; 37% female) were included. The majority were Caucasian (56.4% [n=384]; African Americans 5.6% [n=38]; Asians 1.9% [n=13]; and other 48.9% [n=245]) and enlisted (87.2%). Overall, 6.4% presented with perforation, with rates of 6.6%, 5.8%, and 6.7% (P=0.96) for officers, enlisted soldiers, and contractors, respectively. There was no difference in perforation when stratified by junior or senior status for either officers or enlisted (9.3% junior versus 4.40% senior officers, P=0.273; 6.60% junior versus 5.50% senior enlisted, P=0.369). On multivariate analysis, parameters such as leukocytosis and temperature, as well as race and rank were not associated with perforation (P=0.7). Only age had a correlation, with individuals aged 66-75 y having higher perforation rates (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.05; P<0.001). In an equal-access health care system, older age, not socioeconomic factors, correlated with increased appendiceal perforation rates. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  19. YY v TURKEY: INFERTILITY AS A PRE-CONDITION FOR GENDER CONFIRMATION SURGERY.

    PubMed

    Dunne, Peter

    2015-01-01

    In YY v Turkey, the Second Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held that Turkey's refusal, over a period of many years, to authorise gender confirmation surgery because the applicant remained capable of procreating was a violation of the right to private life under Art. 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Second Chamber's judgment acknowledges, and gives practical effect to, the 'physical and moral security' of transgender persons. YY has the potential to revolutionise gender confirming health care in Europe and will hopefully ensure that, where individuals do seek to medically transition, they need only access to treatments that are both necessary and desired. The ECtHR's decision may also impact upon the legal recognition of transgender identities. While not the direct focus of the Second Chamber's assessment, legal gender recognition is a constant theme throughout the judgment, and many of the Court's arguments are equally applicable to legal schemes for acknowledging preferred gender. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  20. Implementation of a software for REmote COMparison of PARticlE and photon treatment plans: ReCompare.

    PubMed

    Löck, Steffen; Roth, Klaus; Skripcak, Tomas; Worbs, Mario; Helmbrecht, Stephan; Jakobi, Annika; Just, Uwe; Krause, Mechthild; Baumann, Michael; Enghardt, Wolfgang; Lühr, Armin

    2015-09-01

    To guarantee equal access to optimal radiotherapy, a concept of patient assignment to photon or particle radiotherapy using remote treatment plan exchange and comparison - ReCompare - was proposed. We demonstrate the implementation of this concept and present its clinical applicability. The ReCompare concept was implemented using a client-server based software solution. A clinical workflow for the remote treatment plan exchange and comparison was defined. The steps required by the user and performed by the software for a complete plan transfer were described and an additional module for dose-response modeling was added. The ReCompare software was successfully tested in cooperation with three external partner clinics and worked meeting all required specifications. It was compatible with several standard treatment planning systems, ensured patient data protection, and integrated in the clinical workflow. The ReCompare software can be applied to support non-particle radiotherapy institutions with the patient-specific treatment decision on the optimal irradiation modality by remote treatment plan exchange and comparison. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  1. Universal health care in India: Panacea for whom?

    PubMed

    Qadeer, Imrana

    2013-01-01

    This paper examines the current notion of universal health care (UHC) in key legal and policy documents and argues that the recommendations for UHC in these entail further abdication of the State's responsibility in health care with the emphasis shifting from public provisioning of services to merely ensuring universal access to services. Acts of commission (recommendations for public private partnership [PPPs], definition and provision of an essential health package to vulnerable populations to ensure universal access to care) and omission (silence maintained on tertiary care) will eventually strengthen the private and corporate sector at the cost of the public health care services and access to care for the marginalized. Thus, the current UHC strategy uses equity as a tool for promoting the private sector in medical care rather than health for all.

  2. Ensuring Access to Higher Education: Simplifying Federal Student Aid for Today's College Student. Hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, United States Senate, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session on Examining Ensuring Access to Higher Education, Focusing on Simplifying Federal Student Aid for Today's College Student (November 14, 2013). Senate Hearing 113-819

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    US Senate, 2016

    2016-01-01

    This hearing is the third in a series examining critical issues in postsecondary education as the committee looks to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. The topic discussed is of paramount importance and is arguably the bedrock of Federal higher education policy, that is, the Federal financial aid programs and their effectiveness in providing…

  3. 76 FR 15049 - Agency Information Collection (Equal Opportunity Compliance Review Report); Activity Under OMB...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-18

    ...) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-21), this notice announces that the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA... schools below college level. The information is used to assure that participants have equal access to.... Estimated Annual Burden and Average Burden per Respondent: Based on past experience, VBA estimates that 76...

  4. Counterbalancing Student Debt with "Asset Empowerment" and Economic Mobility

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elliott, William; Chan, Monnica; Poore, Anthony

    2015-01-01

    Education provides one of the best opportunities for American children to build the capacity to climb up the economic ladder. It has even been called the "great equalizer" in American society. In today's tightened labor market, providing equal access to postsecondary education is more critical than ever. The Georgetown Center on…

  5. Community Engagement to End Child Early Forced Marriage--Experiences in Selected South Asian Countries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ferreira, Frances J.; Kamal, Mostafa Azad

    2017-01-01

    Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, "achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls", emphasises the need for "providing women and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes [which] will fuel sustainable economies and benefit…

  6. The "Second Chance" Myth: Equality of Opportunity in Irish Adult Education Policies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grummell, Bernie

    2007-01-01

    This article explores the "second chance" myth that surrounds the role of adult education in society. This myth apparently offers all citizens an equal chance to access educational opportunities to improve their life chances. I argue that recent developments in educational policy-making are increasingly shaped by neoliberal discourses…

  7. Learning To Change. A WEA Equal Opportunities Training Pack.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Workers Educational Association, London (England).

    This training pack contains materials to help embed the principles of equal opportunities into the practice of part-time tutors and voluntary members of the Workers' Educational Association (WEA), a national voluntary organization dedicated to giving adults in the United Kingdom access to organized learning. Part 1 describes the rationale for the…

  8. The One World of Working Women. Monograph No. 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson, Anne H.

    Women of many nations, particularly the industrialized countries, are achieving greater opportunity and equality in the working world. The rate at which women are joining the work force has confounded all predictions and created unexpected difficulties in securing equal pay and access to jobs and training. The most direct discrimination, separate…

  9. Are Disadvantaged Students Given Equal Opportunities to Learn Mathematics? PISA in Focus. No. 63

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    OECD Publishing, 2016

    2016-01-01

    Socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged students are not equally exposed to mathematics problems and concepts at school. Exposure to mathematics at school has an impact on performance, and disadvantaged students' relative lack of familiarity with mathematics partly explains their lower performance. Widening access to mathematics content…

  10. 75 FR 16202 - Office of New Reactors; Interim Staff Guidance on Ensuring Hazard-Consistent Seismic Input for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-31

    ... Staff Guidance on Ensuring Hazard-Consistent Seismic Input for Site Response and Soil Structure...-Consistent Seismic Input for Site Response and Soil Structure Interaction Analyses,'' (Agencywide Documents... Soil Structure Interaction Analyses,'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML092230455) to solicit public and industry...

  11. 46 CFR 58.25-85 - Special requirements for tank vessels.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... (e), (h), (i), and (j); (2) Ensure working access to machinery and controls in the steering-gear compartment (which must include handrails and either gratings or other non-slip surfaces to ensure a safe working environment in case hydraulic fluid leaks); (3) Have two separate and independent steering-gear...

  12. Promoting Institutional Change through Bias Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carnes, Molly; Devine, Patricia G.; Isaac, Carol; Manwell, Linda Baier; Ford, Cecelia E.; Byars-Winston, Angela; Fine, Eve; Sheridan, Jennifer

    2012-01-01

    The National Science Foundation and others conclude that institutional transformation is required to ensure equal opportunities for the participation and advancement of men and women in academic science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Such transformation requires changing the habitual attitudes and behaviors of…

  13. 48 CFR 422.804-2 - Construction.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Construction. 422.804-2... APPLICATION OF LABOR LAWS TO GOVERNMENT ACQUISITIONS Equal Employment Opportunity 422.804-2 Construction. The HCA shall ensure that each contracting office, awarding nonexempt construction contracts, maintains a...

  14. 48 CFR 422.804-2 - Construction.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Construction. 422.804-2... APPLICATION OF LABOR LAWS TO GOVERNMENT ACQUISITIONS Equal Employment Opportunity 422.804-2 Construction. The HCA shall ensure that each contracting office, awarding nonexempt construction contracts, maintains a...

  15. 48 CFR 422.804-2 - Construction.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Construction. 422.804-2... APPLICATION OF LABOR LAWS TO GOVERNMENT ACQUISITIONS Equal Employment Opportunity 422.804-2 Construction. The HCA shall ensure that each contracting office, awarding nonexempt construction contracts, maintains a...

  16. 48 CFR 422.804-2 - Construction.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Construction. 422.804-2... APPLICATION OF LABOR LAWS TO GOVERNMENT ACQUISITIONS Equal Employment Opportunity 422.804-2 Construction. The HCA shall ensure that each contracting office, awarding nonexempt construction contracts, maintains a...

  17. 48 CFR 422.804-2 - Construction.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Construction. 422.804-2... APPLICATION OF LABOR LAWS TO GOVERNMENT ACQUISITIONS Equal Employment Opportunity 422.804-2 Construction. The HCA shall ensure that each contracting office, awarding nonexempt construction contracts, maintains a...

  18. 76 FR 66756 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-27

    ... discrimination but also require affirmative action to ensure that equal employment opportunities are available... necessary to substantiate their compliance with nondiscrimination and affirmative action contractual... for OMB Review; Comment Request; Construction Recordkeeping and Reporting ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The...

  19. 3 CFR 8955 - Proclamation 8955 of April 8, 2013. National Equal Pay Day, 2013

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... to make what men did in the previous one. Wage inequality undermines the promise of fairness and... a long way toward ensuring everyone gets a fair shot at opportunity, no matter who you are or where...

  20. Leadership for Gender-Equal Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gillies, Warna

    2001-01-01

    Research over 20 years indicates that teachers are more attentive to male students from preschool through high school. Gender-appropriate practices maximize learning opportunities for both sexes by ensuring ongoing, formative evaluations, respecting each individual's learning pace, providing mentors, and intervening positively when appropriate.…

  1. Rights-Based Approaches to Ensure Sustainable Nutrition Security.

    PubMed

    Banerjee, Sweta

    2016-01-01

    In India, a rights-based approach has been used to address large-scale malnutrition, including both micro- and macro-level nutrition deficiencies. Stunting, which is an intergenerational chronic consequence of malnutrition, is especially widespread in India (38% among children under 5 years old). To tackle this problem, the government of India has designed interventions for the first 1,000 days, a critical period of the life cycle, through a number of community-based programs to fulfill the rights to food and life. However, the entitlements providing these rights have not yet produced the necessary changes in the malnutrition status of people, especially women and children. The government of India has already implemented laws and drafted a constitution that covers the needs of its citizens, but corruption, bureaucracy, lack of awareness of rights and entitlements and social discrimination limit people's access to basic rights and services. To address this crisis, Welthungerhilfe India, working in remote villages of the most backward states in India, has shifted from a welfare-based approach to a rights-based approach. The Fight Hunger First Initiative, started by Welthungerhilfe in 2011, is designed on the premise that in the long term, poor people can only leave poverty behind if adequate welfare systems are in place and if basic rights are fulfilled; these rights include access to proper education, sufficient access to adequate food and income, suitable health services and equal rights. Only then can the next generation of disadvantaged populations look forward to a new and better future and can growth benefit the entire society. The project, co-funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, is a long-term multi-sectoral program that involves institution-building and empowerment. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  2. Fast Equalization for Large Lithium Ion Batteries

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-09-01

    Lithium - ion batteries use an electrolyte that is flammable if exposed to high temperatures. Slight differences between the series-connected cells in a LiIon battery pack can produce imbalances in the cell voltages, and this greatly reduces the charge capacity. These batteries cannot be trickle charged like a lead acid battery because this would slightly overcharge some cells and would cause these cells to ignite. There are different methods used to ensure that the cells of a battery pack are not overcharged. The targeted equalizer (EQU) described here can

  3. Justice and health for all.

    PubMed

    de Jong, G A; Rutten, F F

    1983-01-01

    The ethical aspects of the distribution of resources for health care at the macro level deserve more study than they hitherto received. The socio-medical and economic policy implications of four distribution principles are reviewed: the utilitarian, the egalitarian, the equal access and the libertarian. Policy in welfare states is primarily based on the equal access principle. Economic factors have led to policy proposals in libertarian and utilitarian directions; competition, cost-sharing, cost-effectiveness and individual responsibility are central to the discussion. The authors conclude that it remains to be seen whether these alternatives produce the results expected. They recommend more comprehensive examination of the practical and political feasibilities of a more egalitarian policy.

  4. Whose Job Is It? Key Challenges and Future Directions for Online Accessibility in US Institutions of Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Linder, Kathryn E.; Fontaine-Rainen, Danielle L.; Behling, Kirsten

    2015-01-01

    This article reports on a national study conducted in the United States on the current institutional practices, structures, resources and policies that are needed to ensure online accessibility for all students at colleges and universities. Key findings include the need to better articulate who is responsible for online accessibility initiatives…

  5. An Introduction to Web Accessibility, Web Standards, and Web Standards Makers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McHale, Nina

    2011-01-01

    Librarians and libraries have long been committed to providing equitable access to information. In the past decade and a half, the growth of the Internet and the rapid increase in the number of online library resources and tools have added a new dimension to this core duty of the profession: ensuring accessibility of online resources to users with…

  6. Open access for operational research publications from low- and middle-income countries: who pays?

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, A. M. V.; Reid, A. J.; Van den Bergh, R.; Isaakidis, P.; Draguez, B.; Delaunois, P.; Nagaraja, S. B.; Ramsay, A.; Reeder, J. C.; Denisiuk, O.; Ali, E.; Khogali, M.; Hinderaker, S. G.; Kosgei, R. J.; van Griensven, J.; Quaglio, G. L.; Maher, D.; Billo, N. E.; Terry, R. F.; Harries, A. D.

    2014-01-01

    Open-access journal publications aim to ensure that new knowledge is widely disseminated and made freely accessible in a timely manner so that it can be used to improve people's health, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries. In this paper, we briefly explain the differences between closed- and open-access journals, including the evolving idea of the ‘open-access spectrum’. We highlight the potential benefits of supporting open access for operational research, and discuss the conundrum and ways forward as regards who pays for open access. PMID:26400799

  7. Perspectives on access to personal health information in New Zealand/Aotearoa.

    PubMed

    Menkes, David B; Hill, Charlotte J; Horsfall, Melissa; Jaye, Chrystal

    2008-12-01

    This study used group interviews to explore Māori and European New Zealander (Pakeha) perspectives on access to personal health information. Two predominant themes emerged: the tension between the individual and society, and differences inherent in the use of formal and informal moral codes. Māori and Pakeha differed in their concept of autonomy and relied on distinct moral codes when considering questions of access; Western values and moral codes were notably less relevant to Māori who described distinct, collectivist means of ensuring social care of the sick and dying. Pakeha but not Māori participants often used hypothetical situations to reach an abstract determination of 'who should know'; the latter instead used personal experience to decide case-by-case. Generational differences were also evident, particularly in the Māori groups. In conclusion, culture should be considered in access to personal health information in New Zealand. Similar cultural variation is likely to be found in other countries; recognition of such differences will help ensure that access to sensitive information is appropriate, inclusive, and ethical.

  8. Gender equality observations and actions by the European Research Council

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rydin, Claudia Alves de Jesus; Farina Busto, Luis; Penny, Martin

    2016-04-01

    Women have historically been underrepresented in science. Much positive progress in attracting women to research careers has been achieved in recent years; however, the most influential and high profile positions in most countries are still predominantly occupied by men. The European Research Council (ERC), Europe's premiere funding agency for frontier research, views gender equality as an important challenge. The ERC monitors closely gender figures on every call and has taken actions to tackle gender imbalances and potential unconscious biases. The ERC talk is focused on efforts made to understand and ensure equal treatment of all candidates, with particular focus on gender balance and with specific attention to geosciences. Data and statistics collected from ERC's internationally recognised funding schemes are presented.

  9. Cultural variations in the sexual marketplace: gender equality correlates with more sexual activity.

    PubMed

    Baumeister, Roy F; Mendoza, Juan Pablo

    2011-01-01

    Sexual economics theory assumes that heterosexual communities can be analyzed as marketplaces in which men offer women resources such as love, respect, money, and commitment in exchange for sex. In response to economic, political, and other disadvantages, women collectively restrict their sexuality to maintain a low supply relative to male demand, thereby ensuring a high price. Hence, we tested the hypothesis that sexual norms and practices would be more restrictive in countries marked by gender inequality than in countries where the genders were more equal. An international online sex survey (N>317,000) yielded four measures of sexual activity, and 37 nations' means on all four measures were correlated with independent (World Economic Forum) ratings of gender equality. Consistent with predictions, relatively high gender equality was associated with more casual sex, more sex partners per capita, younger ages for first sex, and greater tolerance/approval of premarital sex.

  10. Improving access to adequate pain management in Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Scholten, Willem

    2015-06-01

    There is a global crisis in access to pain management in the world. WHO estimates that 4.65 billion people live in countries where medical opioid consumption is near to zero. For 2010, WHO considered a per capita consumption of 216.7 mg morphine equivalents adequate, while Taiwan had a per capita consumption of 0.05 mg morphine equivalents in 2007. In Asia, the use of opioids is sensitive because of the Opium Wars in the 19th century and for this reason, the focus of controlled substances policies has been on the prevention of diversion and dependence. However, an optimal public health outcome requires that also the beneficial aspects of these substances are acknowledged. Therefore, WHO recommends a policy based on the Principle of Balance: ensuring access for medical and scientific purposes while preventing diversion, harmful use and dependence. Furthermore, international law requires that countries ensure access to opioid analgesics for medical and scientific purposes. There is evidence that opioid analgesics for chronic pain are not associated with a major risk for developing dependence. Barriers for access can be classified in the categories of overly restrictive laws and regulations; insufficient medical training on pain management and problems related to assessment of medical needs; attitudes like an excessive fear for dependence or diversion; and economic and logistical problems. The GOPI project found many examples of such barriers in Asia. Access to opioid medicines in Taiwan can be improved by analysing the national situation and drafting a plan. The WHO policy guidelines Ensuring Balance in National Policies on Controlled Substances can be helpful for achieving this purpose, as well as international guidelines for pain treatment. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  11. 34 CFR 74.44 - Procurement procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... standards. (iv) The specific features of brand name or equal descriptions that bidders are required to meet... made by recipients to utilize small businesses, minority-owned firms, and women's business enterprises...: (1) Ensure that small businesses, minority-owned firms, and women's business enterprises are used to...

  12. Providing Students with Formative Audio Feedback

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brearley, Francis Q.; Cullen, W. Rod

    2012-01-01

    The provision of timely and constructive feedback is increasingly challenging for busy academics. Ensuring effective student engagement with feedback is equally difficult. Increasingly, studies have explored provision of audio recorded feedback to enhance effectiveness and engagement with feedback. Few, if any, of these focus on purely formative…

  13. 3 CFR 8773 - Proclamation 8773 of January 13, 2012. Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2012

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ..., sharing his dream of an America that ensured the true equality of all our people. From the steps of the... remarkable dream is unending, with persistence, progress is within our reach. On the Martin Luther King, Jr...

  14. Peru's Gentle Revolutionary.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sweeney, Thomas W.; Toledo, Alejandro

    2003-01-01

    Alejandro Toledo, the first Native person to be elected president of Peru, talks about his Quechua roots; his proposed constitutional amendment to ensure equal rights for indigenous peoples; financial support for Native cultural preservation efforts; and his number one priority--to fight poverty through education, focusing on basic education,…

  15. Discrimination in Employment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCarthy, Martha M.

    An overview is presented of litigation in which courts have interpreted educational employees' rights to nondiscriminatory treatment and employers' obligations to ensure equal employment opportunities. Because of the range, volume, and complexity of the litigation in this area, the intent is to identify applicable legal principles rather than to…

  16. Mainstreaming gender equality in the sustainable development process: 1992-1996.

    PubMed

    1997-01-01

    One of the major contributions of Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in the mainstreaming of gender equality into a sustainable development process was organizing the 5th African Regional Conference on Women in November 1994, in which a comprehensive policy document was formulated and adopted by all African governments. The policy contained in a document entitled the African Platform for Action (APA), which promotes the advancement of women through sustainable development. Its recommendations are being implemented together with the Global Platform for Action (GPA). To ensure the implementation of APA and GPA, ECA has set up various monitoring and implementation-coordinating groups such as the African Regional Coordinating Committee and the African Women's Communications and Development Network. In addition, ECA also facilitated the creation of the African Women Committee for Peace in November 1996, which will ensure the participation of women in the peace process at the highest level. All work programs of the ECA are expected to mainstream gender in their plans and activities.

  17. Transportation Planning for Access to Jobs; Job Access and the Metropolitan Planning Process in Hartford, St. Louis, and Detroit

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-08-28

    Federal, state, and local welfare reform initiatives may require the planning : and development of new and innovative public transportation services to ensure : that ex-welfare recipients have the needed mobility to reach employment : opportunities, ...

  18. 19 CFR 122.49d - Passenger Name Record (PNR) information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ...; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY AIR COMMERCE REGULATIONS Aircraft Entry and Entry Documents; Electronic Manifest... request, provide Customs with electronic access to certain Passenger Name Record (PNR) information, as... access to requested PNR information, each air carrier must ensure that its electronic reservation...

  19. 36 CFR 1193.33 - Information, documentation, and training.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Information, documentation... Accessibility and Usability § 1193.33 Information, documentation, and training. (a) Manufacturers shall ensure access to information and documentation it provides to its customers. Such information and documentation...

  20. A Team Approach to Designing the Recreational-Educational Complex.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curtis, James P.

    1983-01-01

    Outlines steps taken to ensure accessibility for disabled persons to the Alabama Space and Rocket Center's new recreational-educational complex, including writing specifications, identifying construction needs, and analyzing existing buildings' accessibility. Describes the proposed activity center, family and faculty cottages, lodge, active and…

  1. Birth planning in Cuba: a basic human right.

    PubMed

    Swanson, J M

    1981-01-01

    This paper reports on the development of birth planning in Cuba and strategies that are relevant to nurses in the communities of Cuba. Cuba reduced its crude birth rate by 40% from 1964-75 without formal family planning programs and resources. By 1975, Cuba had achieved the lowest birth rate in Latin America (21/1000) except Barbados (19/1000). By 1978, Cuba's crude birth rate declined to a low of 15.3/1000. The demographic transition in Cuba has been a process of equalization by: 1) community participation to ensure basic human rights for everyone, 2) increasing the status of women while providing child care centers, 3) providing equal availability of health care services including contraceptive services, sterilization, and abortion, and 4) focusing on individual birth choice, not on limiting population growth. Emphasis in Cuba for reducing fertility has been put on literacy, education, and infant mortality. The illiteracy rate in 1961 decreased from 20% to 4%. Infant mortality decreased from 38.8/1000 live births in 1970 to 22.3/1000 in 1978. 1/3 of Cuban women were participating fully in the labor force in 1978. Polyclinics have been established as preventive care medical centers throughout Cuba and health care is free. Family planning options are integrated into routine primary health care at polyclinics and assure equal access to the total Cuban population. Abortion is freely available and increased to 61/1000 in 1976. The implications for nursing are that: 1) the traditional work of nurses places them in a key position to help extend basic human rights beyond current levels, 2) nurses can initiate discussions of birth planning with women and men in a variety of settings, and 3) nurses can increase case-finding related to birth planning needs both in health care classes or within established groups in the community.

  2. Assessing the Optimal Length of Parental Leave for Child and Parental Well-Being: How Can Research Inform Policy?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Galtry, Judith; Callister, Paul

    2005-01-01

    Parental leave is a complex area of public policy. Concerns include health protection for working mothers, equal employment opportunities for women, access to adequate antenatal and birthing care, maternal recovery, optimal nutrition for infants, and gender equality within families. Given this complexity, the design of parental leave schemes,…

  3. A World We Never Had: The Forgotten Quest for a Comprehensive School Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davies, Mike

    2017-01-01

    Recently the spectre of increased selection has raised much attention, frequently associated with "fairness" linked to a meritocracy--reminding us of the tension between the principles of equality of opportunity and access as the key driver of the comprehensive school as against the principles of equal value and respect. Whether the…

  4. Bathrooms without Borders: Transgender Students Argue Separate Is Not Equal

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Watkins, Paul J.; Moreno, Edward

    2017-01-01

    Title IX guidelines governing equal access to collide with state legislation around gender identity and multiple use bathrooms and changing facilities. This policy review of literature argues for a stronger voice from Washington, protecting the rights of all students to feel safe using private spaces at school. The many court rulings offer a fair…

  5. Combating Inequalities in Two-Way Language Immersion Programs: Toward Critical Consciousness in Bilingual Education Spaces

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cervantes-Soon, Claudia G.; Dorner, Lisa; Palmer, Deborah; Heiman, Dan; Schwerdtfeger, Rebecca; Choi, Jinmyung

    2017-01-01

    This chapter reviews critical areas of research on issues of equity/equality in the highly proclaimed and exponentially growing model of bilingual education: two-way immersion (TWI). There is increasing evidence that TWI programs are not living up to their ideal to provide equal access to educational opportunity for transnational emergent…

  6. Legally and Morally, What Our Gay Students Must Be Given

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weiler, Erica M.

    2004-01-01

    Schools have a legal, ethical, and moral obligation to provide to all students equal access to education and equal protection under the law. For many sexual minority students, however, schools are unsafe and survival, not education, is the priority. Schools typically do not have the information, interest, or comfort level to address the needs of…

  7. Higher Education as Object for Corporate and Nation Branding: Between Equality and Flagships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sataøen, Hogne Lerøy

    2015-01-01

    Branding has become an important issue within higher education. The use of core value statements and visions are expressions of this. To be a successful brand, organisations must also make sure they are different from others. However, in both the scholarly discourse and in political rhetoric, the Nordic model highlights equal access to education…

  8. Should the Public Pay for Higher Education? Equality, Liberty, and Educational Debt

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Christopher

    2017-01-01

    As governments shift costs from the public to students, a higher education has become synonymous with educational debt. Liberal egalitarians have justified educational debt on the grounds that it facilitates socioeconomic equality. On this view, the public should only fund access for those students who are so poorly off that educational debt would…

  9. County-Level Poverty Is Equally Associated with Unmet Health Care Needs in Rural and Urban Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peterson, Lars E.; Litaker, David G.

    2010-01-01

    Context: Regional poverty is associated with reduced access to health care. Whether this relationship is equally strong in both rural and urban settings or is affected by the contextual and individual-level characteristics that distinguish these areas, is unclear. Purpose: Compare the association between regional poverty with self-reported unmet…

  10. The Praeger Handbook of Latino Education in the U.S. Volume 2

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Soto, Lourdes Diaz, Ed.

    2007-01-01

    Latinos in the United States have fought hard to attain equality, especially in the field of education. "The Praeger Handbook of Latino Education in the U.S." focuses on this fight for equal educational access and represents a significant addition to American educational literature. The contributors to this volume reveal that many Latino…

  11. The Praeger Handbook of Latino Education in the U.S.. Volume 1

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Soto, Lourdes Diaz, Ed.

    2007-01-01

    Latinos in the United States have fought hard to attain equality, especially in the field of education. "The Praeger Handbook of Latino Education in the U.S." focuses on this fight for equal educational access and represents a significant addition to American educational literature. The contributors to this volume reveal that many Latino…

  12. 29 CFR 1915.506 - Hazards of fixed extinguishing systems on board vessels and vessel sections.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... operational. (d) Doors and hatches. The employer must: (1) Take protective measures to ensure that all doors, hatches, scuttles, and other exit openings remain working and accessible for escape in the event the systems are activated; and (2) Ensure that all inward opening doors, hatches, scuttles, and other...

  13. 46 CFR 58.25-40 - Arrangement of the steering-gear compartment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ..., separated from any machinery space; (2) Ensure working access to machinery and controls in the compartment; and (3) Include handrails and either gratings or other non-slip surfaces to ensure a safe working environment if hydraulic fluid leaks. Note: Where practicable, all steering gear should be located in the...

  14. The Role of Accessibility of Semantic Word Knowledge in Monolingual and Bilingual Fifth-Grade Reading

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cremer, M.; Schoonen, R.

    2013-01-01

    The influences of word decoding, availability, and accessibility of semantic word knowledge on reading comprehension were investigated for monolingual "("n = 65) and bilingual children ("n" = 70). Despite equal decoding abilities, monolingual children outperformed bilingual children with regard to reading comprehension and…

  15. The Advanced Placement Arms Race and the Reproduction of Educational Inequality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klugman, Joshua

    2013-01-01

    Background: Access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses is stratified by class and race. Researchers have identified how schools serving disadvantaged students suffer from various kinds of resource deprivations, concluding that interventions are needed to equalize access to AP courses. On the other hand, the theory of Effectively Maintained…

  16. Instructional Technology for Rural Schools: Access and Acquisition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sundeen, Todd H.; Sundeen, Darrelanne M.

    2013-01-01

    Integrating instructional technology into all classrooms has the potential to transform modern education and student learning. However, access to technology is not equally available to all districts or schools. Decreased funding and budgetary restraints have had a direct impact on technology acquisition in many rural school districts. One of the…

  17. Higher Education and Disability: Past and Future of Underrepresented Populations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leake, David W.; Stodden, Robert A.

    2014-01-01

    Over the past half century higher education in the United States has been challenged to develop and implement policies and practices that effectively promote the access, retention, and graduation of diverse underrepresented populations. One of these populations is comprised of individuals with disabilities, whose equal access to higher education…

  18. Is the Shine off the A.P. Apple?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hurwitz, Nina; Hurwitz, Sol

    2003-01-01

    Describes challenges facing College Board's efforts to expand Advanced Placement (A.P.) courses to provide equal access to previously underserved low-performing urban and rural school students while maintaining the program's high academic standards. Includes list of strategies school boards can use to achieve greater access to A.P. courses while…

  19. The Professional Responsibilities of Professional Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rhode, Deborah L.

    1999-01-01

    A discussion of the professional responsibility of law schools focuses on the need to highlight professional issues within the curriculum, pro bono policies, access to and delivery of legal services to those who need them, equal access to legal education, and more effective treatment of issues related to race, gender, ethnicity, and sexual…

  20. Rural women's perspectives of maternity services in the Midland Region of New Zealand.

    PubMed

    Gibbons, Veronique; Lancaster, Gytha; Gosman, Kim; Lawrenson, Ross

    2016-09-01

    INTRODUCTION Rural women face many challenges with regards to maternity services. Many rural primary birthing facilities in New Zealand have closed. The Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) model of maternity care, introduced in 1990, has moved provision of rural maternity care from doctors to independent midwifery services. Shortages of rural midwives in the Midland region led to rural maternity care being seen as a vulnerable service. AIM To understand the views and experiences of rural women concerning maternity care, to inform the future design and provision of rural maternity services. METHODS Participants were drawn from areas purposively selected to represent the five District Health Boards comprising the Midland health region. A demographic questionnaire, focus groups and individual interviews explored rural women's perspectives of antenatal care provision. These were analysed thematically. RESULTS Sixty-two women were recruited. Key themes emerging from focus groups and interviews included: access to services, the importance of safety and quality of care, the need for appropriate information at different stages, and the role of partners, family and friends in the birthing journey. While most women were happy with access to services, quality of care, provision of information, and the role of family in their care, for some women, this experience could be enhanced. CONCLUSION Midwives are the frontline service for women seeking antenatal services. Support for rural midwives and for local birthing units is needed to ensure rural women receive services equal to that of their urban counterparts.

  1. Disability inclusion in higher education in Uganda: Status and strategies

    PubMed Central

    Emong, Paul

    2016-01-01

    Background Uganda has embraced inclusive education and evidently committed itself to bringing about disability inclusion at every level of education. Both legal and non-legal frameworks have been adopted and arguably are in line with the intent of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on education. The CRPD, in Article 24, requires states to attain a right to education for persons with disabilities without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunities at all levels of education. Objectives Despite Uganda’s robust disability legal and policy framework on education, there is evidence of exclusion and discrimination of students with disabilities in the higher education institutions. The main objective of this article is to explore the status of disability inclusion in higher education and strategies for its realisation, using evidence from Emong’s study, workshop proceedings where the authors facilitated and additional individual interviews with four students with disabilities by the authors. Results The results show that there are discrimination and exclusion tendencies in matters related to admissions, access to lectures, assessment and examinations, access to library services, halls of residence and other disability support services. Conclusion The article recommends that institutional policies and guidelines on support services for students with disabilities and special needs in higher education be developed, data on students with disabilities collected to help planning, collaboration between Disabled Peoples Organisations (DPO’s) strengthened to ensure disability inclusion and the establishment of disability support centres. PMID:28730044

  2. Presence, characteristics and equity of access to breast cancer screening programmes in 27 European countries in 2010 and 2014. Results from an international survey.

    PubMed

    Deandrea, S; Molina-Barceló, A; Uluturk, A; Moreno, J; Neamtiu, L; Peiró-Pérez, R; Saz-Parkinson, Z; Lopez-Alcalde, J; Lerda, D; Salas, D

    2016-10-01

    The European Union Council Recommendation of 2 December 2003 on cancer screening suggests the implementation of organised, population-based breast cancer screening programmes based on mammography every other year for women aged 50 to 69years, ensuring equal access to screening, taking into account potential needs for targeting particular socioeconomic groups. A European survey on coverage and participation, and key organisational and policy characteristics of the programmes, targeting years 2010 and 2014, was undertaken in 2014. Overall, 27 countries contributed to this survey, 26 of the 28 European Union member states (92.9%) plus Norway. In 2014, 25 countries reported an ongoing population-based programme, one country reported a pilot programme and another was planning a pilot. In eight countries, the target age range was broader than that proposed by the Council Recommendation, and in three countries the full range was not covered. Fifteen countries reported not reaching some vulnerable populations, such as immigrants, prisoners and people without health insurance, while 22 reported that participation was periodically monitored by socioeconomic variables (e.g. age and territory). Organised, population-based breast cancer screening programmes based on routine mammograms are in place in most EU member states. However, there are still differences in the way screening programmes are implemented, and participation by vulnerable populations should be encouraged. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Mesothelioma and thymic tumors: Treatment challenges in (outside) a network setting.

    PubMed

    Imbimbo, Martina; Maury, Jean-Michel; Garassino, Marina; Girard, Nicolas

    2018-02-02

    The management of patients with mesothelioma and thymic malignancy requires continuous multidisciplinary expertise at any step of the disease. A dramatic improvement in our knowledge has occurred in the last few years, through the development of databases, translational research programs, and clinical trials. Access to innovative strategies represents a major challenge, as there is a lack of funding for clinical research in rare cancers and their rarity precludes the design of robust clinical trials that could lead to specific approval of drugs. In this context, patient-centered initiatives, such as the establishment of dedicated networks, are warranted. International societies, such as IMIG (International Mesothelioma Interest Group) and ITMIG (International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group) provide infrastructure for global collaboration, and there are many advantages to having strong regional groups working on the same issues. There may be regional differences in risk factors, susceptibility, management and outcomes. The ability to address questions both regionally as well as globally is ideal to develop a full understanding of mesothelioma and thymic malignancies. In Europe, through the integration of national networks with EURACAN, the collaboration with academic societies and international groups, the development of networks in thoracic oncology provides multiplex integration of clinical care and research, ultimately ensuring equal access to high quality care to all patients, with the opportunity of conducting high level clinical and translational research projects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.

  4. The Virtual Ramp to the Equivalent Experience in the Virtual Museum: Accessibility to Museums on the Web.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nevile, Liddy; McCathieNevile, Charles

    This paper argues that a range of forms and modalities of resources should be provided to ensure accessibility and richness on the World Wide Web for all users. Based on experiences in developing virtual exhibitions of Quinkan Aboriginal Rock Art, the authors present a brief overview of the technology available for accessibility. Then they explore…

  5. Beyond Access: An Analysis of the Influence of the E-Rate Program in Bridging the Digital Divide in American Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Euna; Sinha, Hansa; Chong, Jing

    2007-01-01

    E-Rate is a U.S. federal funding program for providing discounts for telecommunications, Internet access and internal networking costs for schools and libraries to ensure access equity across poor and rich, rural, urban and suburban areas, and highly served and underserved areas. This paper examines the impact of the E-Rate program on social…

  6. School Counselors and Multicultural Education: Applying the Five Dimensions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Merlin, Clare

    2017-01-01

    Multicultural education is an educational approach designed to ensure equal educational opportunities for all students, including those in marginalized groups. This approach has historically been directed towards teachers, but school counselors have the appropriate training and skills to lead multicultural education efforts, as well. In this…

  7. Cutting Tobacco's Toll. Worldwatch Paper 18.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eckholm, Erik

    This pamphlet discusses the "unnatural" history of tobacco, the broadening medical indictment, world smoking trends, who profits, and public policy and public health. Equalling a fourth of the global military budget, consumer expenditure on cigarettes ensures that powerful, strongly motivated interests will struggle to keep global cigarette sales…

  8. Lucrative Partnerships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halliday, Stephen

    2009-01-01

    The economic debacle of September 2008 left in its wake major economic losses at both corporate and personal finance levels. Equally disturbing, a looming economic uncertainty ensures this: fund-raisers will need to work even harder and smarter to capture dollars. Although higher-education institutions have a track record of weathering these…

  9. Report: EPA Should Revise Outdated or Inconsistent EPA-State Clean Water Act Memoranda of Agreement

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Report #10-P-0224, September 14, 2010. NPDES MOAs between EPA and States do not ensure Agency management control and effective oversight over a national program administered by States that is capable of providing equal protection to all Americans.

  10. 42 CFR 422.112 - Access to services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... Access to services. (a) Rules for coordinated care plans. An MA organization that offers an MA... organization ensures that all covered services, including supplemental services contracted for by (or on behalf... organization must meet the following requirements: (1) Provider network. (i) Maintain and monitor a network of...

  11. 42 CFR 422.112 - Access to services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... Access to services. (a) Rules for coordinated care plans. An MA organization that offers an MA... organization ensures that all covered services, including supplemental services contracted for by (or on behalf... organization must meet the following requirements: (1) Provider network. (i) Maintain and monitor a network of...

  12. 42 CFR 422.112 - Access to services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... Access to services. (a) Rules for coordinated care plans. An MA organization that offers an MA... organization ensures that all covered services, including supplemental services contracted for by (or on behalf... organization must meet the following requirements: (1) Provider network. (i) Maintain and monitor a network of...

  13. Accessibility Principles for Reading Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thurlow, Martha L.; Laitusis, Cara Cahalan; Dillon, Deborah R.; Cook, Linda L.; Moen, Ross E.; Abedi, Jamal; O'Brien, David G.

    2009-01-01

    Within the context of standards-based educational systems, states are using large scale reading assessments to help ensure that all children have the opportunity to learn essential knowledge and skills. The challenge for developers of accessible reading assessments is to develop assessments that measure only those student characteristics that are…

  14. Providing Access to Library Automation Systems for Students with Disabilities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    California Community Colleges, Sacramento. High-Tech Center for the Disabled.

    This document provides information on the integration of assistive computer technologies and library automation systems at California Community Colleges in order to ensure access for students with disabilities. Topics covered include planning, upgrading, purchasing, implementing and using these technologies with library systems. As information…

  15. 32 CFR 2001.49 - Special access programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... enhanced for information in special access programs (SAP), established under the provisions of section 4.3 of the Order by the agency head responsible for creating the SAP. Agency heads shall ensure that the... Agreement/Understanding is established for each SAP that has significant interagency support requirements...

  16. The Access Imperative

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hrabowski, Freeman A., III

    2007-01-01

    Understandably, current discussions about access that take place in higher education circles often focus on the underrepresentation of students from low-income families. At the same time, recent events in Michigan have refocused attention on questions of race- and gender-based affirmative action. Thus, how can higher education ensure that students…

  17. 75 FR 45173 - Notice of Issuance of Regulatory Guide

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-02

    ... coolant system for measuring process variables (e.g., pressure, level, and flow). The term ``safety- related'' refers to those structures, systems, and components necessary to ensure (1) the integrity of the... are located in the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under Accession No...

  18. 47 CFR 76.1505 - Public, educational and governmental access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... SERVICES MULTICHANNEL VIDEO AND CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE Open Video Systems § 76.1505 Public, educational and governmental access. (a) An open video system operator shall be subject to public, educational and... video system operator must ensure that all subscribers receive any public, educational and governmental...

  19. 47 CFR 76.1505 - Public, educational and governmental access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... SERVICES MULTICHANNEL VIDEO AND CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE Open Video Systems § 76.1505 Public, educational and governmental access. (a) An open video system operator shall be subject to public, educational and... video system operator must ensure that all subscribers receive any public, educational and governmental...

  20. 47 CFR 76.1505 - Public, educational and governmental access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... SERVICES MULTICHANNEL VIDEO AND CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE Open Video Systems § 76.1505 Public, educational and governmental access. (a) An open video system operator shall be subject to public, educational and... video system operator must ensure that all subscribers receive any public, educational and governmental...

  1. 47 CFR 76.1505 - Public, educational and governmental access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... SERVICES MULTICHANNEL VIDEO AND CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE Open Video Systems § 76.1505 Public, educational and governmental access. (a) An open video system operator shall be subject to public, educational and... video system operator must ensure that all subscribers receive any public, educational and governmental...

  2. 47 CFR 76.1505 - Public, educational and governmental access.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... SERVICES MULTICHANNEL VIDEO AND CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE Open Video Systems § 76.1505 Public, educational and governmental access. (a) An open video system operator shall be subject to public, educational and... video system operator must ensure that all subscribers receive any public, educational and governmental...

  3. 77 FR 48102 - Closed Captioning and Video Description of Video Programming

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-13

    ... Captioning and Video Description of Video Programming AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. [[Page 48103..., enacted by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA), which...) establishing requirements for closed captioning on video programming to ensure access by persons with hearing...

  4. From patients to providers: changing the culture in medicine toward sexual and gender minorities.

    PubMed

    Mansh, Matthew; Garcia, Gabriel; Lunn, Mitchell R

    2015-05-01

    Equality for sexual and gender minorities (SGMs)-including members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities-has become an integral part of the national conversation in the United States. Although SGM civil rights have expanded in recent years, these populations continue to experience unique health and health care disparities, including poor access to health care, stigmatization, and discrimination. SGM trainees and physicians also face challenges, including derogatory comments, humiliation, harassment, fear of being ostracized, and residency/job placement discrimination. These inequities are not mutually exclusive to either patients or providers; instead, they are intertwined parts of a persistent, negative culture in medicine toward SGM individuals.In this Perspective, the authors argue that SGM physicians must lead this charge for equality by fostering diversity and inclusion in medicine. They posit that academic medicine can accomplish this goal by (1) modernizing research on the physician workforce, (2) implementing new policies and programs to promote safe and supportive training and practice environments, and (3) developing recruitment practices to ensure a diverse, competent physician workforce that includes SGM individuals.These efforts will have an immediate impact by identifying and empowering new leaders to address SGM health care reform, creating diverse training environments that promote cultural competency, and aligning medicine with other professional fields (e.g., business, law) that already are working toward these goals. By tackling the inequities that SGM providers face, academic medicine can normalize sexual and gender identity disclosure and promote a welcoming, supportive environment for everyone in medicine, including patients.

  5. Geographic Diffusion and Implementation of Acute Care Surgery: An Uneven Solution to the National Emergency General Surgery Crisis.

    PubMed

    Khubchandani, Jasmine A; Ingraham, Angela M; Daniel, Vijaya T; Ayturk, Didem; Kiefe, Catarina I; Santry, Heena P

    2018-02-01

    Owing to lack of adequate emergency care infrastructure and decline in general surgery workforce, the United States faces a crisis in access to emergency general surgery (EGS) care. Acute care surgery (ACS), an organized system of trauma, general surgery, and critical care, is a proposed solution; however, ACS diffusion remains poorly understood. To investigate geographic diffusion of ACS models of care and characterize the communities in which ACS implementation is lagging. A national survey on EGS practices was developed, tested, and administered at all 2811 US acute care hospitals providing EGS to adults between August 2015 and October 2015. Surgeons responsible for EGS coverage at these hospitals were approached. If these surgeons failed to respond to the initial survey implementation, secondary surgeons or chief medical officers at hospitals with only 1 general surgeon were approached. Survey responses on ACS implementation were linked with geocoded hospital data and national census data to determine geographic diffusion of and access to ACS. We measured the distribution of hospitals with ACS models of care vs those without over time (diffusion) and by US counties characterized by sociodemographic characteristics of county residents (access). Survey response rate was 60% (n = 1690); 272 responding hospitals had implemented ACS by 2015, steadily increasing from 34 in 2001 to 125 in 2010. Acute care surgery implementation has not been uniform. Rural regions have limited ACS access, with hospitals in counties with greater than the 75th percentile population having 5.4 times higher odds (95% CI, 1.66-7.35) of implementing ACS than hospitals in counties with less than 25th percentile population. Communities with greater percentages of adults without a college degree also have limited ACS access (OR, 3.43; 95% CI, 1.81-6.48). However, incorporating EGS into ACS models may be a potential equalizer for poor, black, and Hispanic communities. Understanding and addressing gaps in ACS implementation across communities will be crucial to ensuring health equity for US residents experiencing general surgery emergencies.

  6. Fine-grained Database Field Search Using Attribute-Based Encryption for E-Healthcare Clouds.

    PubMed

    Guo, Cheng; Zhuang, Ruhan; Jie, Yingmo; Ren, Yizhi; Wu, Ting; Choo, Kim-Kwang Raymond

    2016-11-01

    An effectively designed e-healthcare system can significantly enhance the quality of access and experience of healthcare users, including facilitating medical and healthcare providers in ensuring a smooth delivery of services. Ensuring the security of patients' electronic health records (EHRs) in the e-healthcare system is an active research area. EHRs may be outsourced to a third-party, such as a community healthcare cloud service provider for storage due to cost-saving measures. Generally, encrypting the EHRs when they are stored in the system (i.e. data-at-rest) or prior to outsourcing the data is used to ensure data confidentiality. Searchable encryption (SE) scheme is a promising technique that can ensure the protection of private information without compromising on performance. In this paper, we propose a novel framework for controlling access to EHRs stored in semi-trusted cloud servers (e.g. a private cloud or a community cloud). To achieve fine-grained access control for EHRs, we leverage the ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) technique to encrypt tables published by hospitals, including patients' EHRs, and the table is stored in the database with the primary key being the patient's unique identity. Our framework can enable different users with different privileges to search on different database fields. Differ from previous attempts to secure outsourcing of data, we emphasize the control of the searches of the fields within the database. We demonstrate the utility of the scheme by evaluating the scheme using datasets from the University of California, Irvine.

  7. Probing Aircraft Flight Test Hazard Mitigation for the Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails & Cruise Emissions (ACCESS) Research Team

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kelly, Michael J.

    2013-01-01

    The Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails & Cruise Emissions (ACCESS) Project Integration Manager requested in July 2012 that the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) form a team to independently assess aircraft structural failure hazards associated with the ACCESS experiment and to identify potential flight test hazard mitigations to ensure flight safety. The ACCESS Project Integration Manager subsequently requested that the assessment scope be focused predominantly on structural failure risks to the aircraft empennage raft empennage.

  8. 75 FR 8423 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-24

    ... below $1. For these securities, BX currently charges members accessing liquidity a fee equal to 0.1% (10 basis points) of the total transaction cost and provides no credit to members providing liquidity. Under... transaction cost, and members providing liquidity will be provided a credit equal to 0.25% (25 basis points...

  9. The Invisible Obstacle to Educational Equality: Gender Bias in Textbooks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blumberg, Rae Lesser

    2008-01-01

    Gender bias in textbooks (GBIT) is a low-profile education issue, given the 72,000,000 children who still have no access to schooling, but this article argues that GBIT is: (1) an important, (2) near-universal, (3) remarkably uniform, (4) quite persistent but (5) virtually invisible obstacle on the road to gender equality in education--an obstacle…

  10. E-inclusion: Digital equality - young people with disabilities.

    PubMed

    Hemmingsson, H; Bolic-Baric, V; Lidström, H

    2015-01-01

    The United Nations' position is that digital access is a matter involving equality between groups of people, the securing of democratic rights, and equal opportunities for all citizens. This study investigates digital equality in school and leisure between young people with and without disabilities. A cross-sectional design with group comparisons was applied. Participants were young people (10-18 years of age) with disabilities (n=389) and a reference group in about the same ages. Data were collected by a survey focusing on access to and engagement in ICT activities in school and during leisure time. The results demonstrated young people with disabilities had restricted participation in computer use in educational activities, in comparison to young people in general. During leisure time young people with disabilities had a leading position compared to the reference group with respect to internet use in a variety of activities. Beneficial environmental conditions at home (and the reverse in schools) are discussed as parts of the explanation for the differing engagement levels at home and in school, and among young people with disabilities and young people in general. Schools need to prioritise use of ICT by young people with disabilities.

  11. 75 FR 56163 - Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-15

    ... and maintain accessibility guidelines for facilities designed, constructed, altered, or leased with... Design for purposes of subchapters II and III of this chapter * * * to ensure that buildings, facilities, rail passenger cars, and vehicles are accessible, in terms of architecture and design, transportation...

  12. Leading an Inclusive School: Access and Success for ALL Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Villa, Richard A., Ed.; Thousand, Jacqueline S., Ed.

    2016-01-01

    This book provides an in-depth, research-based guide for ensuring that your school provides the federally guaranteed "least restrictive environment" for students no matter the severity of the challenges they face. "Leading an Inclusive School: Access and Success for ALL Students" offers administrators, teachers, and other…

  13. 22 CFR 171.32 - Request for access to records.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... RECORDS TO THE PUBLIC Privacy Act Provisions § 171.32 Request for access to records. (a) Description of... individuals requesting records under the Privacy Act to ensure that records are disclosed only to the proper.... Upon presentation of documentation of the parental relationship, a parent of a minor (an unmarried...

  14. 22 CFR 171.32 - Request for access to records.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... RECORDS TO THE PUBLIC Privacy Act Provisions § 171.32 Request for access to records. (a) Description of... individuals requesting records under the Privacy Act to ensure that records are disclosed only to the proper.... Upon presentation of documentation of the parental relationship, a parent of a minor (an unmarried...

  15. Russian Higher Education: Who Can Afford It?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gounko, Tatiana

    2012-01-01

    The article explores the issue of access and equity in the Russian higher education system by examining recent government initiatives. While recently introduced measures such as the Unified State Examination and student loan project are designed to aid students and expand participation, they alone cannot ensure equitable access to higher education…

  16. 9 CFR 88.5 - Requirements at a slaughtering facility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... COMMERCIAL TRANSPORTATION OF EQUINES FOR SLAUGHTER § 88.5 Requirements at a slaughtering facility. (a) Upon arrival at a slaughtering facility, the owner/shipper must: (1) Ensure that each equine has access to... representative; (3) Allow a USDA representative access to the equines for the purpose of examination; and (4...

  17. 75 FR 35989 - Facilitating the Provision of Fixed and Mobile Broadband Access, Educational and Other Advanced...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-24

    ...] Facilitating the Provision of Fixed and Mobile Broadband Access, Educational and Other Advanced Services in the...), clarifying the requirements necessary for Broadband Radio Service (BRS) and Educational Broadband Service (EBS) licensees to demonstrate substantial service and ensure that BRS licensees of new initial...

  18. Managing intellectual property to develop medicines for the world's poorest.

    PubMed

    Fonteilles-Drabek, Sylvie; Reddy, David; Wells, Timothy N C

    2017-04-01

    It has been argued that patents impede the development and access of medicines for tropical diseases such as malaria. However, we believe that intellectual property can be a key tool to enable timely progression of drug development projects involving multiple partners and to ensure equitable access to successful products.

  19. An Access Control and Trust Management Framework for Loosely-Coupled Multidomain Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Yue

    2010-01-01

    Multidomain environments where multiple organizations interoperate with each other are becoming a reality as can be seen in emerging Internet-based enterprise applications. Access control to ensure secure interoperation in such an environment is a crucial challenge. A multidomain environment can be categorized as "tightly-coupled" and…

  20. Measuring Accessibility for Inclusive Development: A Census Based Index

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bisht, Shailendra Singh; Mishra, Vishal; Fuloria, Sanjay

    2010-01-01

    State is often involved in the challenging process of judicious allocation and apportioning of resources for an inclusive growth through creating infrastructure and ensuring accessibility- the "ability of the people to reach and engage in opportunities and activities". The issue at the heart of the debate concerns with the…

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