UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Ohler, Michael B.
Dept./Program:
College of Education and Social Services
Year:
2011
Degree:
Ed. D.
Abstract:
As a person who spends time working with people who are disenfranchised in some way, I find myself continually frustrated at the amount that does not get done on their behalf. Atthe crux of my dissertation will be the concept of "change" and/or the "need for change" in how we deal with the people I label as disenfranchised or being in need in some way. In writing this scholarly personal narrative (SPN), my intention is to bring not just their plight to the surface, but to outline a method to highlight their strengths as well.
My hope is to take you on a journey. It will be personal in nature but hopefully one the reader finds interesting, full of feeling yet grounded in theoretical premise and factual information. After introducing myself (woes and warts and all), my intention is to introduce you to the people who influenced me on my path to becoming an advocate for social change, a social worker, and a college instructor. It has become clear to me that their roles in my life as teachers, mentors, family members, and especially those on whose behalf I have worked (clients), influence how I live my life every day. Collectively, they brought me to this writing table today; they are responsible for guiding me to the emotional place of knowing the need for change.
Finally, my hope is to offer the reader ideas for viable change regarding quality of life issues for those individuals I speak of who have never been afforded the opportunities for success in our society. That change will take several shapes and will have a social justice thread running throughout. These ideas will focus largely on the issue of relationships and the need for capital (especially social) within those relationships. The ideas for change while qualitative in nature, meaning focusing on the needs of an individual, will also be structural and organizational, as it is at that level of change where the bulk of our citizens may have the best opportunity to obtain the degree of human rights which they have earned and fully deserve.
My hope is to take you on a journey. It will be personal in nature but hopefully one the reader finds interesting, full of feeling yet grounded in theoretical premise and factual information. After introducing myself (woes and warts and all), my intention is to introduce you to the people who influenced me on my path to becoming an advocate for social change, a social worker, and a college instructor. It has become clear to me that their roles in my life as teachers, mentors, family members, and especially those on whose behalf I have worked (clients), influence how I live my life every day. Collectively, they brought me to this writing table today; they are responsible for guiding me to the emotional place of knowing the need for change.
Finally, my hope is to offer the reader ideas for viable change regarding quality of life issues for those individuals I speak of who have never been afforded the opportunities for success in our society. That change will take several shapes and will have a social justice thread running throughout. These ideas will focus largely on the issue of relationships and the need for capital (especially social) within those relationships. The ideas for change while qualitative in nature, meaning focusing on the needs of an individual, will also be structural and organizational, as it is at that level of change where the bulk of our citizens may have the best opportunity to obtain the degree of human rights which they have earned and fully deserve.