Adaptive sport as affirmation: "We focus on our strengths, not our disabilities".

This paper offers a counter-narrative to the stereotype of people with physical and cognitive impairments being less inclined to participate in athletic activities. It contributes to the affirmative model proposed by Swain and French, which posits a non-tragic view of disability that encompasses positive social identities. We employed the tools of ethnography and phenomenology to explore the adaptive athlete experience among individuals practicing various sports and exhibiting divergent levels of proficiency. Findings confirm the appropriateness of the affirmative model and provide examples of movement from the state of liminality to that of communitas as defined by Victor Turner.

The Body in the Mirror: Breast Cancer, Liminality and Borderlands.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide, and has a high mortality rate in northern Mexico. Its high rates present one of the principal health challenges of the California-Baja California border region. We employed "entangled" ethnography and interpretative phenomenological methods to explore breast cancer experiences among a group of Mexican immigrant women living on the US side of this border. We explore their trajectory from biographical disruption to biographical renewal. The entangled ethnographic approach includes reflections of the first author's experience as a genetic breast cancer survivor.

Aglomeración urbana en la estimación de escenarios de riesgo sanitario por emisiones de gasolineras: el caso de Ensenada, Baja California / Urban crowding in the estimation of health risk scenarios caused by emissions from gas stations: the case of Ensenada, Baja California / Aglomeração urbana na estimação de cenários de risco para a saúde por emissões em postos de gasolina: o caso da cidade de Ensenada, Baixa Califórnia

Resumen Objetivo: se propone una herramienta conceptual y metodológica mediante la cual es posible representar la contribución de los componentes sociales, económicos y territoriales en la aglomeración de personas dentro de una ciudad, para delimitar zonas de riesgo sanitario por la exposición a emisiones de gasolina en estaciones de servicio. Resultados: el modelo propuesto facilita la focalización, identificación y priorización las zonas de riesgo por contaminación ambiental por BTEX liberados por gasolineras. Discusión: la inclusión en modelos espaciales de riesgo, del número de personas que acuden a construcciones como escuelas y hospitales que generan aglomeración, trasciende el ámbito conceptual y ofrece aspectos metodológicos e instrumentales para lograr modelos más robustos y aplicables en otras ciudades. Las agencias gubernamentales deben considerar estos resultados para el establecimiento de reglas, permisos y procedimientos de ejecución con el fin de reducir la contaminación del medio ambiente y, con esto, mejorar las condiciones sanitarias en el entorno complejo de una zona urbana. Conclusiones: el análisis espacial integrado no resuelve las complicadas negociaciones políticas y sociales que se tienen que hacer en la toma de decisiones sobre los riesgo sanitario, lo que sí mejora es la capacidad de los científicos y tomadores de decisiones en la identificación, evaluación, control y reducción de estos riesgos asociados con las emisiones de las estaciones de servicio.

Abstract Objective: a conceptual and methodological tool is proposed which makes it possible to represent how social, economic and territorial components contribute to the crowding of people within a city. This tool aims to define the areas with health risk due to exposure to gasoline emissions from gas stations. Results: the proposed model can facilitate the targeting, identification and prioritization of zones at risk of environmental contamination by the BTEX released from gas stations in the city. Discussion: when a spatial model of risk includes the number of people going to buildings that generate crowding such as schools and hospitals, the conceptual scope is transcended and methodological and instrumental aspects are offered in order to achieve more robust models that are applicable to other cities. Government agencies should take these results into account when establishing rules, permits and enforcement procedures to reduce environmental contamination. This would thus improve the health conditions in the complex environment of an urban area. Conclusions: integrated spatial analysis does not solve the complicated social and political negotiations that must take place in any decision making concerning health risk. However, it does improve the ability of scientists and decision-makers to identify, assess, control and reduce the risks associated with emissions from gas stations.

Resumo Objetivo: Propõe-se uma ferramenta conceitual e metodológica por meio da qual é possível representar a contribuição dos componentes sociais, econômicos e territoriais na aglomeração de pessoas em uma cidade, para demarcar zonas de risco para a saúde por causa da exposição a emissões de gasolina em postos de abastecimento. Resultados: O modelo proposto facilita a focalização, identificação e priorização das zonas de risco por poluição ambiental por BTEX emitidos pelos postos de gasolina. Discussão: A inclusão em modelos espaciais de risco, do número de pessoas que frequentam estabelecimentos como escolas e hospitais que geram aglomeração, transcende o âmbito conceitual e oferece aspectos metodológicos e instrumentais para conseguir modelos mais robustos e aplicáveis em outras cidades. As agências governamentais precisam considerar estes resultados para a criação de regras, autorizações e procedimentos de execução com o propósito de reduzir a poluição do meio-ambiente e, assim, melhorar as condições de saúde no entorno complexo de uma zona urbana. Conclusões: A análise espacial integrada não resolve as complicadas negociações políticas e sociais que devem acontecer na tomada de decisões sobre os riscos de saúde, mas o que melhora é a capacidade dos cientistas tomadores de decisões na identificação, avaliação, controle e redução destes riscos associados com as emissões dos postos de abastecimento.

"Where they (live, work and) spray": pesticide exposure, childhood asthma and environmental justice among Mexican-American farmworkers.

Asthma prevalence is reportedly low for children of Mexican descent compared with other ethnic groups and Latino subgroups. The results of our exploratory ethnographic research among children of farmworkers in California dramatically suggest otherwise. Unstructured and semi-structured open-ended interviews and photovoice methods were combined to explore the lived experiences of members of a marginalized farmworker community. This research gives voice to a population of families living in the highly toxic, yet agriculturally wealthy environment of the San Joaquin Valley. Little work has been reported employing photovoice, a community-based participatory research method, to study childhood exposure to pesticides. A rich narrative about perceptions of pesticide exposure emerged from the ethnographic interviews. Thematic analysis yielded beliefs about the relationship between air quality and childhood asthma. The findings suggest that childhood asthma should be reviewed within the context of local levels of environmental exposure and the principles of environmental justice.