Tag: Oumou

Discussion Questions WK 7/19

1)

In the reading, Cori Wong brought up several proposals that would promote inclusivity,equity and diversity in the a workplace. One contribution that she has made which stood out to me in particular can be found on page 2 under the section “Starting With Better Questions”. Wong states ” Asking ‘Who else could we bring on board?’ risks tokenizing different identities by treating diversity as merely a numbers issue”. As Wong further expanded on this statement it became more apparent the message that she was trying to convey was. Wong explains that this question essentially makes it seem as though an organization can increase their diversity if they bring in more people from marginalized groups. Wong then further explains that what these organizations should be doing is focusing on making the environment more inclusive so that these people can have a better chance at being successful. To rectify this, Wong suggests that organizations focus on the question of “Who is not represented at the proverbial table?” as a way to uncover and examine any aspects of the organization’s culture which may be excluding some people, and focus on fixing this. I think this stood out to me because it relates to what I’ve been researching for the past week , I think this has given me some better insight into the difference between diversity and inclusion as well as the effect when one is present without the other.

2) In Wongs writing, I noticed that she connected her paragraphs by using “while”,”for example”, or referencing something that was brought up in the previous paragraph to show that they are connected. This is seen on the first page under “Context:Social Inequities and Organizational Culture” when she begins the first paragraph by mentioning that workplaces reflect inequities that are found at larger scale in the culture. Wong connects the next paragraph by stating ” for example, gaps in pay equity among men a women are the result of gender bias…”. She provided an example of what she mentioned in paragraph 1. this is also seen on page 2 when Wong writes in the previous paragraph about the meaning of diversity and then in to connect the next paragraph she states ” While diversity often refers to representation of culture, inclusion refers to …”. I think her transitions matter greatly in her piece because it shows that her writing is very put together and organized.

My highlight last week was that I finished my calculus course after six stressful weeks, another highlight was yesterday when I went to New Jersey and hung out with some of my family to celebrate Eid.

Discussion Questions Wk 7/12

  1. Usually when I am in search of scholarly articles, I use either google scholar or the SU database .Personally when searching for a source to use, I find it helpful to begin by searching up key terms that I think would provide me with some starter information.This way I can find an article that has something to do with my topic, skim through it and find more key terms that I can search up so that it will help me narrow down the articles until I find some that are strictly about my topic. For instance when I was looking for information about Neurodiversity and the workplace, I began by searching up inclusion, which then lead me to search up the PARC which then finally lead to me finding and article about Neurodiversity in the workplace. I like this method because while I am searching for the perfect article, I am still learning about different aspects of my topic along the way if that makes sense. I also like to use the filters so that I can get the specific type of article I am in search of. For instance if I want an article that is psychologically based or if I want one that is more statistically based. Although I like this method, sometimes I do hit a few road blocks because I find that the more specific of an article you are looking for, the harder it will be to find it. For example I had a lot more of a hard time looking for articles about Neurodiveristy in the work place in comparison to articles just about Neurodiveristy in general.
  2. I will be focusing on which comes first :inclusion or diversity. In my research I hope that I am able to find first hand accounts from people who have noticed a difference in the environment they were in fo instance whether it felt welcoming or whether they felt like the odd one out since I feel like this will provide evidence to help come to a conclusion. I also want to find some articles that show statistics in it because I think that is also a good way to come to a conclusion since this would cover a lot more than just the experiences of a few people. I also hopefully want to find a ted talk to include because I really like how the speakers address their topics and it also provides a first hand account.

Discussion Questions wk 7/5

  1. After reading all the posts I can say that I definitely enjoyed reading everyones work and have learned a lot from them. The post that stood out to me the most was Kayla’s post titled “The Life of a Veteran:What Comes After Service”. One thing that stood out to me the most is when she mentioned that many veterans have trouble assimilating back into their pre-war lives.Kayla mentioned that “health issues (as a result of military service) have on unemployment amongst veterans which intern makes it harder to re-enter the workforce.” She then mentioned that because of unemployment these veterans also develop many mental illnesses which also makes it more difficult for them to get jobs. The Ted-Talk she included reminded me a lot of “Soldiers Home” by Ernest Hemmingway which told a story of a man who had a lot of trouble fitting in once he returned home from war. He had trouble communicating with others, and he felt like he did’t have a place anywhere. In the Ted-Talk Brian O’Conner mentioned that after the military he didn’t know who he was anymore and struggled with assimilating into civilian life. This has made me realize that there should be a form of support for Veterans who are transitioning back to normal life. There are many challenges that come with their transition so I feel like there should be a system in place where they are accommodated in the workforce.
  2. In the article “The Issue with diversity in Computing” Bogost mentions that computing culture has made it so ” everyone is focused on the nuts and bolts of making software”. I agree that this is a hinderance to equity and care within this software. I would also point out that these conclusions which Bogost discusses, add weight to the argument that computing as a whole is the entire issue.

For my TSIS I decided to agree . I initially wanted to tie it back to Margaret Heffernan’s Ted-Talk from last week since she mentioned that technology cannot do what humans can, and I thought it connected to the quote “critical thinking is what the computers won’t be able to do” from Bogost article. I couldn’t figure out how to properly set it up so it my statement would make sense so instead I combined two TSIS templates (one form chapter 4 and the other from chapter 5) so that I could make my statement.

Bogost’s Rhetorical Moves

Throughout the article, Bogost usage os several rhetorical strategies to capture the attention of the audiecne so he can clearly convey his message.

Bogost begins by introducing Amy Webb, a woman who had to go through a backscatter machine at the airport due to her broken ankle. As she went through the machine she noticed that her “cast ,head, and breasts were big blocks of yellow” which meant she need to be pat down. This is because the machines were unable to distinguish between her underwire bra and a weapon. Bogost the includes that this was due to the lack of anticipation by the computers of the diversity in the people that will be utilizing this technology. By providing us with this story at the beginning of the article, it allows the readers to imagine this situation and see the connect to the title “The Problem with Diversity in Computing”.

Another way Bogost conveys his message is when he includes the rhetorical question posed by Charles Isbell who is the incoming dean of computing at Georgia Tech. Isbell states “The real question is:Are we interested in diversity, or are we interested in integration?”. After integrating this rhetorical question, he then goes on to explain the difference between diversity and integration. This allows readers to understand whether the focus should be on integration or diversity in these computing communities.

Bogost incorporates Webbs statement that we as a society have put such importance on STEM education which can result in more harm than good. Bogost then goes on to explain that if everyone is focusing on building software quickly, they won’t spend enough time to design their programs with equity and care which will result in situations similar to Amy Webbs situation at the airport

Bogost inclusion Webbs statement that the issue is not just the underrepresentation of women, black people, and others, but “We’re all discriminated against by computing”. He then goes on to explain that computing professionals create a tribe based on the “exclusive culture of computing education and industry.” By including this, Bogost explains that due to this culture, computing professionals disregard everything else such as including different types of people, and instead focus solely on “the pursuit of technological solutions at maximum speed.”

To end off the article Bogost states “…the problem with computing is computing” . The inclusion of this statement serves to tie everything Bogost mentioned in the article together. The culture developed in computing and the way STEM education prioritizes the creation of software rather than other important aspects such as inclusion, have made it so that computing as a whole is essentially the entire issue. The only way to improve is by changing computing.

E.C unit 1 Draft

Neurodiversity Studies: A New Critical Paradigm written by Hanna Bertilsdotter an associate professor in sociology ,Nick Chown a book indexer who researches and documents his findings on Autism , and Anna Stenning a welcome trust research fellow in humanities and social sciences, explore the world of Neurodiverse people and the challenges they face in the workplace. Through their extensive research the authors have been able to maintain their stance of supporting the “Neurodiverse movement”. They reiterate throughout their writing that neurodiverse people, no matter how qualified they may be, face many obstacles when searching for employment. There has been evidence from the PARC, an organization which collects research on autistic people ,that has shown that even when a person with autism holds a doctorates, they are rarely able progress to further research and lecturing contracts. The writers attribute this to the invalidation of “impaired bodies” making neurodiverse people constantly struggle to establish credibility due to the ableist viewpoint prevalent in society today. It was also mentioned that when a study was conducted, many neurodiverse employees have admitted that they have been in situations in the workplace where in order for them to fit in they felt that it was necessary that they mask any characteristics that might indicate to others that there were different. The writers contend that in order for this to be rectified, there must be an emphasis on inclusion in these spaces so these employees can feel safe and work their best.

This article was written with the intention of educating readers about neurological differences and how they don’t limit people from functioning and completing the same tasks as everyone else. Since people cannot seem to look over neurodiversity and appreciate what these people are able to contribute, oftentimes they are treated as if they are beneath everyone else and are not able to showcase their capabilities. It was mentioned in the Austin and Pissano article that since many neurodiverse people do not exhibit the standard “good employee” behavior through characteristics such as “solid communication skills, being a team player, …” they are unfairly screened out and excluded from job opportunities. This article has educated me on methods of including neurodiverse people rather than excluding them. Many people with autism especially have trouble adjusting their vocal tone and pace to match the conversations they partaking in so we can learn to realize the differences in our communication skills so that we don’t misinterpret vocal/motor traits as aggression. We can also make changes in the workplace environment to make neurodiverse people more comfortable in their space such as holding shorter meetings or regulating noise levels. Small changes over time can have everlasting impacts so it is important to take action now and implement more inclusive environments.

In this ted-talk, Tashi Baiguerra a 21 who has been diagnosed with autism mentioned something that stood out to me a lot. Tashi said “Most autistic people don’t actually suffer from our autism. We suffer from the way the world sees and treats our autism. To the world my brain is broken…But my brain is not broken.”. Neurodiversity should be recognized as another thing that makes people different but does not make them any less capable than others. It Is hard for many people to accept all the things that make us different however until we learn, we won’t be able to progress and become the society we have the potential to become.

Discussion Questions WK 6/28

  1. In Jason Fried’s Tedtalk “Why work doesn’t happen at work” he mainly uses comparisons to help his get his point across that work doesn’t happen at work because of the various distractions present in the office. One of his comparisons was that when a person is trying to sleep they need to be distraction free so they are able to have a good nights rest. Fried says this is the same case for work as well, you must be distraction free to get your best work done because you won’t be able to get deep into your work (or your sleep) if you are constantly being interrupted. He gives examples of distractions that are present at work that aren’t at other places like work meetings or frequent check-ins from managers.I think that by making these comparisons Fried gets across his message that people do their best work on their own schedules when they are in control of their environment.

2)Margaret Heffernan’s use of real world examples allows her to effectively support her claim . Heffernan began by talking about an American Supermarket which switched over to functioning more digitally in hopes of making the store more efficient. She contradicts the idea that it would be more efficient by mentioning that the machines could not do what employees could, things such as predicting when a kid would knock something over, or when someone would drop things. Heffernan said that efficiency is only beneficial when you can predict exactly what is needed, but when the unexpected happens efficiency is not longer an asset. She reasons that this same reason is why “Companies are blindsided when plastic straws and bags and bottle water go from staples to rejects over night.”. We spend too much time relying on things that we do not consider having any alternatives in case these things unexpectedly don’t work out. By including all of these real world examples Heffernan is then able to support that every time we lean on technology to do the things that we can do ourselves the trade-off becomes increasingly steep. Margaret Heffernan is able to utilize this information to express that the idea of efficiency makes us necessarily on Technology which us from working at our full potential.

Neurodiversity Studies: A New Critical Paradigm

Neurodiversity Studies: A New Critical Paradigm written by Hanna Bertilsdotter an associate professor in sociology ,Nick Chown a book indexer who researches and documents his findings on Autism , and Anna Stenning a welcome trust research fellow in humanities and social sciences at the University of Leeds, explores the world of Neurodiverse people and the challenges they face in the workplace. Through their extensive research the authors have been able to maintain their stance of supporting the “Neurodiverse movement”. They reiterate throughout their writing that neurodiverse people, no matter how qualified they may be, face many obstacles when searching for employment. There has been evidence from the PARC, an organization which collects research on autistic people that has shown that even when a person with autism holds a doctorates, they are rarely able progress to further research and lecturing contracts. The writers attribute this to the invalidation of “impaired bodies” making neurodiverse people constantly struggle to establish credibility due to the ableist view point prevalent in society today. It was also mentioned that when a study was conducted, many neurodiverse employees have admitted that they have been in situations in the workplace where in order for them to fit in they felt that it was necessary that they mask any characteristics that might indicate to others that there were different. The writers contend that in order for this to be rectified, there must be an emphasis on inclusion in these spaces so these employees can feel safe and work their best.

source:

https://www-taylorfrancis-com.libezproxy2.syr.edu/books/edit/10.4324/9780429322297/neurodiversity-studies-hanna-bertilsdotter-rosqvist-nick-chown-anna-stenning

Discussion Questions wk 6/21

  1. For my assignment I’ve been looking for all types of materials that I can find, I haven’t limited it to just one type (at least not yet). I’ve found 1 experiment, and 2 articles that discuss the topic like Austin and Pissano did. As of right now I’m leaning more towards my topic being Neurodiversity just because I’d like to learn a lot more about it because I wasn’t aware of this term before this course. I also think that it’s very important to realize that neurologically diverse people are just as capable as everyone else. I think it would be very beneficial if I can come across an article that was written in the point of view of someone who is neurologically diverse as well as their coworkers just so we can see a first hand account of how it is in the workplace. So far I’ve used google scholar and i’ve been watching a few youtube videos to find information.
  2. In discussions of challenges that may arise when hiring neurodiverse employees, Austin and Pissano state that many people they have interviewed believe that there should be an emphasis on on the need to be sensitive to their stress. Similarly, Kaplan and Donovan contribute that it is very important to take time to find positive solutions because “a mismanaged event may not lead to a bigger crisis but rather to an unintended impact.

I think I did better on this They say /I say than the first time. I chose to use two they says so that I could connect both articles. Although Austin and Pissano is about Neurodiversity, I think the quote that I chose from the Intent and impact section of Kaplan and Donovan definitely applies the same because if the situation is not handled correctly it can make matters worse.

K&D summary

The Kaplan and Donovan article explored several inclusion concepts as well as detailed explanations of each so that the readers can be left with a deeper understanding of the different components of inclusion. The article is written for the Dagoba group which is an organization that aims to educate leaders on ways to implement and encourage inclusion in their organizations. While reading, one part that stuck out to me was when the authors were discussing Intent and Impact and wrote “Intent Frequently does not equal impact…in order to move the company forward though, leaders intentions have to create a desired impact.” This immediately reminded me current events because Ikea, a Scandinavian furniture chain has been facing a lot of backlash for its “Juneteenth Menu” by it’s Black employees because this action was deeply offensive. This is a prime example of intent not matching impact because Ikea may have thought that it would be a nice gesture, but the impact it had was not what was intended. This article shows how much we deal with issues of inclusion on a day to day basis while also communicating the importance of taking the time to educate yourself and try to apply these concepts in order to foster a more inclusive environment.

Discussion Questions wk 6/14

  1. In her article ” The Impact of Organizational Policies on Minority Employees” Gundemir has concluded that multiculturalism and value-in individual differences policies are preferred red by minorities because they make them feel safe in their environment as well as motivate them to do their best work. This conclusion seems valid when taking into account that in the studies conducted, minority groups were more likely to strive for leadership positions when they felt included and valued in their organizations, which also increases the overall productivity of the organization as a whole.

I included Gundemir’s conclusion as the they say and then for my I say I supported the “they say” since I agree with Gundemir’s findings. I’m not sure if I did this correctly since I didn’t see any templates for supporting the “they say” in the chapter. I think the framing is fairly simple to follow but I’m confused on how it would be formatted if we are supporting the they say claim.

  1. After reading the articles by Gundemir et al and Austin and Pisano I am left with a deeper understanding of the importance of diversity and inclusion when it comes to the workplace. I’ve noticed that really intrigues me is in this weeks articles as well as last weeks articles there was a very prominent connection between diversity and the overall improvement of organizations. The article by Austin and Pisano was very enlightening to me. Something that stood out to me was that companies and organizations have been trying to be more inclusive to people with autism but then it was mentioned that there these accommodations haven’t been adapted to include people with other neurological abilities. I think that although these organizations are trying to take things one at a time, it is also important that they at least begin including people with other neurological abilities as well even if it is on a small scale. In the Gundemir studies both times the minority groups favored the multiculturalism and value-in individual differences policies because they made them feel more included and valued in the organization. This connects to the Austin and Pisano article because in both articles I have seen that when accommodations are put in place to guarantee the inclusion of everyone, then the organization will overall be more successful as well as motivate the individuals to do their best. Also I find it very important that both articles mentioned that diversity also means that you will have multiple ways to reach a goal since people will have different ideas based off of their own experiences.

I can think of a few ways that I am able to connect my experience to the bigger idea of diversity and inclusion presented in these articles. Prior to coming to SU’s campus, I was nervous because I didn’t know anyone and I also didn’t really understand how college worked because I am a first gen student. I was afraid that I would feel left out, however once I got on campus I soon realized that the school does a lot to make sure that each student feels included. I would always get emails about zoom events for the first generation students which allowed me to find a community I related to and have people I could go to if I ever had any questions. This did in a way motivate me because I realized that it was possible for me to survive in this new and challenging atmosphere. I honestly believe that if I did not have these people around me trying to help me, my first year wouldn’t have gone as smoothly as it did.

Highlight of my week

On Monday I had a picnic at Roosevelt Island with my sister and cousin. We also went and got ice cream from Surreal Creamery afterwards. Sadly I didn’t take any pictures but I had a really fun time.