Programme full

Thursday 16 April 2015 11:00 - 12:30
PAPER SESSION 4
larger well established organisations able to apply. As a result, transactional relationships have become embedded as
the norm in. Paid for professionally managed services dominate the solutions within the statutory commissioning.
This paper uses data from an ethnographic study of a housing estate in south London to consider whether current
commissioning models are limiting the development of relational obligations, which if nurtured, could be used as the
basis for more sustained and impactful support structure. The paper observes how local commissioners, instead of
adapting their requirements, encourage local groups to change their operating procedures; and studies the impact this
has on how these groups operate.
User-friendly Accessibility: Investigating Different Narratives of Accessibility and Transport
Velho, R.
(University College London)
Transport for London (TfL) is responsible for one of the world's largest and most intricate transport systems in the
world. The bus network alone has over 19500 bus stops, with a fleet of 8600 buses on over 700 routes. TfL estimates
that around 90% of London's population lives within 400m of a bus stop, and that over 2 billion bus journeys are made
in London in a year, effectively making it host to almost half of all bus journeys taken in the UK. On paper, these
numbers reflect the sheer volume of the bus system. However, they erase further information on how the buses are
used, and by whom. They also do not show how such a large infrastructure is assembled, stabilised, and maintained
over the years. This doctoral thesis therefore aims to grasp the experience of a particular demographic of users of the
London bus infrastructure, namely users of self-propelled, manually operated wheelchairs.
By drawing on oral histories and ethnographies of wheelchair users and of engineers and expert consultants and
policy-makers, this research investigates how sociotechnical systems are built, how standards may or may not impact
the lives of particular demographics, and how these demographics might find mechanisms to cope with barriers. It
also aims to explore the similarities and differences in the narratives of terms such as 'accessibility' and 'transport' as
used by these different groups (users themselves, designers, policy-makers).
The Third Place and the Social Prescription: Exploring the Tensions
Feeney, M.
(University of the West of Scotland)
Tea in the Pot is a volunteer-run group that provides women from Govan and the surrounding area with a friendly and
safe environment to meet and constitutes a positive and accessible 'third place'. Those who attend report that
engagement with the group helps to alleviate feelings of isolation and loneliness, builds confidence and creates a
sense of belonging in its members. These are positive outcomes. However, the volunteers who run the group
increasingly feel that they are being used to 'plug gaps' in public sector provision, particularly in relation to mental
health care. The group is often used to provide a 'social prescription', with women experiencing mental health
problems referred to the group by general practitioners. Although welcoming those referred, who report positive
outcomes, the pressure resulting from acting as a 'fall-back' service has created tensions and demands that the
volunteers are struggling to deal with. The pressure placed on the volunteers has resulted in a confusion regarding the
role of the group. It has also led to deep anxiety and a growing sense of fatalism in the volunteers, who are committed
to supporting disadvantaged and disenfranchised women but struggling to address the complex needs of those
referred. Through the eyes of the volunteers, this paper examines the growing tensions created by health care
professionals' use of the group as an additional resource in addressing mental health issues in the community. It will
consider the role of third place volunteers as unpaid providers of health care.
Culture, Media, Sport and Consumption
W110, HAMISH WOOD BUILDING
Portraying the Female Gender in Sports: Progression or Regression?
Mogaji, E.
(University of Bedfordshire)
Since the media enjoys a symbiotic relationship with society, providing messages about culture and gender ideology,
the representation of women and the hegemonic masculinity associated with sports in the media is a major concern.
This inappropriate representation of women in sports has been acknowledged by feminists as one of the last bastions
of male domination.
147 BSA Annual Conference 2015
Glasgow Caledonian University