Thanks to everyone who sent me comments and thoughts on the Connectivity writing project. Over the next few days I'll post up some of the feedback and thoughts that these pieces. Remember to send comments on these things too and I'll pull them all together. This post came from Barbara Gibson - Associate Professor, in the Department of Physical Therapy at University of Toronto, and Senior Scientist at Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto. I am hoping that as a critical group we can use this as a point of departure to delve a little more into the philosophical approach(es) that underpin these ideas. In particular, drawing out the … [Read more...] about Connectivity – Contributions from the Network #4 – Barbara Gibson
Connectivity – Contributions from the Network #3 – Andreas Bjerregaard
Today's post comes from Andreas Bjerregaard who is a physiotherapist and personal trainer in Copenhagen. As well as running his own clinic and being a FIFA 11+ instructor, Andreas volunteers his physio skills for the Homeless World Cup. Andreas blogs about his work here. I work on how people can change the lives of homeless people through football. Right now the tournament (www.homelessworldcup.org) is being hosted in Santiago, Chile. I am part of a physiotherapy team from Denmark and Norway who are treating players from all over the world. On busy day we would have 150-200 treatments with all kinds of injuries: dislocated fingers and shoulders, broken bones, major acute ligaments … [Read more...] about Connectivity – Contributions from the Network #3 – Andreas Bjerregaard
Connectivity – Contributions from the Network #2 – Jenny Ralls
Today's post came from Jenny Ralls, Clinical Specialist working with RehabWorks in Bury St. Edmunds, UK. Enjoying learning about this idea which I have never conceptualised before. Presumably when extrapolated we all become 'disabled' in some way? For example, colleagues without the confidence to Tweet or 'Link-in / Facebook' become network disabled. Living in a very rural community, reliance on my car or bicycle to reach local amenities makes me geographically disabled. Ignorance or apathy regarding casting a vote makes one politically disabled. Or rather, not disabled, but just with a different view and perspective on life and its demands. Which brings me back to connectivity being a … [Read more...] about Connectivity – Contributions from the Network #2 – Jenny Ralls
Connectivity – Contributions from the Network #1 – Karen Atkinson
Thanks to everyone who sent me comments and thoughts on the Connectivity writing project. Over the next few days I'll post up some of the feedback and thoughts that these pieces. Remember to send comments on these things too and I'll pull them all together. This post came from Karen Atkinson - Senior lecturer and Manager of the Allied Health Professions Support Service (AHPSS) Resource Centre at the University of East London. I have worked with disabled physiotherapy students in higher education and in clinical practice for over 20 years. For part of my doctoral work I have researched the lived experiences of visually impaired physios as they transitioned from higher education into … [Read more...] about Connectivity – Contributions from the Network #1 – Karen Atkinson
Connectivity #4 – The philosophy of connectivity
This post is part of a new project for the Critical Physiotherapy Network. If you want to know more about the project, track back to this post.Connectivity is about connections. Surprising, I know, but there it is. What makes it interesting and novel as a theory is the philosophy that underpins it. Firstly it is ontological. It is about being, so naturally there is a semblance of phenomenology in the complex assemblage of ideas that underpins it. But this is not the phenomenology of Heidegger, more the later phenomenology that emphasises the importance of intersubjectivity. (For more on this idea, there is a post coming up in a few days with an interview with Jens Olesen who's … [Read more...] about Connectivity #4 – The philosophy of connectivity
Connectivity #3 – Connectivity and physiotherapy
This post is part of a new project for the Critical Physiotherapy Network. If you want to know more about the project, track back to this post.Connectivity, as I see it, is about the way people use mediating technologies to engage meaningfully in the world. Connectivity is about real life, real people's abilities, real problems - the very things that physiotherapists face every day. In some ways, it's nothing new to physiotherapy, but it carries with it the possibility of a radical revision of our purpose and function as a profession. Here are some thoughts on how connectivity might enhance and/or challenge our practice. Physiotherapy has always followed a reductive biomedical model … [Read more...] about Connectivity #3 – Connectivity and physiotherapy
Connectivity #2 – Connectivity explained
This post is part of a new project for the Critical Physiotherapy Network. If you want to know more about the project, track back to this postFirst off, a qualifier...connectivity is a complex subject. It would be very hard to sum it up in a few hundred words. My task here is to outline how I understand it in a way that brings other people in to the discussion. Apologies if this explanation misses the mark for you...by all means feel free to offer up your own interpretations in the comments box below. Having argued in the last post that the two prevailing models of disability (the medical and social) rely on the idea that the disabled person is 'other,' connectivity is striking … [Read more...] about Connectivity #2 – Connectivity explained