Nanoscale Science and Technology and People with Disabilities in Asia: An Ability Expectation Analysis

Nanoscale Science and Technology and People with Disabilities in Asia: An Ability Expectation Analysis

Gregor Wolbring and Natalie Ball

NanoEthics, Online First™, 31 July 2012

open access  at

http://www.springerlink.com/content/g3463321254xj452/?MUD=MP

 

Int J of Disability, Community and Rehabilitation Special Issue on Nanotechnology, Disability, Community and Rehabilitation

New in the Int J of Disability, Community and Rehabilitation (IJDCR)

The issue can be found here

An IJDCR Special Issue on Nanotechnology, Disability, Community and Rehabilitation edited by Gregor Wolbring,
Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Program, Dept of Community
Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Canada

Articles:

Editor’s Introduction to the Special Issue, by Gregor Wolbring

If Nanotechnology Were a Magic Wand What Obligations Would it Bring? Or:
The Right to Enhance Versus the Right to Morphological Freedom, by Heather
Bradshaw

Optimization of Human Capacities and the Representation of the Nanoscale
Body, by Michele Robitaille

Nanotechnology: Changing the Disability Paradigm, by Laura Cabrera

The journal welcomes submissions on a continuous basis that focus on nanoscale and nanoscale-enabled science and technology as it impacts on disabled people and the broader community and the role of rehabilitation professionals, family members and others.

Brain Machine Interface an Update

New Column out by me
see here

In New Procedure, Artificial Arm Listens to Brain

….new kind of artificial arm that moves more easily than other devices and that she can control by using only her thoughts.
more here

see also

Thanks to Mindhack

Bionic eyes: Contact lenses with circuits, lights a possible platform for superhuman vision

Jan. 17, 2008
By Hannah Hickey

Contact lenses with metal connectors for electronic circuits were safely worn by rabbits in lab tests. The lenses were manufactured at the microscopic level by researchers at the UW. Contact lenses with metal connectors for electronic circuits were safely worn by rabbits in lab tests. Movie characters from the Terminator to the Bionic Woman use bionic eyes to zoom in on far-off scenes, have useful facts pop into their field of view, or create virtual crosshairs. Off the screen, virtual displays have been proposed for more practical purposes — visual aids to help vision-impaired people, holographic driving control panels and even as a way to surf the Web on the go.
more here

ONCE International Research and Development Award in New Technologies for the Blind and Visually Impaired

ONCE International Research and Development Award in New Technologies for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The aim of the International R&D Award in New Technologies for the Blind and Visually Impaired, held bi-annually by the ONCE (Spanish National Organisation for the Blind), is to distinguish and recompense those researches whose development, use or application represent a clear improvement in the quality of life, equality of opportunities or the process of social and working integration of the blind and visually impaired.
Research areas:

Through this Award, ONCE seeks to stimulate the promotion of scientific technical research aimed at technological developments and innovations in the field of engineering, artificial intelligence, computing, telecommunications, microtechnology and nanoelectronics, with the ultimate purpose of correcting or overcoming the limitations suffered by the blind or the visually impaired on account of their disability.

More here

The Power of Language new column from me out

read here

Now a Neural Implant That Learns With the Brain

A method to develop neural implants that not only translate brain signals into movement, but also evolve with the brain as it learns has been devised by University of Florida researchers.

see here and
more here

What Sorts of Paralympics? A Disabled Swimmer’s Dream, a Mother’s Fight

Its about a swimmer with cerebral palsy and developmental differences. An excerpt

“Mr. Kendall Bailey, an athlete who is a citizen of the USA and eligible to represent the USA in international competition, is inappropriately classified to compete in International Paralympic Committee (IPC) swimming competition. Mr. Bailey is intellectually disabled. The intellectual disability classification for swimming (S14) is not presently recognized by the IPC; nor is an intellectually disabled swimmer eligible to compete under the IPC Swimming Functional Classification System.”

see hereTechnorati Tags: Sports, Ableism, Olympics, Paralympics, Discrimination, Disabled people

What sort of coverage: Amputees fight caps in coverage for prosthetics

By Dave Gram, Associated Press

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – After bone cancer forced the amputation of her
right leg below the knee, Eileen Casey got even more bad news: Her
insurer told her that she had spent her $10,000 lifetime coverage limit
on her temporary limb and that the company wouldn’t pay for a permanent
one……
more here

Question: One the one hand society promotes a body image and a social environment that seems to make legs essential 9most places are still not set up for non leg modes of movements)and on the other hand they are not willing to enable one to have the legs.
Technorati Tags: legs, prosthetics, insurance, payment, ableism, disablement,

The Third Annual International Shafallah Forum on Children with Special Needs

“Sport and Ability”
Shafallah Declaration
Doha, Qatar
April 22, 2008
Recognizing the breadth of human rights and fundamental freedoms, a core part of which is the
right of persons with disabilities to sport and recreation, delegates from around the world met at
the 2008 Shafallah Center Forum to open a dialogue on sport and ability;
Recalling that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that all human beings are
born free and equal in dignity and rights, and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and
freedoms set forth in the Declaration without distinction of any kind;
Reaffirming the principles of equality for persons with disabilities in sport and recreation
embodied in the World Program of Action Concerning Disabled Persons and the UN Standard
Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities;
Observing the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of all human
rights;
Recognizing the role of sport and recreation in society in fostering social inclusion;
Acknowledging the valued existing and potential athletic contributions made by persons with
disabilities to the overall well-being and diversity of their communities and that the promotion of
the full enjoyment by persons with disabilities in sport will result in their enhanced sense of
belonging and in significant advances in the human, social and economic development of
society;
Realizing the potential of sport to empower persons with disabilities to realize their full
participation in the economic and political life of their community;
Considering the discrimination experienced by persons with disabilities in enjoying their human
rights and fundamental freedoms and barriers that exist in accessing sport and recreation;
Recognizing the double discrimination experienced by women and girls with disabilities in
accessing their right to participate in sport and recreation;
Reaffirming the need to ensure that children with disabilities have equal access with other
children to participate in play, recreation, leisure and sporting activities, including in the school
system, community spaces, playgrounds and recreation areas;
Observing the need to combat stereotypes, prejudices and harmful practices that hinder the
participation of persons with disabilities in sport and recreation, and the need to promote
awareness of the capabilities and contributions of persons with disabilities as participants,
competitors and spectators in sport and recreation;
Understanding the importance of access to a choice of disability-specific or mainstream options
for persons with disabilities to explore their sport and recreation potential;
Encouraging the participation of persons with disabilities in sport and recreation activities at all
levels;
Observing the need to facilitate and support capacity-building, including through the exchange
and sharing of information, experiences, training programs and best practices;
Encouraging the facilitation of cooperation in research and access to scientific and technical
knowledge of developing adaptive sport and recreation at all levels;
Recognizing the important role of international cooperation in supporting national and local
efforts to ensure that sport and recreation is inclusive of, and accessible to, persons with
disabilities, including inclusive development programs;
Desiring to implement the principles embodied in the International Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities and to secure the earliest adoption of practical measures to enable
persons with disabilities to participate on an equal basis with others in sport and recreation;
Observing that Shafallah delegates demonstrated leadership in advancing sport as inclusion
through exploring new and creative avenues for persons with disabilities to enjoy and exercise
their right to sport.
Now, therefore;
The Shafallah Center Forum encourages the strengthening of the dialogue among and between
individuals and organizations involved in disability, sport, and human rights to advance the
human rights of persons with disabilities in sport and recreation. The Forum further recognizes
the importance of education and awareness-raising to promote inclusive practices across cultures,
communities and society.

from here

Technorati Tags: children, Sport, Shafallah declaration

What Sorts of Nano research: A code of conduct for responsible nanosciences and nanotechnologies research

here

and here

of interest
4.1.16 N&N research organisations should not undertake research aiming for non-therapeutic enhancement of human beings leading to addiction or solely for the illicit enhancement of the performance of the human body.

THis suggests that every other enhancement research is allowed like ‘therapeutic’ (who decides what is therapeutic), and non therapeutic work that is not used for doping purposes or leads to addictions.. Additions are mostly drug related at first glance but may be one say that one can become addicted to ones enhancements like emotionally addicted.

In general the section seem to give the go ahead for most enhancement work

Some of the other wordings of the code might be usable for us but will see.Technorati Tags: Code, Nano, Enhancement, Europe
Cheers
Gregor

The Ultimate Cure

The neurotech industry is engaged in a $2 trillion race to fix your brain. Many players will fail, but the payoff will be huge for those who succeed.

more here
Technorati Tags: Neuro, Cognition, enhancement, health, nano

World health statistics 2008

Ten highlights in health statistics 7-34
Progress towards MDG 5: maternal mortality 8
Coverage gap and inequity in maternal, neonatal and child health interventions 10
HIV/AIDS estimates are revised downwards 13
Progress in the fight against malaria 15
Reducing deaths from tobacco 18
Breast cancer: mortality and screening 21
Divergent trends in mortality slow down improvements in life expectancy in Europe 24
Monitoring disease outbreaks: meningococcal meningitis in Africa 27
Future trends in global mortality: major shifts in cause of death patterns 29
Reducing impoverishment caused by catastrophic health care spending 32
References

more here
Technorati Tags: WHO, World Health Organisation, Health, Global,

Scheme to Let Robot Take Over Brain-Computer Interface

20 May 2008—A group of mechanical engineers at Caltech have come up with a way to guide miniature robots in the task of inserting and positioning electrode arrays in brain tissue. What they propose would be the first robotic approach to establishing an interface between computers and the brain by positioning electrodes in neural tissue.

more here
Technorati Tags: Health, brain machine interface, neuro, cognition, disabled people, enhancement

More mostly Children’s Books about the Disability Experience

Hat tip to all the members of the SDS and DS-HUM listserves two listserves dealing with disability issues who sent stuff in, in response to a members request.
As I believe that perception is one area that drives new and emerging science and technology and as that field is often looking at disabled people to simplistically as defective and as education starts on the children level I have here in an earlier mail some readings

Voices from the Margins: An Annotated Bibliography of Fiction on Disabilities and Differences for Young People (Hardcover)
by Marilyn Ward (Author)

About the Schneider Family Book Awards

The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Three annual awards each consisting of $5000 and a framed plaque, will be given annually in each of the following categories: birth through grade school (age 0–8), middle school (age 9–13) and teens (age 14–18). (Age groupings are approximations).

Bertrand, D. G. (2004). My Pal Victor.

Clements, A. (2002). Things Not Seen.

Fusco, K. N. (2004). Tending to Grace.

Lang, G. (2003). Looking Out for Sarah.

Lord, C. (2006). Rules

Rorby, G. (2006). Hurt Go Happy.

Ryan, P. M. (2004). Becoming Naomi Leon.

Seeger, P. and poet DuBois Jacobs, P. (2006). The Deaf Musicians.

Stryer, A. (2006). Kami and the Yaks.

Uhlberg, M. (2004). Dad, Jackie and Me.

Zimmer, T. (2007). Reaching for Sun.
“The Hickory Chair” by Lisa Rowe Fraustino,
“How Smudge Came” by Nan Gregory,
and “Seal Surfer” by Michael Foreman.

Martin, B., “Knots on a Counting Rope”

Harriet Johnson’s Accidents of Nature

Jane Cowen-Fletcher ‘Mama Zooms”

Books Featuring Characters With Blindness and Visual Impairment

Technorati Tags: Children, Disability, Disabled people, people with disabilities, books, perception,

Select Bibliography of Children’s Books about the Disability Experience

This list contains some outstanding books that portray emotional, mental, or physical disability experiences, most published between 2000 and 2006. The grade level designations are intended as guidelines.

more here
Technorati Tags: Books, Children, Disabled people, portray of disability,

New Artificial Cornea Could Restore Vision For Millions Worldwide

An improved artificial cornea, which could restore the vision of more than 10 million people worldwide who are blind due to diseased corneas, finally is moving toward reality, scientists in California conclude in a new analysis of research on the topic.

more here
Technorati Tags: Cornea, Health,

Oscar Pistorius and the Future Nature of Olympic, Paralympic and Other Sports

in SCRIPT-ed – A Journal of Law, Technology & Society
Gregor Wolbring, pp.139-160

Oscar Pistorius is a Paralympic bionic leg runner and record holder in the 100, 200, and 400 meters who wants to compete in the Olympics. This paper provides an analysis of a) his case; b) the impact of his case on the Olympics, the Paralympics and other –lympics and the relationships between the –lympics; c) the impact on other international and national sports; d) the applicability of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. It situates the evaluation of the Pistorius case within the broader doping discourse and the reality that new and emerging science and technology products increasingly generate internal and external human bodily enhancements that go beyond the species-typical, enabling more and more a culture of increasing demand for, and acceptance of modifications of the human body (structure, function, abilities) beyond its species-typical boundaries and the emergence of new social concepts such as transhumanism and the transhumanisation of ableism.

online open access here
Technorati Tags: Technology, Politics, Sports, Pistorius

ESPN Magazine focus on Athletes and Prosthetics

Cover – Bionic Athletes
Cover Story – Let ‘Em Play
Feature – Anything You Can Do…