Online Posters
Purposeful Ambiguity in Organizational Communication
Online Poster Sujin Horwitz
Merriam Webster Dictionary defines ambiguity in communication as "a word or expression that can be understood in two or more possible ways". Linguistically, ambiguity essentially denotes vagueness in communication which elicits multiple interpretations (Eisenberg, 1984). It is important to note that ambiguity is different from uncertainty although commonalities exist between the two concepts. Uncertainty in the organizational context generally involves lack of information or insufficient understanding on organizational phenomena, such as inadequate information for making decisions or inability to predict certain outcomes due to incomplete knowledge (Kramer, 2004). In most cases involving uncertainty in organizations, individuals seek to obtain more information to reduce uncertainty and assign meaning to clarify precarious situations. Ambiguity in the organizational context, however, does not necessarily embrace the notion of insufficient information or incomplete knowledge. In contrast, ambiguity denotes vagueness and equivocalness surrounding a given situation hence eliciting multiple interpretations on the situation. Consequently, ambiguity is marked with plurality and fluidity in understanding organizational phenomena leading to assigning divergent meanings to a situation (Leitch & Davenport, 2005; Weick, 2001). Rather than attempting to reduce ambiguity, promoting diverse meanings in interpreting an organizational strategy requires fluidity and tolerance for multiplicity by leaders who wish to capitalize on diverse expertise and knowledge in their employees (Thompson & Choi, 2006). There has been an emerging school of thought postulating that clarity is not always desirable and some conditions justify employing ambiguity mindfully and purposefully (strategic ambiguity) in organizational communication (Contractor & Ehrlich, 1993; Eisenberg, 2007).
Supporting Resiliency and Mental Health among Forced Migrant Populations: An International Collaboration
Online Poster Andres Cubillos, Tracy Wharton, Bernardo Ramírez, Sonia Díaz, Axel Kroeger, Enrique Peñaloza, Angélica María Vargas-Monroy, Yesika Fernández
Due to conditions of political instability in many countries, international or internal migration has been the door of escape for many populations. Globally, there were 40.3 million internally displaced persons and 22.5 million refugees in 2016 with numbers rising (UNHCR, 2017). The cases of the migrant populations of Venezuela and those displaced by the armed conflict in Colombia are two examples of these current realities. There are currently more than 1.5 million Venezuelans who are living abroad due to conditions of instability, and Colombia occupies first place in the world with 7.7 million displaced people within its borders. A research collaborative that stretches across three continents has been collecting data through focus groups, in-depth interviews, and surveys to improve our understanding of the impact of displacement, and how it may play out in the ability of people to successfully adapt and thrive in new contexts. The impact of forced migration on mental health and identity is substantial, and those who migrate often consider their mental health as a low priority in the face of survival needs. Recommendations for providers include the importance of understanding unique cultural identities, dissolution of family structures and the need for new social networks in order to support resilience. Training workshops are underway for providers and public health professionals across Colombia, and pre-post assessment of knowledge about mental health needs among diverse displaced populations and social indicators and dynamics of health produced 82% improvement in scores after attending a series of three small group training.
Exploration of Possible Links between Internalized Cultural Oppression and Creative Expression Using Symbolic Self-Representation
Poster Session Anh Tran
The stereotypes that create the internalized biases can result from our culture or personal experiences. These stereotypes come in a variety of forms (Schneider, 2004). Race, gender, age, social class, are other ways we categorize others, these categories have their own specific stereotypes. This may lead to more noticeable forms of racism, sexism and heterosexism (Schneider, 2004). The internalized cultural oppression possibly caused by these stereotypes was theorized to have a negative impact one’s sense of individuation, which can simultaneously influence one’s creative expression. Looking at participants’ symbol-making through art therapy and Jungian’s approach, this research investigates the possible internalization of negative stereotypes (or the internalized cultural oppression), and how they may impact one’s ability to creatively express oneself. The data resulted in mixed conclusions, suggesting further areas of research. The research represents an important movement in studying one’s identity that is shaped by how they cope through environmental stressors, including the study of the personal barriers from discovering one’s own creativity.
Building Healthcare Capacity through Medical Language Curricula: Medical Spanish and Medical French Initiatives at Eastern Virginia Medical School
Poster Session Alexandra Leader, Lydia Cleveland
Migration is a defining component of present-day society worldwide; diverse global communities require health systems that adapt accordingly. The state of Virginia (USA) boasts a Hispanic immigrant community that has grown over 26% since 2010; Virginia has welcomed approximately 18,000 refugees since 2013. In response to the linguistic and cultural diversity of patient communities in Hampton Roads, Virginia, the Global Health Division at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) strives to build corresponding healthcare capacity through professional development in linguistic competencies and cultural humility. The EVMS Medical Spanish Initiative (2016) and Medical French Initiative (2018) support medical language learning, community partnership with local immigrant and refugee communities, linguistically and culturally-competent health services, collaborative research, and cultural engagement. Specific programming includes online/classroom medical language instruction, a bilingual free clinic for uninsured immigrants, community health fairs, bilingual community mentorship sessions, collaborative community health assessments for the local Hispanic immigrant community and Hispanic/Haitian migrant worker communities, and shared cultural events. Approximately 300 EVMS students/staff/faculty and community members have enrolled in the Medical Spanish Initiative to date, with 45 students earning Bilingual Physician Certification. The free clinic for uninsured Spanish-speakers has offered health services to over 200 adult patients since 2016 and 40 pediatric patients since 2018. The Medical French Initiative has 14 student and faculty participants in its inaugural class and will offer a bridging language course in Haitian Kreyole to support longitudinal health partnership and research with local and international Haitian communities.
Facilitating Successful Transitions: Tips from Students with Disabilities and Their Families
Poster Session Kimberly Frazier, Anna Krizman, Brittany Tran, Cameron Sturgeon
Transition is the process of moving from secondary school to post-secondary community-based living (IDEA, 2004) and poses challenges for all young adults but is particularly demanding for individuals with significant disabilities. Adolescent to adulthood transition services have the potential to increase positive outcomes for people with significant disabilities, thereby better ensuring that they live full, included adult lives. It is vital that speech-language pathologists, along with other school and community-based support professionals, act in concert with families and youths to develop and implement successful transition services. This study focuses on best practices for successful transitions from the perspective of students and their families.
A Study of Afghan Mothers’ Experience of Raising Their Children in Iran: A Qualitative Study of Parental Experiences of Refugees
Online Poster Sheyda Ashrafi, Nicole Jafari
Iran has been home to a large number of Afghan refugees over the past forty years. In 2015, the Iranian government estimated that 2.5 million Afghans live in Iran, including both registered and undocumented Afghan refugees. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) also estimated that over 1.5 million undocumented Afghan refugees live in Iran. Over the past four decades, Afghan refugees, especially those who are undocumented, often were deprived of basic health and social benefits, including access to the Iranian education system for children. This qualitative research seeks to understand the perspective of Afghan mothers living in Iran in terms of education; and to learn about their experience of raising their children in Iran. Eleven Afghan mothers, between the age of 25 and 35, residing in rural areas around Tehran, with at least one child participated in two focus group discussions. The interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data. This study showed that Afghan mothers face cultural differences, racial inequality, and illiteracy problems while raising their children in Iran. On the other hand, mothers express their gratitude for what they have learned from Iranians and the Iranian culture, including the importance of education for girls. The result of this research indicates dichotomies and contradictions in Afghan mothers’ opinions toward raising children in Iran.
Language and Identity Making Case of Second-Generation Iranian-Americans
Online Poster Sheyda Ashrafi
For many young second-generation Iranian-American, describing their identity is not as easy as it is for their parents. Parents were born and grew up in Iran, they were active members of their societies, and they have family and friends in Iran. Some of them are still thinking about going back to Iran, and because they know the language, they can relate to the Iranian culture more than their children. Many second-generation Iranian Americans were born in Iran, some of them can understand Persian, and many of them know about the Persian culture, too; but how do they recognize themselves as Iranians. The purpose of this study is to use definitions of “identity” and “bilingualism” to explore the role of a language in identity-making, as well as the ways Persian helps Iranian-American children to recognize themselves as Iranian. For this goal, studies related to bilingualism and identity-making for different ethnicities and cultures has been reviewed. Also, five bilingual, Iranian-American second-generation youth were interviewed to share their experience and the struggle they had with identity-making as Iranian children in the United States. According to the literature review and interviews, the dominant language, in this case, English, also has a vital role in shaping the identity because the education system is in English, and their peers also speak English. Four participants of this study believe that learning Persian has helped them to be more connected to their Iranian background, and as a result, identify themselves as Iranian.
Multimodal Approaches to Diaspora Studies: Engaging Diverse Student Groups in Language and Literature Courses
Poster Session Jen Westmoreland
This poster focuses on the creation of multimodal resources to support teaching on topics related to diaspora in post-secondary language and literature classrooms in diverse settings. Special attention is paid to best practices for developing multiliteracies, engaging students in critical analysis and inquiry, and empowering students to create multimodal compositions related to diaspora. The poster includes specific examples of open-source multimodal resource sites created by the presenters, such as: www.africanvoicesofparis.com, www.nccdiaspora.com, and www.vietnameseamericanliterarystudies.com.
Family Separation at the Border: Tweeting Policy, Tweeting Tears
Poster Session Carol Liebler
In April 2018, the Trump administration announced its “zero tolerance” policy at the United States southwest border resulting in thousands of family separations. Although the policy was supposedly halted via executive order three months later, the separations continue with refugee children sent to migrant camps while their parents are either deported or detained elsewhere. In 2019, 69,550 infants, toddlers and children were held in U.S. custody. Through analysis of Twitter, this study examines social media agendas in relation to the policy and family separations. Analyses of tweet volume and emphasis provide insight into the topics tweeted by news media, public officials, border stakeholders, and private citizens respectively. Differences across time and geography are examined, with special attention paid to the U.S. border states most affected by the policy and the ensuing separations.
Decision Making on Internal Geographical Allocation of Immigrants and Refugees in Greece: A Multi-criteria Evaluation
Online Poster Dimitra Manou, Anastasia Blouchoutzi, Jason Papathanasiou
One of the long-term challenges for the policy makers in the migrants’ host countries is the optimal geographical dispersion of the newcomers so as to strengthen their integration outcomes and serve the crucial goal of social inclusion. Almost five years after the outburst of the migration crisis though, there is still an ongoing political debate on the appropriate placement policy of the immigrant and refugee population arriving in Greece. This paper focuses on the evaluation of the internal redistribution policy of immigrants and refugees in Greece as described by the current reception and accommodation scheme implemented in the country. Our main focus is to check whether broader socio-economic phenomena ranging from the access to labor market, housing, education to the concentration of social networks have been taken into consideration by the national authorities while planning and implementing the dispersion policies. Furthermore, we delve into the outcomes of such policies with regard to the concerns arisen by the local authorities and communities. Combining indicative indicators for the aforementioned areas of interest, the longitudinal data will be processed with the well-known multi-criteria analysis method PROMETHEE. The outcomes of our research will be used to unveil the effectiveness of the implemented immigrants’ and refugees’ allocation policies in Greece, compare it with other European countries’ immigrants’ and refugees’ placement practices, illuminate the reasoning for the current settlement and provide the decision makers with policy suggestions on alternative allocation policies. This paper is prepared in the framework of the H2020 project MAGYC.
Consulting Artifacts: Contributing to Organizational Efforts at Access and Inclusion
Online Poster Jill Schinberg
The International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) exists “[t]o educate, advocate for, and inspire public assembly venue professionals, worldwide.” Nearly one hundred years old, this professional membership association for the events and entertainment industry works continuously to improve its own diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. IAVM provides a number of educational programs that address these issues explicitly, including Venue Management School (VMS), a two-year professional development program that serves as a pipeline to association leadership. In response to recent feedback from VMS participants, IAVM hired a scholar-practitioner to consult on its efforts toward making future years of VMS more inclusive. The consultancy involves revisions to program materials and pedagogies, including the application of universal design of learning principles to help ensure the accessibility and inclusivity of instructional materials and learning spaces. By examining this ongoing consultancy, this study reflects on the use of an emerging consultant-ethnographer methodology. It discusses the context and methods for the VMS inclusivity project, illustrates the origins of the consultant-ethnographer approach, and shares the available deliverables to date (e.g. resource guide and checklist for inclusive teaching). Yet uncodified, this methodology has the potential to achieve better results when inclusion is a central focus of a consultancy and beyond.
