Schedule of Events

This study investigates key hardships of receiving a cochlear implant (CI). The research is based on data collected during a semester-long participant observation study of a YouTube channel of a Deaf individual and her commenters (many of whom are also Deaf individuals). The findings reveal that there are not only physiological challenges but socio-emotional challenges that recipients may experience during three distinct stages of cochlear implantation: contemplation, undergoing the surgery, and adapting to activation. Physical adjustments issues and pain are not as evident in the contemplation stage, as are general ability issues and social identity concerns. Activation of the implant is the stage when recipients are more likely to notice how media-based social constructions of CI benefits distort the medical device's true benefits and limitations, with the exaggerated benefits leading to the “inspiration porn” which the YouTuber and her viewers critique as being too often disseminated. This study expands on the existing literature base in terms of the CI’s implications for Deaf Culture, recipients management of expected outcomes, and the social identity concerns connected to CI implantation. Results from this study can be useful in raising awareness of potential and current recipients experiences of CI’s inherent ableism and guide anti-discriminatory health education and policies/legislation which can help create a society that is more sensitive to Deafness as a culture and identity, rather than a merely biomedical issue to be fixed.

Mass shootings have impacted our community affecting the lives of parents with children.  We will use data that was collected to compare to the data that was collected in a recent survey.  Mass shootings have called for new laws to counter the large number of deaths in the United States of America from mass shootings.  This study sought to prove that people with children in grades K-12 would be in more favor of gun control than people who don’t have children.  Data was collected from 196 respondents using a convenance survey with a snowball effect.   


 


In 2022 there have been 620 mass shootings with 646 killed and 2,509 injured in the United States of America. (Gun Violence Archives 2022) The fear from this type of crime has become a topic of interest when children are at risk. (Verrecchia, Bush, and Hendrix 2021). In recent years, guns sales have been linked to the rise in firearm sales in America. (Iwama and Mcdevitt 2021).  We will research gun control to find out how men and women differ in opinions on restricting guns to analyze how gender influences attitudes towards the matter.  The rationale behind this research is to better understand this social problem and how certain gender norms and pressures can influence perspectives.  We hypothesize that gender is related to attitudes towards gun control, with women being more supportive of guns than men. I hypothesis that parents with children in grades K-12 will be in more favor of gun control than parents without children. 

This study investigates the interpersonal roles of transgender people and allies based on interactions in an online group. The research is based on data collected during a semester-long participant observation study of a Facebook group, including posts and comments. The findings reveal the ways in which attitudes expressed by trans members play a crucial role in the development of the attitudes of and interactions with participants who identify as cis/het allies of trans participants. These findings also illustrate an important distinctions in the relationships between trans members who display inclusionary versus exclusionary attitudes towards allies. This study expands on previously conducted studies which have focused on the concept of allyship and how the interpersonal relationships between trans people and allies impact the experience of trans people. Results from this study can be used to assist allies of the trans community in better understanding the expectations and responsibilities that their roles entail, with hopes of producing an overall better experience for the trans community within online spaces.

Gun control: does it aim to rid Americans of our second amendment or restrict access to such high volumes of rifle ownership? With a growing divide of outlooks on the issue as gun violence continues to progress, what is it about us that personally contributes to our unique perspective on the issue? Other research studies have attempted to understand this topic using various independent aspects that potentially impact our attitudes toward gun control. This survey group found a definite correlation between gender and political affiliation.
This research group will research gun control to find out how men and women differ in opinions on restricting guns to analyze how gender influences attitudes towards the matter. The research sample consists of adults eighteen years and older. The rationale behind this research is to better understand this social problem and how certain gender norms and pressures can influence perspectives. As a collective, this research group hypothesizes that gender is related to attitudes towards gun control, with women being more supportive of restricting guns than men. Individually, I hypothesize that political affiliation is related to attitudes towards gun control, with liberal voters being more supportive than conservative voters. Other variables studied in this research are: socioeconomic status, religion, and parenting. 

American residents have become accustomed to using statistics to support arguments of politics and philosophical ideas or social movements. The highly debated topic of gun control has spread in all these realms with continual arguments as mass shootings and gun violence increase daily. In 2022, the Gun Violence Archive reported 41,233 deaths resulting from various forms of gun violence. Our research group seeks to recognize the socio-demographic factors influencing people's arguments on gun control. We used a quantitative research survey design with a total of 193 respondents from various ages, gender, races, and class. Referring to the existing literature on gender and socioeconomic status's influence on attitudes toward gun control, this study's data aligned that women favor gun control more than men, and people within higher socioeconomic status favor gun control more than people of lower socioeconomic status.
Keywords:  attitudes toward gun control, gender & gun control, socioeconomic status & gun control

This study investigates the experiences of patients who are assigned female at birth (AFAB) and struggle with Hereditary Angioedema (HAE). The research is based on data collected during a semester-long participant observation study of an online support group focused on HAE. The findings reveal that participants frequently mention hormones as being a major trigger for HAE and discuss effectiveness of treatment options. Additionally, the findings reveal that AFAB patients experiences of HAE's impacts on their reproductive health require more medical research and emphasis in patient care. This study expands on the existing scholarship that has focused on understanding AFAB patient's reproductive health struggles with HAE. Results from this study can be used to assist HAE patients and providers in better understanding AFAB reproductive health challenges and inform health education and medical treatment options.