Roselyn M Dixon

For the love of dog: The human-dog bond in rural and remote Australian indigenous communities

ABSTRACT The nature of the human–animal bond in contemporary Australian Indigenous communities is little researched, but it is essential to understand this bond in order to develop much needed appropriate animal health and management practices. A semi-structured interview format was used to elicit information on attitudes to dogs in seven Australian Indigenous communities. This explored the importance of dogs to the community and to the individual, and the balance between the positives and negatives of having dogs in the communities, with particular reference to improving dog and community health and welfare. Theme analysis of the semi-structured interview responses (n = 137) revealed a variety of attitudes to dogs within the communities. A strong theme was the importance of dogs at a community level. Many of the reasons given for the importance of dogs in the community were based on traditional cultural values or beliefs. These included dogs being necessary to guard people at night from spirits, and as part of the kin system. Further, the cultural practice of “pay-back” for wrong-doing included wrong-doing directed at dogs in all communities, even the most westernized. Occurring simultaneously with these positive attitudes, the poor health and overpopulation of dogs in the community was acknowledged and the negative effects on peoples lives recognized. However, the value of the dogs to the community meant that shooting dogs without consent or poisoning them were not seen as appropriate solutions to overpopulation. Many people were prepared to euthanize some of their dogs (via an overdose of barbiturate) or have them undergo sterilization surgery. Thus, contrary to appearances from a Western perspective, the traditional Indigenous human–dog bond was found to be strong, and thus must be taken into account in developing appropriate and sustainable animal health and management practices.

Approaches to dog health education programs in Australian rural and remote Indigenous communities: four case studies

Dog health in rural and remote Australian Indigenous communities is below urban averages in numerous respects. Many Indigenous communities have called for knowledge sharing in this area. However, dog health education programs are in their infancy, and lack data on effective practices. Without this core knowledge, health promotion efforts cannot progress effectively. This paper discusses a strategy that draws from successful approaches in human health and indigenous education, such as dadirri, and culturally respectful community engagement and development. Negotiating an appropriate education program is explored in its practical application through four case studies. Though each case was unique, the comparison of the four illustrated the importance of listening (community consultation), developing and maintaining relationships, community involvement and employment. The most successful case studies were those that could fully implement all four areas. Outcomes included improved local dog health capacity, local employment and engagement with the program and significantly improved dog health.

The Use of iPADs in the Home Setting for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Families and educators have turned to digital tablets to support the unique needs of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), due to their ease of use, social acceptance, low cost, and portability. While school-based trial programs are emerging, there is very little research examining collaborative partnerships between families and educators relating to digital tablets. This study employed a qualitative methodology to investigate the use of digital tablets in the home setting to support students with ASD. Underpinned by Moll and Greenberg’s funds of knowledge theoretical framework, the study posited that the use of digital tablets for students with ASD can be enhanced if experiences from the home setting are validated by educators. It used semistructured interviews and anecdotal evidence with four families to explore the various ways digital tablets are used. Data from interviews with four teacher participants in a school-based trial were used to examine the collaboration between homes and schools regarding digital tablet use. The results showed that digital tablets were used daily in their homes. Frequent recreational and educational uses were reported as well as uses that supported behavior and communication. Finally, there were some suggestions in relation to the collaboration between home and school.

Towards Inclusive Schools: The Impact of the DDA and DSE on Inclusion Participation and Exclusion in Australia

This chapter aims to provide insights into the implementation of the two most significant pieces of legislation in Australia relating to the area of access in Inclusive settings. Access and participation is one of Loreman’s ( 2014) three guides for the assessment of Inclusive Education (IE). The discussion of this chapter reveals that despite operating under the same national legislative acts, school systems are enacting Inclusion and participation in different ways leading to inconsistent levels of participation and access. At the same time, rates of segregation and exclusion are on the increase. The focus of this chapter will also be on how the Appeals process and Criminal Courts have interpreted the Disability Discrimination Act (/ 1992) and the Disability Standards for Education (2005) in a way that has excluded students with disabilities across all sectors and how some non-governmental systems are denying them access and participation. The chapter will conclude by discussing the need for a national approach to the DDA, the DSE and IE to allow the continued goals of the legislation and the Inclusion philosophy to be realised.

Education resources in remote Australian indigenous community dog health programs: a comparison of community and extra-community-produced resources

Commercial dog health programs in Australian Indigenous communities are a relatively recent occurrence. Health promotion for these programs is an even more recent development, and lacks data on effective practices. This paper analyses 38 resources created by veterinary-community partnerships in Indigenous communities, to 71 resources available through local veterinary service providers. On average, community-produced resources used significantly more of the resource area as image, more imagery as communicative rather than decorative images, larger fonts and smaller segments of text and used images of people with a range of skin tones. As well as informal registers of Standard Australian English, community-produced resources used Aboriginal English and/or Creole languages in their text, while extra-community (EC)-produced resources did not. The text of EC resources had Flesh-Kincaid reading grade levels that excluded a large proportion of community recipients. Also, they did not cover some topics of importance in communities, used academic, formal and technical language, and did not depict people of a representative range of skin tones. As such, community-produced resources were more relevant to the unique situations in remote communities, while EC resources were often inappropriate and in some cases could even distance recipients by using inappropriate language, formats and imagery.