Health Risks and Benefits of Circumcision Research Paper

Health Risks and Benefits of Circumcision - Research Paper Example The main risk associated with circumcision is primarily credited to the surgical procedure itself. In a study conducted in the University of Washington, the authors were able to establish that out of 130,000 boys who had circumcisions at the Washington state hospital, 287 of them developed complications in relation to the procedure. The most common complications seen were intraoperative bleeding (230 cases) and damage to the penis (52 cases). The authors comment however that these are preventable risks which would still be outweighed by the benefits of circumcision. Most of the complications associated with circumcision are minor and are very much localized. Meatal stenosis is seen in circumcised males and is said to follow intraoperative vascular injury to the frenular vessels. Due to meatal stenosis, there may be a deflection of the urine system or in some cases; dysuria and occult hematuria may also be seen in the circumcised male. Reports of skin bridges forming when separated fo reskin come in contact with each other are sometimes also manifest in circumcised males, and this can cause pain and penile curvature during erection. Before the advent of improved anesthesia options, the neonatal pain experience has been emphasized as one of the main objections against circumcision. The pain experience is known to cause physiological responses, such as increased heart rate, respiratory rate, and serum cortisol level, lower serum oxygen saturation and lower vagal tone.

Political Kuwait before & after oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political Kuwait before & after oil - Essay Example A look into the performance of the country in the eighteenth and nineteenth century shows that Kuwait was a key link between trading partners of the Mediterranean region and India. The location of the country in the Middle East allowed effective access to seaports and desert land, where merchants engaged in successful trade activities. With trade taking place all around Kuwait, mercantilism best defines Kuwait in the period prior to oil discovery and subsequent exploration. The economic condition of this city-state was subject to the influence of massive trade activities both within and outside Kuwaiti borders. Following trade developments and increase in the number of merchants in Kuwait, social and political practices became evident in the country. This realization would eventually set developmental pace for an oil rich nation. In the social context, merchants were influential people in Kuwait until after oil was commercialized. The primary social organizations in Kuwait comprised of Mariners and Bedouin. These groups closely related with the merchants and rulers of the nation. Politically, Kuwait was ruled under traditional practices until the post oil period, which saw the promulgation of the state’s constitution. Politically, Sheikhs worked closely with merchants in governing Kuwait before the oil era. Following oil discovery and subsequent exploration, Kuwait joined the richest producers of oil in the world. The commercialization of oil meant economic transformation through oil revenues and social organization in terms of the positive impacts of oil wealth. In the post oil era, Kuwait significantly shifted from trade to oil exploration in the 1950s. Government revenues, under the Sheikh-based rule, increased significantly. Political activities further heightened, thereby depicting reduced leadership collaboration between rulers and merchants/trade partners. Most importantly, mariners became organized

Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economy - Essay Example Even the full restoration in the standard of gold was not able to restore the monetary policy and financial crisis occurred in every single decade, which was in 1825, 1836, 1847, 1857 and in the year 1866. This disturbance in the financial system was due to the adoption of new rule which was motivated by the idea that monetary disturbance are due to the failure of the fluctuation of mixed currency (gold and paper) at the rate it would have. It was observed that the new rule implemented seemed to be misguiding. It evoked fear that maintaining the gold standards and converting the gold into bank note alone cannot establish monetary stability unless there is a limitation imposed in the creation of notes by the banks (Rules v. Discretion, 2011). Answer 2 Inflation targeting is the policy of the central bank in which the inflation rate is estimated by the bank and then this projected rate is made public by the bank. The actual inflation is then directed towards this targeted one by using the interest rates and other monetary tools. The inflation rate and the interest rate are inversely proportional to one another.Therefore the attempt of the central bank to change the interest rate is transparent because of inflation targeting. Taylor rule on the other hand refers to monetary rules which are followed by some of the central banks, such as the US Federal bank.It forecasts how much the nominal rate must be changed by the central in order to divert from the targeted inflation rate, the actual GDP and also from the potential GDP(HETZEL, 2000). This rule has more attraction than the â€Å"Inflation targeting† because it takes into account the deviation from the actual equilibrium level such as from full employment and the inflation rate which has an overall better effect on the economy. The Taylor rule also allows the interest rate to react with the variation in the output gap. Therefore the reaction in the output gap is the reaction in the nominal interest rate. T his allows the central bank to observe the output gap for targeting the inflation policies(Inflation Targeting vs Taylor Rule, 2013). Suggestion: Taylor rule has influenced the debate on monetary policies for the last two decades. Various suggestions are made by the Federal on the basis of the Taylor rule. Federal Open Market committee in suggested that by increasing the basis points to 150, the funds rate of the Federal may be increased up to 70 percent (ILBAS, 2013). MICROECONOMICS Answer1 The statement seemed reasonable; however the idea presented in the statement is vague. The statement can be considered true if the firm is defined in term of its owner. The shareholder of any firm would be pleased with increased dividend, they are aware of the fact that the increased dividend is directly related to the increased profitability of the firm. Shareholders sometimes prefer to sacrifice the short-term profit of the firm, so that the firm may work for the acquisition of the long-term p rofit. They may let go the short term dividend of the firm, so that they may earn the long term benefits. While defining the firm in terms of the manager (decision maker), the

Overview and Industry Trends & Prospects of General Dynamics Essay

Overview and Industry Trends & Prospects of General Dynamics - Essay Example The company offers a range of solutions and services that are mainly related to the security systems for important national infrastructure, Marine Systems, Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) technology and other defence and security related services. It can be identified that the company generates the most revenues from Information Systems and technology, followed by Aerospace. The company earned a total of $9.15 million from this Information Systems and technology segment with operating earnings of $785 thousands. Moreover, the revenues from this segment have decreased by 10.8% in the year 2014. On the other hand, Aerospace had reported an increase in the revenues as the revenues increased to $8.6 million showing an increase of 6.5%. However, the major aspect of this business segment is that it has the highest ratio of operating earnings to the revenues which is 18.6% in comparison to the other business segments of the company (General Dynamics, 2014). General Dynamics has been operating in a number of countries. However, the group generates the most revenues from United States. Europe is the second most important market for General Dynamics as presented in the figure below: In General Dynamics, there are around 700 employees in different facilities and locations in UK (General Dynamics, 2015b). The company has been working on number of governmental projects in different parts of the world including United States and United Kingdom. For instance, General Dynamics signed a deal with the UK government for armoured vehicles worth $5.8 billion in the year 2014 (Reuters , 2014). Moreover, there are more than 100 SMEs for which the company has worked in UK (General Dynamics, 2015b) The defence industry in which General Dynamics operates is highly dynamic and the industry itself offers many challenges to the company. With the increasing terrorism activities across the globe, it has been highly critical for General

Star Image of Helen Mirren Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Star Image of Helen Mirren - Essay Example This analysis will concentrate on two specific points in Helen Mirren's career. First, her arrival on the scene at the height of the sexual revolution and how sexuality became a major part of her star image, and second, her recent renaissance as a sexual object near the end of her career. It is thus only partly ironic that Helen Mirren was recently voted the world's sexiest OAP; she is surely the oldest woman to pose naked on the front of the normally staid Radio Times. From youthful, bohemian sexuality in her early films and theatre roles onto a more mature, developed and confident seductiveness in films such as The Long Good Friday, Mirren has succeeded in being "sexual" without seeming to lose her identity as an autonomous female. Helen Mirren came to prominence at the height of the sexual revolution in the mid 1960's She auditioned for the National Youth Theatre at the eight of eighteen (in 1963) and at the age of twenty was already starring at the Old Vic Theatre. Her early roles reflected a sexuality that was perhaps beyond what most might expect of a young woman of her age. Thus she played Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra in 1965 for the National Youth Theatre and then Cressida in Trolius and Cressida for the Royal Shakespeare Company, followed by Lady Macbeth for the same company in a famous production directed by Trevor Nunn. Two early film roles exemplified the mixture of a fire-like and yet vulnerable sexuality. The left still below is from Age of Consent (1969), while the right one is from O Lucky Man, along side Malcolm McDowell : - While it is perhaps very difficult to extrapolate from a film still to the actual experience of watching a film, and thus considering the screen presence which makes a "star", these stills hint at the fact that Mirren has never been a traditional "sex object" along the lines of Marilyn Monroe, Bridget Bardot or Sophia Loren. She looks, to be frank, simply too intelligent to be pigeon-holed into such a one-dimensional identity. A popular entertainment website describes her as "perhaps the ultimate thinking man's sex symbol. . . " (starpulse, 2007). On its surface this might appear to be a rather superficial interpretation of the actress, but on closer inspection it brings us to the heart of Mirren's unique star quality. Even when she was gaining a reputation as a something of a sex-pot through regularly removing her clothes both on stage and in films during the 1970's, it seems clear that Mirren was careful never to be associated merely with eroticism and thus to be exposed in a gratu itous manner for the voyeuristic pleasure of the audience. The sexuality in her films is nearly always an integral part of the plot rather than merely a chance for the director to show off Mirren's rather obvious sex-appeal. For example, in The Long Good Friday she turns from the classic, almost clichd figure of the subservient gangster wife into a fearless avenger who uses sexual encounters as a source of revenge. Mirren is the controlling subject of her sex scenes rather than the controlled object. She is thus the opposite of the kind of

Implementing EMS Recommendations Essay Example for Free

Implementing EMS Recommendations Essay Introduction After an audit had been performed for Riordan Manufacturing, faults were found in current procedures and solutions created to make them more sustainable. Listed below are some barriers that may occur when implementing Riordan’s new strategies and the necessary steps needed to overcome those barriers. Identified as well are methods currently in place to ensure systematic monitoring of the new sustainable practices that have or will be put in place. Identify Barriers Riordan Manufacturing has to identify the barriers they must overcome to become a sustainable organization. The barriers must be broken into two parts, external and internal barriers (Ruark, 2013). External barriers are those that Riordan must follow because of federal laws, state laws, and local policies. Another external barrier is the suppliers the organization contracts to do additional work whether in the United States or another country. The organization is responsible for those non-sustainable issues that the contractor creates. Internal barriers are the ones that the company creates, but can control. The organization will have to hire Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) that understand the issues, create a plan to overcome those issues, and maintain the progress. The SMEs must have the funding in place to start doing their work. They must communicate their findings and provide solutions to Riordan Manufacturing management. Communication is the largest barrier to overcome. The SMEs must establish a target and conduct a plan. Another internal barrier is change, and people don’t like change. The leadership must work hard to get the employees on board to help with the changes. Creating an  additional department supervised by the SMEs that handles these barriers will make Riordan manufacturing a success. How or why they might occur Barriers occur for many reasons, and some of the reasons they occur is the lack of communication from the management down to the lowest level. Communication must flow up and down to understand the organizations target and intents. The communication flow will allow the employees to understand the policies and procedures that Riordan Manufacturing has put in place. Another reason barriers occur are due to the lack of training that the employees do not receive. Having properly trained employees will assist with the proper flow of communication as well as the process and procedures that Riordan will implement. The cost to Riordan Manufacturing to implement any new sustainable plan will be a short term profit lost for the organization. The last important reason barriers occur is because resources are not in place as well as the SMEs to provide the guidance to become sustainable and maintain sustainability. Consider financial, social, ethical, technical, and practical aspects of business Financial cost, social concerns, and the environment are important aspects to the approach in becoming compliant with any legal requirements. The practical aspects barrier Riordan Manufacturing will encounter will be trying to improve their facilities with new pipes, air vents, and drainage systems. Implementing the new measures will have an impact on the technical barrier in the operations of the facilities to produce a product that can cause delays in production. Ethical and social issues are important to any organization that is trying to create and maintain their Environment Management System (EMS). The organization cannot allow anyone to use products or change manufacturing processes as that will be unethical. Describe methods currently in place or necessary to ensure systematic monitoring of new sustainable practices.   Riordan Manufacturing will implement some of the new processes recommended to deal with the oil, ink and the solvent issue. They will make sure to measure the air quality in the factory, recycle the oil keeping track of how  much oil is been used, and how much solvent is been separated from the water. They have several measures of monitoring the three areas in the different facilities, but will need to improve in reporting and making changes when needed. How are they measured or monitored? Updating the existing reporting process for all the areas and conduct meetings with the leadership, employees and stakeholders to see what the best approach to any situation is. Adding additional measures to analyze any situation will allow Riordan Manufacturing to understand what is working and what is failing. Monitoring the air pollution and pounds of waste in all the Riordan Manufacturing facilities will allow them to keep track in monthly bases to improve sustainability. What happens if a recommended practice is not working as it was intended? Different courses of action (COA) must be completed for any one task. This COA allows the organization to decide on the best approach when dealing with any issue. The COA will outline the process, produces, and cost to the project. This different COA also provides the leadership with the different solutions to one issue. If the COA selected is not working they have other COA for the same situation they can quickly implement to solve any problem. Conclusion Riordan manufacturing will implement new solutions to help make them more sustainable. Of course, Riordan will need to identify their internal and external barriers to overcome, and once found putting strategies in place to overcome and avoid them. One of the biggest barriers is communication. Having a barrier of communication prevents the flow of understanding of policies and procedures as well as the targets and intents put in place by Riordan. Updating the reporting system as well as adding an additional measure to analyze situations, will allow Riordan to see which processes are successful and which ones failed. Failed processes will be dealt with by putting together multiple courses of action so that solutions can easily be switched if one is not working as well as anticipated. Business organizations have an obligation to help sustain and preserve the environment for future generations. Riordan has taken the initiative in  developing strategies that will incorporate sustainable business practices to ensure that the company and the employees leave less of a carbon footprint for future generations. Reference Ruark, C. A. (2013, August 9). Eliminating Barriers to Small Business Sustainability. Retrieved from Triple Pundit: http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/08/eliminating-barriers-small- business-sustainability/

Criticisms of Disability Legislation in the UK

Criticisms of Disability Legislation in the UK Do you agree that mentally ill and disabled people are the poor relatives of anti-discriminatory thought and practice? Introduction Disablism and disability The introduction of new legislation against discrimination of disabled people in 2005 marks a temporary milestone in the heated debate on appropriate legislative measures.[1] The last two decades have seen an enormous transformation of anti-discriminatory policy, theoretical and conceptual approach and attempts to solidify these changes in the practices of public life. Arguably the changes have been long overdue, given that antidiscrimination law was hopelessly outdated (1944) and did not reflect the shift in attitudes towards the notions of social justice and inclusion as it affected the relationship between disabled and able-bodied people in society. Whether the most recent proposals for legislative review (2005) redefine the disability agenda in a sufficiently radical manner is debatable. Yet, it seems a shared view in the literature that huge strides have been made towards achieving more equality for disable persons and that the urgency and validity of constant legislative review is recognised by the government. This essay explores the extent to which the changes in law, practice and general attitudes of the public reflect sufficiently the needs of disabled people for adequate recognition of their social, economic and domestic needs in modern society. It will focus mainly on the debate that has taken place in the UK following the first significant changes introduced by parliament in 1995 (under the Major government) and leading up to the last round of public consultation under the Blair government. It will look at three distinct but interrelated fields that seem relevant for a comprehensive answer to the question: first, what are the legislative changes and how did they affect the status and societal position of disabled people in Britain. Second, what policies are currently favoured by the government and local authority effectively addressing the problems that originate in widespread discrimination against disabled persons. And third, what are the conceptual difficulties that underlie the l egal and practical problems with framing the disability agenda in the UK. The aspects one and three will be discussed in the section below, aspect three will be explored in more detail in the last section of this essay. Prior to sketching all three fields of inquiry, however, we need to introduce a concept that has informed more recent critical discussion of discrimination and disability. Disablism is supposed to denote a particular constellation of cultural values, forms of personal prejudice and social constraints that result in severe but often unnoticed types of discriminating behaviour. Outlining the structure and content of discrimination therefore would allow us to identify hidden components of the problem that may escape critical consideration. Disablism attempts to redefine the nature of the various barriers that are discriminatory in character but unrecognised since they are part of habitual human conduct. A sociological critique of disablism would enhance out understanding of the underlying patterns of discrimination. Sociologists speak of PCS which stands for the three elements that make up disablist attitudes in public.[2] Personal prejudice, cultural values and social stratification th at originates in disability and the exclusion of disabled people from mainstream public life. Theorists also highlight the complex interaction between concepts of disability and the capitalist economy which emphasises wage labour and the pursuit of profit.[3] All these various factors act as building blocs for disablism which in turn diminishes the chances of public participation by disabled persons. It fosters an attitude which frames disability as a personal tragedy and de-publicises its impact. Seen as an individual misfortune disablism tends to ignore the social dimension of disability and hence underplays the social and political leverage in alleviating some of the effects of discrimination. It echoes therefore the predominant medical model of disability and rejects any social involvement in rectifying the various instances of discrimination by disabled people. Law and the concept of disability Ever since parliament passed the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995, the criticism by academics and practitioners has focused to a large degree on the legal foundations and the conceptual basis of the legislation. Although the literature is fundamentally critical to the implementation of the Act (henceforth DDA) the bulk of the literature deals with the profound conceptual flaws of the law. Since conceptual and legalistic facets go together and combine to detrimental effects, this section of the essay will explore both aspects together rather than separately. With the ostensible failure of the previous legislation to tackle the problems of discrimination in any consistent fashion, the Major government brought in the new law in 1995 to base anti-discriminatory policies on a updated and more coherent conceptual framework. The shortcomings of this new legislation in the face of numerous challenges for disabled people in modern society however contributed to an almost universal understanding that another consultation process on new legislation was needed and the Blair government anticipates to pass the new DDA this year. The DDA in 1995 marks a significant shift from the original quota requirement to a more regulatory approach which basically emphasises the individual responsibilities of disabled persons in achieving similar status and positions in society. The state acts only as a regulatory body, placing constraints on players in the economic and social domain. This concurs with the broadly liberal theory of society where similar life chanc es are stressed and any bias against irrelevant aspects of individuals are being removed in considering their abilities to function as social agents. In general, the idea is to minimise subjectivity and standardise any decision-making process. Although the various strategies for intervention take place at different stages in the discriminatory process[4], legislation focuses on providing the broader framework within which discriminatory behaviour is identified and possibly prosecuted. Such a liberal notion of individuals and society can accommodate special treatment under certain circumstances for example when equality of opportunity is compromised by the lack of a level playing field. In fact, most of the anti-discrimination legislation of the 1990s has favoured a similar approach and it will be argued later in this essay that such a convergence of approach when dealing with different origins of discrimination is gravely mistaken and enshrines complex conceptual problems into the DDA. (SDA and RRA were drawn up under the Major government and subsequently superseded by more advanced legislation. New legislation on ‘Incitement of racial hatred’ is being debated currently in both houses of parliament. As such the legislative is pretty much in flux). Let us now look at the problems that the DDA has created for disabled persons in the UK. Practitioners and theorists often locate the main dilemma in what they call the medical model of disability which informs the DDA in its current form. They contrast this medical model with a social model which recognises the social dimension of disability and hence widens the fields of societal responsibilities in combating discrimination considerably. Roulstone remarks: ‘The social construction of when harm occurs is entirely central to discussions about the workings and effectiveness of anti-discrimination legislation.’[5] But why is this so? How exactly do the two models differ? Woodhams and Corby outline the problematic nature of the definition of disability in the DDA. The statutory definition identifies somebody as disabled who has ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term edverse effect on his [sic] ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’[6] The core problem with this definition extends to three areas. First, it attributes disability to a form of impairment, second, it contrasts disability against a norm of human behaviour which asserts a complete and paradigmatic functioning of body and brain, and third, it articulates a benchmark for validating disability by introducing the notion of substantiality and long-term affliction.[7] The medical model thus contributes to a certain bias in evaluating the severity of the disability by (a) assuming that disability supposes a lack of ability which spills over into a lack of functioning ‘normally’. It thus presupposes normality as a criterion while failing to define it accurately. The definition enshrines a picture of difference between people who suffer from a disability and those who do not. Impairment becomes tantamount to ‘abnormality’ which is thought to derive from a personal tragedy not to be able to perform certain activities .[8] Consequently this medical model asserts (b) the need to assist and help the disabled person and therefore often exacerbates the tendencies for patronising or as Woodhams puts it, ‘the impaired individual remains subservient to the teams of ‘disability experts’ charged with ‘helping’, ‘rectifying’ (pitying and patronising) them.’[9] In contrast the social model which some theorists advocate as reflecting more accurately the social dimension of any disability, suggests that the origin of any disability lies in the perception of difference that is prompted by notions of normality. Hence, any anti-discrimination strategy must take into account the cultural values and social construction of normality upon which discriminatory behaviour is built. Woodhams writes: ‘As a result, the territory of ‘correction’ becomes society and the environment, rather than the person with the impairment.’[10] Recognising the role of socialisation and perception are central for any serious programme for change. Some theorists even go further and argue that although the social model widens the field of anti-discriminatory policies and correctly acknowledges the responsibility of social attitudes in discrimination against disabled people, it still lacks recognition of another vital element in debasing or derogatory practice. Even the social model, they note, excludes that group of people who may be subject to discriminatory conduct simply because they are being associated with a disabled person or because they are perceived to be disabled.[11] Additionally, there is a lack to have appreciation for discrimination that ‘may be based on other people’s fears of contracting illness’[12] such as HIV. In general the DDA fails to acknowledge the varied and complex nature of disabilities and therefore also falls short in grasping the multifaceted character of discriminatory behavi our. Woodhams concludes: ‘Disability†¦is frequently invisible, indecipherable and unstable.’[13] With respect to the way in which the legislator has framed the notion of disability various problems arise. The essay will summarily point to some but will not be able to explore them comprehensively and in detail. The current practice in employment tribunals (henceforth: ET) illustrates some of the crucial shortcomings of the DDA. ET very often lack the expertise to deal with the complex issues that are involved in disability litigation. The small number of cases (only 2% of ET cases deal with infringement of rights by disabled persons) means that there will be no radical change in this situation and ET personnel will for a long time coming still work under conditions of insufficient medical proficiency. Since the DDA clearly locates the burden of proof with the disabled person, claimants often have to procure (frequently heavily contested) medical evidence, a process which is costly and often prohibitive given the divergence of medical assessment and the vagueness of thresholds of ‘impairments’ in defining disability. In effect, it is noted in the literature that a remarkable gap between the legal stipulation and the practical application of the DDA by human resources has already opened up. Human resources personnel often apply the DDA intuitively and therefore come closer to recognition of impairment than medical experts, consequently undermining the strict and rigorous application of the law.[14] In practice, it seems also customary to ignore the impact of environmental factors which often contribute to the development and persistence of a disability, while hidden aspects of disabilities are failed to be recognised routinely. Sociologists also point out that the DDA places the claimant in a position where decision-making power is firmly located in the hands of defendants. Successful claims are therefore extremely rare, even when taking into account the number of out of court settlements. The DDA works with an underdeveloped notion of judicial harm as well as constructs formidable hurdles when it comes to defining the nature and origins of harm. This often diminishes the confidence of claimants to articulate grievances and contributes to the fact that many unseen or contested impairments are underrepresented in claims. Effectively the success rate of disability litigation is very low, ‘not because treatment less favourable is not established, but because specific legal tests are not met.’[15] The absence of legal aid in many cases exacerbates the problem for disabled persons who feel their rights have been infringed upon and, consequently many practitioners and theorists propose to introduce a set of prima facie criteria which would make it easier for claimants to get a particular impairment acknowledged. Such a set of criteria would also ensure that an unambiguous acknowledgment of rights and their possible infringement would be easier to obtain in particular cases. The small amount of compensation and the small number of successful cases for such compensation in ET indicates that the DDA still failed to define a clear benchmark for discriminatory behaviour.[16] Some sociologists have gone as far as characterising the DDA as being grounded ‘on profoundly social meanings masquerading as pure realms of law.’[17] We do not need to share this slightly Marxist criticism of the DDA to recognise that the current law is heavily biased against disabled victims of discrimination and rests on incoherent conceptual framework. Policy and Discrimination Most policies initiated by the government after the introduction of the DDA in 1995 focuses on the barriers disabled people face in public life and employment. The inbuilt bias of the DDA against disabled persons is exemplified neatly by the underlying motivation for incorporating disabled persons into the competitive labour market. Although participation in the first labour market is as such a desirable intention, it is widely suspected that the government’s motivation to push this agenda forward has more to do with decreasing expenditure than improving the quality of life for disabled people.[18] It is equally regrettable that for comparative purposes there is still no reliable data on the various groups of disabled people across Europe. The reason why this may be important in the future is that the European Union has, after an initial period of hesitation, become a main driver in anti-discriminatory legislation which has full application in the UK. As the EU becomes a more proactive player in the field and begins to formulate policies that are implemented on a European scale, the conflicts between national and European legislation creates problems. Hvinden uses the concepts of crowded and vacant policy fields to distinguish between those policy areas that are likely to creatively absorb new legislation from the EU and those that are not. He argues that, in addition to various disability legislation, anti-discrimination policies often have to take into account that victims are subject not simply to singular dimensions of discrimination but that attempts to discriminate against others are often motivated by concepts of normality which rests on multiple aspects of human existence. For example, discrimination against disabled people can carry significant elements of gendered behaviour, which anti-discriminatory practice must recognise to be effective.[19] The policy instruments available to European governments differ widely amongst the member states, but there seems to be a sort of convergence emerging when it comes to what Hvinden calls the rights and opportunity discourse.[20] Although this is something that the DDA failed to appreciate in all its complexity, practitioners have gradually come to understand this dimension as the inevitable core of anti-discriminatory strategy in the field of disability. As the European Commission redefines its role in the fight against discrimination, national governments are gently pushed towards a notion that equal opportunities for disabled people should occupy the heart of any future legislation. While the DDA was still far removed from stipulating full active citizenship and participation in public life as the main objective and following this up with effective policy implementation, the increasing involvement of European lawmakers in this field may exert considerable weight to such an agenda.[ 21] Much depends on the future decisions of the European Court of Justice and the articulation of legal competence by this body.[22] Conclusion The DDA was clearly based on a flawed definition of disability, resting it on the medical model which made it difficult for disabled persons to articulate the social dimension of any disability. Policies that were supposed to combat discrimination against disabled people were thus misdirected and neglected the cultural and social component in discriminatory behaviour. Although since 1995, the need for further and more sophisticated legislation is almost universally recognised, the current proposals for consultation must place the social construction of disability at the heart of the debate if it wants to avoid similarly misguided policies and ineffective strategies to combat discrimination. Bibliography Bjoern Hvinden. The Uncertain Convergence of Disability Policies in Western Europe, in Social Policy and Administration, Vol. 37, No.6, December 2003, pp.609-624. Carol Woodhams and Susan Corby. Defining Disability in Theory and Practice: A Critique of the British Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in Journal for Social Policy. Vol. 32, No.2, pp.159-178. Alan Roulstone. The Legal Road to Rights? Disabling Premises, Obiter Dicta and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in Disability and Society, Vol. 18, No.2, 2003, pp.117-131. Liz Sayce. Beyond Good Intentions. Making Anti-Discrimination Strategies Work, in Disability and Society. Vol.18, No.5, August 2003, pp.625-642. Neil Thompson. Anti-Discriminatory Practice. Second Edition. Basingstoke: MacMillan 1997. Rights of People with Intellectual Disabilities. Access to Education and Employment. Monitoring Report United Kingdom. Budapest: Open Society Institute 2005. 1 Footnotes [1] For an overview of legislation cf. Rights of People with Intellectual Disabilities. Access to Education and Employment. Monitoring Report United Kingdom. Budapest: Open Society Institute 2005, pp.51-58. [2] Neil Thompson. Anti-Discriminatory Practice. Second Edition. Basingstoke: MacMillan 1997, p.107-109. [3] Thompson, Practice, p.108. [4] Liz Sayce. Beyond Good Intentions. Making Anti-Discrimination Strategies Work, in Disability and Society. Vol.18, No.5, August 2003, p.633. [5] Alan Roulstone. The Legal Road to Rights? Disabling Premises, Obiter Dicta and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in Disability and Society, Vol. 18, No.2, 2003, p.122. [6] quoted in Carol Woodhams and Susan Corby. Defining Disability in Theory and Practice: A Critique of the British Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in Journal for Social Policy. Vol. 32, No.2, p.163. [7] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.163. [8] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p. 164 [9] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.164. [10] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.164. [11] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.164. [12] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.165. [13] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.165. [14] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.168. [15] Roulstone, Legal Road, p.124. [16] Roulstone, Legal Road, p.126. [17] Roulstone, Legal Road, p.129. [18] Bjoern Hvinden. The Uncertain Convergence of Disability Policies in Western Europe, in Social Policy and Administration, Vol. 37, No.6, December 2003, p.616. [19] Hvinden, Convergence, p. 612. [20] Hvinden, Convergence, pp.617-618. [21] Hvinden, Convergence, p.620. [22] Hvinden, Convergence, p.624.