I did some research into the writings of Hanne Blank, the author of 'Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Sexuality,' see this brief interview with Thomas Rogers at Salon. I realised that there are some surprising and interesting links between Hanne's work and the history of physiotherapy. Firstly, Blank reminds us that heterosexuality was a social construct invented to normalise sexuality at a time when late-Victorian anxieties imposed some now taken-for-granted, but no less draconian notions of 'normal' sexuality. This was exactly the time when physiotherapy as a profession was being formalised. Normative values around (hetero)sexuality were pivotal to the founders of … [Read more...] about Blank H (2012) The surprisingly short history of heterosexuality. Beacon Press
76% of New Zealanders are not disabled!
Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) released its 2013 Disability Survey yesterday - the first report of its kind since 2001 - and it says some interesting things about disability in New Zealand. The study's main findings indicate that: 24% of New Zealanders self identified as disabled - which equates to 1,062,000 individual people The 3% increase in self-reported disability since 2001 can be partly explained by our ageing population 59% of people aged 65 or over were disabled 11% of children were identified as disabled by their parents Māori and Pacific people were over-represented in the data For adults, physical limitations - note, not 'disability' - were the most common type of … [Read more...] about 76% of New Zealanders are not disabled!
Occupational outlook for physiotherapy
I know that physios often complain that the public doesn't know what we do and that we've often used this lack of understanding as an explanation for the chronic underfunding of the profession and our lack of political clout, but I've often wondered whether our relative invisibility doesn't also, sometimes, have its advantages. Take the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's latest 'Occupational Outlook for 2014' The new tool is targeted at people looking for career advice and includes a funky new infographic-inspired way of profiling the profession's current income, costs/fees required to become qualified, and job prospects. There are Apps for your smartphone and … [Read more...] about Occupational outlook for physiotherapy