Academic Relevancy :: essays papers

Academic Relevancy Meeting the educational needs of all students is a challenging task for educators. This task is intensified when the student has learning, and/or physical disabilities. A learning disability is defined as "any of various conditions, thought to be associated with the nervous system, that cause difficulty in mastering a basic skill such as reading" (Wordsmyth, 2000). A physical disability is defined as "the condition or state of incapacity, esp. as caused by an injury, congenital defect, illness, or the like" (Wordsmyth, 2000). Many of these students require special instruction. "For example, students with mental retardation benefit from very organized learning situations, because of their limited cognitive abilities" (Duhaney, Duhaney, 2000). Students with learning disabilities often encounter difficulty in reading and writing; modifying instruction for these students is necessary in order to ensure their academic success. Assistive technology will play an important role in helping students with disabilities to improve their learning experience. Assistive Devices "People with disabilities rely on assistive technology devices and services to sustain, regain or increase their functional capabilities. About 13 million people with disabilities report using assistive devices to provide functional capabilities needed to participate in major life activities" (RERC, 2001). The Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 (Tech Act) defines assistive technology devices as any item, piece of equipment, or product system whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Some examples of the various categories of assistive technology include:  § TALKING WORD PROCESSORS  § WORD PREDICTION  § PORTABLE NOTE-TAKING DEVICES  § Communication Aids  § Amplification Devices  § Switches  § Optical Pointers  § Touch Screens  § Touch Pads Specific Uses in Education Talking word processors give the student auditory feedback to reinforce the writing process. Letters, words, sentences, paragraphs, or entire documents can be read aloud while the student types. Features can be customized to individual student needs by selecting what text is read from pull-down menus (Quenneville, 2001).

What if anything was surprising about the post-war economic recovery of Europe

In the immediate period after V. E Day there was a realization by all sides of the conflict that the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 had itself been one of the main catalysts to the Second World War. This meant that a new approach would need to be taken to reconstruct Europe and it would need to do so with a broader view of Europe as a whole. The Second World War inflicted appalling loses on resources, infrastructure, and, above all human lives. The war cost anything up to fifty million lives and displaced millions more. However although conditions were anything but propitious for economic growth a dramatic transformation took place over the next â€Å"30 glorious years†. Both Eastern and Western Europe†s economies were massively distorted by the demands of war; normal production ground to a halt and trade decreased further weakening Europe†s position in the world economy. The subsequent result of the unprecedented destruction was starvation and inflation together with a legacy of conflict that left Europeans mentally and emotionally exhausted. The fact that the war was the first to be directly targeted at civilians, both through ethnic genocide and warfare in urban areas (most destructively from the air), meant that economics would need to be at the core of any peacetime solutions. There were three elements to the economic impact that affected Europe, and the measures that were introduced to solve these crises paved the way for the turn-around that Europe experienced between the late 1940†³s and early 1970†³s. The first factor was the disruption to Europe†s productive assets, a rise in military production had exhausted capital stocks and many factories were themselves destroyed by the conflict. Industrial capitals such as transport and communication infrastructures were also debilitated. The second effect was of Capital loss, the colonial powers had been forced to dispose of foreign assets and had simultaneously accumulated huge debts. A drop in domestic consumption and investment also left their economies depleted. Thirdly European states (especially France and Britain) were under the obligations of the Lend-Lease agreements which sponsors like the U. S. A and other lending states had supplied to boost their war effort. Despite these extreme difficulties rehabilitation followed surprisingly quickly. In the west in particular there was rapid reconstruction and recovery, meaning the first phase of economic development lasted no more than ten years. In the east, where the scale of devastation and loss of life had been far greater, the process needed to go beyond mere rebuilding and the imposition of Soviet communist control meant that transformation would take significantly longer. The ‘super-boom† that began in post-war Europe can therefore be seen as somewhat of an economic miracle, with many of it†s features being the only positive repercussions of the war. In the west priority was given to rebuilding the infrastructure rather than to satisfying consumption needs (except food). At the same time the economic methods of John Maynard Keynes were being used to squeeze out inflation through financial controls, higher taxes and currency reform. Since controlling inflation added to unemployment and shortages in essential products, new social services were introduced to minimise these negative affects on the population, who after all were still recovering from the hardships of war. The Welfare States that were created also helped in getting the economies moving quickly. The other crucial benefit that the western states had over the communist east was the financial help they received from the U. S. A through Marshal Aid. Between 1947 and 1952 $23 billion was made available to Europe, this hard currency enabled Western economies to ensure their recovery by buying the goods they needed to reconstruct and modernise. So, while in 1946 West European production was only 8% of the world†s total, by 1950 it accounted for almost 20%. In the east, where the starting situation was far worse than in the west due to ferociously destructive battles and Nazi depredations, reconstruction was unimportant compared to the more immediate concerns of feeding and housing the vastly displaced population. In fact in the USSR more people died after the war had finished of starvation, than had during the actual conflict. The period was also witnessing huge social and political changes with Stalin consolidating his firm grip on power, the effect this had on the East†s economic recovery was negative compared to that of the West. Land was distributed to the poor and most industrial property was nationalised. However most importantly there was no support given to Eastern Block states by the U. S. A as Marshal himself distrusted Stalin and thought that he was planning to seize more of Europe. However, Stalin was only utilising the satellite states to help rebuild the soviet economy, yet these factors ensured there was no ‘boom† in the east for at least a decade. In the west when reconstruction was achieved growth was barely interrupted for the next thirty years until the oil crisis of 1973. The technological advances and new production methods during this period were another of the positive after effects of the war. New consumer goods such as televisions were the visible side of the booming economies and by the 1960†³s Western Europe was once again the largest trading block in the world with Gross Domestic Products up to eight times that of the first half of the century. All this was achieved without massive inflation because productivity rose enormously and capacity was fully used. However, to economic historians this economic revival can be seen as surprising and somewhat unexplainable. Technical factors played a part, with new sources of energy, more modern communications, new styles of management and new production practices all helping to streamline the economies. Most of these were derived from the war or the more advanced America, who†s economy was unscathed by war. Another factor was the more ‘hands on† approach taken by western governments in managing their economies. In this way they were able to stimulate a ‘mixed economy† which had elements of private finance and nationalised industries. Keynes ideal was to have no sector of the economy that did not have a government presence. He saw that the mistake of forgetting economics at Versailles led to the boom and bust that enabled nationalism to influence Europe. One other reason for these changes was to attempt to catch up the more advanced economies, most notably the U. S. A. The high levels of capital investment and the move of resources from agricultural to more productive sectors all benefited this goal. The actual stimulus to employment and trade that reconstruction created also kick-started the boom. Social elements also affected the economies of Western states. The ‘baby-boom† of the war years produced a younger and better-educated work force, who also reflected the impact of the new welfare provisions that had been constructed. As demographics changed the population was also modernised in other ways. Urbanisation began at a greater level to compliment the new industries that were developing. Also women, who had entered the work place during the war, meant that the work force was diversifying as well as specialising. Family structures were therefore changing, with the ‘nuclear family† being more mobile and functional. All of these factors helped ensure that the population was becoming more affluent and adapted to the new economy. This population was also becoming more at ease with buying consumer products as the burdens of the thirties and forties gave way to a more positive looking future. More money was also being spent in new industries such as tourism and leisure. This new wealth also meant that class structures were being eroded as a new economically independent middle class emerged. The West was also experiencing political stability, better labour relations and, by utilising the new attitudes in economy management, ensuring low unemployment. These factors all contributed vastly to the boom. Externally the protection that Western Europe was experiencing from the U. S. A helped growth. The Bretton Woods system that ensured exchange rate stability across the Atlantic until the 1960†³s was one part of this. Perhaps none of these factors can explain the surge in economic growth on their own. It was probably a fact that so many things came right at the same time and that the mistakes that had been made after the First World War were heeded. By 1970 the Western European economies had transformed beyond recognition, not only in size but also in organisation and geographical terms. One negative effect of this was the greater divergence from Eastern Europe that the new society exacerbated. It is easy to ask why this ‘economic miracle† was so surprising as the scale of destruction the Second World War wrought was so huge. However this was not the first time that Europe had needed to rebuild itself and governments had come to realise that they should forsake economics at their own peril.

Quality Payment Program Analysis - 988 Words

It is important to understand as the years pass by and the time is changing, the world of healthcare is changing as well, especially in terms of healthcare reform. One major change in healthcare reform was a course of action that required healthcare organizations to submit mandatory data on the quality care of their patients. This plan was initiated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid in 2015, in which they implemented the Medicare Access and CHIP Re-authorization Act (MACRA). This act modernized how Medicare payments are tied to quality and cost of care (EClinical, n.d.). MACRA initially focused on Meaningful Use (MU), PQRS and Valued-Based Modifiers (VBMs). In fact, when it came time to report quality data, if an organization did†¦show more content†¦As one can see, a decrease in Medicare reimbursements can be a significant deficit for any healthcare facility. Therefore, the main issue within our private Gastroenterology practice located in Providence, Rhode Island, i s having a full understanding of the recent adjustment implemented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Essentially, it is crucial for our organization to learn and adapt to the new reporting program in order to receive maximum government reimbursements and not be deemed for any errors. Unfortunately, the new change in quality reporting has added stress to not just our organization, but also other organizations across the nation. In order to become proactive, our organization is going to implement an educational program. The purpose is to create an informative, hands-on program that allows the physicians and administrators to fully grasp MIPS. The program will contain all the necessary materials to help the individuals have complete knowledge and awareness of the future of healthcare reform. Consequently, the real issue is to understand the new MIPS program in its entirety. If healthcare organizations decide to do without such a necessity, then the issue of MIPS will affect the population health, vulnerableShow MoreRelatedTheories And Theories Of Nursing Essay1211 Words   |  5 Pagesa process for concept analysis specific to nursing to help graduate students to apply and examine the different phenomena’s that are of interest to nurses in 1986 (McEwen Wills, 2014). Over the course of time this original approach to concept analysis in nursing has been adjusted to meet the needs of the nursing profession to enhance the clarity and distinctiveness of nursing concepts (McEwen Wills, 2014). 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