How to develop a phenomenological model of disability.

During recent decades various researchers from health and social sciences have been debating what it means for a person to be disabled. A rather overlooked approach has developed alongside this debate, primarily inspired by the philosophical tradition called phenomenology. This paper develops a phenomenological model of disability by arguing for a different methodological and conceptual framework from that used by the existing phenomenological approach. The existing approach is developed from the phenomenology of illness, but the paper illustrates how the case of congenital disabilities, looking at the congenital disorder called cerebral palsy (CP), presents a fundamental problem for the approach. In order to understand such congenital cases as CP, the experience of disability is described as being gradually different from, rather than a disruption of, the experience of being abled, and it is argued that the experience of disability is complex and dynamically influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Different experiential aspects of disability- pre-reflective, attuned and reflective aspects-are described, demonstrating that the experience of disability comes in different degrees. Overall, this paper contributes to the debates about disability by further describing the personal aspects and experience of persons living with disabilities.

Segurança do trabalho e ação sensório-motora: abordagem econômica da cognição (AEC) em atividade de trabalho / Work safety and sensorimotor action: economic approach of cognition (EAC) in work activity

Este artigo investigou a relação entre a abordagem sensório-motora da cognição e a segurança do trabalho. Os métodos de pesquisa adotados foram entrevistas e observações segundo o modelo da análise ergonômica do trabalho (AET). Um grupo de trabalhadores de uma indústria siderúrgica foi estudado. Os resultados indicaram que o acoplamento sensório-motor do operador com a situação é expresso em percepção e cognição e organiza a ação segura. Os resultados confirmam que a atividade sensório-motora é importante para o controle cognitivo dos riscos, em atividade de trabalho. Estruturas cognitivas emergem de padrões sensório-motores recorrentes na ação perceptivamente orientada. Este estudo integra a abordagem sensório-motora dinâmica da cognição com a segurança do trabalho. Conceitos importantes aqui são Umwelt e intencionalidade motora, segundo o principal objetivo deste artigo: esclarecer as relações teóricas entre cognição incorporada e controle cognitivo da ação em sistemas de produção.

This paper investigated the relation betweensensorimotor approach of cognition and worksafety. The methods of research adopted wereinterviews and observations following the modelof the ergonomic work analysis (EWA). A groupof workers from the steel industry was studied.The results indicates that sensorimotor couplingof operator with the situation is expressed inperception and cognition and organize the safetyaction. The results confirm that sensorimotoractivity is important to the cognitive controlof risks. Cognitive structures emerge fromthe recurrent sensorimotor patterns in theperceptually-guided-action. This study will beto link the dynamic sensorimotor approach ofcognition to work safety. Here, important conceptsare Umwelt and motor intentionality, accordingto the paper's primary goal: to shed new light onthe theoretical relations between an embodiedenactive approach of cognition and cognitivecontrol of action in production systems.