2012 Paralympics changed perceptions of disability, BU study finds

The London 2012 Paralympic Games led to greater confidence and less anxiety in talking about disability and disabled sport, a Bournemouth University (BU) study has found.

The study was commissioned by Channel 4, broadcasters of the 2012 Paralympic Games, and was completed by the Creative Enterprise Bureau, a marketing consultancy based in BU’s Media School which involves staff and students from the Corporate and Marketing Communications academic group.

They found that viewers were genuinely surprised by how emotive and thrilling the games were, and began to see sporting excellence rather than only the disability.

Over the course of two years they conducted in-depth interviews with participants – based in London, Bournemouth and Newcastle – about their thoughts and experiences of disability and disabled sport.

“The focus was on experiences and the stories that people had,” said Dr Dan Jackson, senior lecturer in Media and Communication at BU, who helped coordinate the study.

“We wanted to speak to a whole cross-section of people, so the interviews included disabled people, people with direct experience of disability and disability sport, people with an interest in sport and TV watching, and people who had no interest at all.

“We were most interested in how this massive sporting event impacted on people’s lives.”

The participants were interviewed in four phases before and after the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and Dan said that, before the event, there did not seem to be much change in the way people were talking about disability and disabled sports.

“There were a lot of barriers – people didn’t know how to talk about it,” he said.

“Many people did not have experiences of disability because it was very rarely on our screens. There was not a great deal of knowledge or interest in Paralympic sport.

“But there seemed to be a lot of good will towards it – people saying “It should be on TV, it’s a worthwhile thing, but I won’t really go out of my way to watch it.”

However, after the London 2012 Paralympic Games, people’s perceptions and experiences of disability and disabled sport seemed to change.

The study found:

  • The Paralympics had a noticeable impact on the way disability was talked about; there was greater confidence and less anxiety in talking about disability sport.
  • Genuine and palpable surprise at the emotional reactions generated by watching the Paralympics – viewers seemed genuinely surprised at just how emotive and thrilling the Paralympics were.
  • A shift from expecting to see only the disability to primarily seeing sporting excellence. This was accompanied by a shift away from sympathy and pity to thrill and excitement associated with watching live sport
  • A reduction in expressed sense of discomfort when watching people with disability on TV.
  • Disabled participants were acutely aware of the ‘buzz’ generated that made disability momentarily trendy and fashionable, and that a general sense of ‘admiration’ appears to have displaced sympathy, pity or fear in how able-bodied people interact with disabled people. But they were sceptical of whether this would last long-term.

Dan said: “We couldn’t find anyone who hadn’t experienced any of the Paralympics – even if they hadn’t watched it directly, it was second-hand through the news or other people.

“While the summer of sport, particularly the Olympics, was quite moving for the whole country, it had a huge impact and was the central focus all summer, and the Paralympics benefited from that.

“But for some people it suffered, as it seemed to be considered an afterthought.”

He added: “Some of the people who were least likely to watch and enjoy it, got beyond that and beyond the disabilities and were watching it as a sport just like any other sport.”

Around half of the Corporate and Marketing department at BU helped with the study, along with final year Marketing, PR and Advertising students.

Dan said it was great to be involved with such a high profile project, and that they were now hoping to write a book around the findings.

“One of the great parts of it from our point of view was that it was a really good project that involved so many people in our department,” he said.

“The 2012 Olympics and Paralympics were massive for the country and it only seemed to really hit home when we started quite how big a deal this whole thing was.

“To be part of that and doing the research on that was great.”

Who killed Rudolph the Reindeer?

With just weeks to go before Christmas, tragedy strikes.

Rudolph the Reindeer has been killed – and Santa, Mrs Claus and his fellow reindeer are among the prime suspects.

Our only hope for a happy Christmas? Schoolchildren from across Bournemouth – who visited BU to try and solve the crime on Monday.

The Who Killed Rudolph? was organised by BU and the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) to introduce pupils to forensic science.

Year 9 pupils from The Bourne Academy, Oakmead College of Technology, The Grange School, Carter Community School and St Aldhelm’s Academy first watched a short play, which introduced all the main characters and prime suspects.

The play – acted out by students and Aimhigher ambassadors – showed tensions between Rudolph and characters including Mrs Claus – who was jealous of Santa and Rudolph’s ‘snowmance’ – The Grinch and the Head Elf Toymaker, who had been overlooked for a promotion, with Rudolph getting the job instead.

At the end of the play, Rudolph staggers in and collapses – but nobody knows what has happened to him. Or do they?

“It’s a forensic murder mystery,” said Naomi Capell, Science Outreach Officer, at Aimhigher with BU, who helped organise the event.

“The participating schoolchildren then had to find out how Rudolph died and whether he was killed.

“They took part in five workshops and all of them were aimed at discovering the truth behind those aspects of the investigation.”

The workshops were led by students and took place in BU labs.

They included interrogating the main suspects, fingerprint and hair analysis and learning how to extract DNA using strawberries.

Pupils also analysed Rudolph’s stomach contents to see if he has been poisoned.

Naomi said: “We hope they will see the possibilities of studying science, particularly science at university.

“Forensics is not something that students tend to study at school, so we just wanted to show them more about what science at university is like and what kind of facilities we have.

She added: “The students seemed to enjoy the activities.

“All of the workshops were as practical as possible and we got quite good feedback from the interrogation workshop – they quite loved questioning all of our main characters.”

The Who Killed Rudolph? event was repeated by staff and students at the Royal Veterinary College, in London, for schoolchildren the next day.

Pupils had to write down who they thought killed Rudolph and how, and the answers were revealed in another short play at the end of the event. Pupils who got it right won prizes.

Dawn Griffiths, upper school coordinator at Oakmead College of Technology, had brought her pupils along to the event at BU.

She said: “It has been brilliant. It’s a great insight into studying forensics at university.

“It has stretched the pupils, which has been really good, and they have been fully engaged with it all.

“Speaking to the students throughout the day, a growing number have said that they are now interested in studying forensics.”

BU student creates best film about his placement abroad

A Bournemouth University student has won a national competition for creating the best film about his placement year abroad.

BSc (Hons) Product Design student Martin Constantine spent his placement year in French town Charleville–Méziéres, working for Visteon – who design and manufacture parts for companies like Ford and Jaguar.

The film he created of his experiences won first prize in the Film Category of the British Council and Ecorys ‘Your Story’ Competition, which was open to all students who had undertaken an Erasmus placement abroad.

Martin, 23, who is now in the fourth year of his degree, has won £100 of Amazon vouchers and will attend an awards ceremony in London on November 15.

“I was just really surprised to win,” said Martin, who is from Woodbridge in Suffolk but lives in Winton while studying.

“I was really pleased to be able to tell my parents that I had won and the university as well.

“It is not really about winning the prize, it’s about the recognition of the work I put into the placement and the experience that I had.”

The video shows Martin at work, and some of the machinery he used during his placement, but also focuses on the experiences that he had outside of work – such as making new friends, learning French and kayaking.

“I got the opportunity to do things I would never have been able to do if I had stayed at home – like learning to play ice hockey,” he said.

“I was filming bits and pieces for myself anyway as I was going to festivals and historical re–enactments and I just wanted to keep a memento.”

He added: “I’m not really sure what the competition was like but I like to think that my film had a nice balance of the overall experience – so the work and the social side of things and engaging with the people in France and doing things with them.”

Erasmus placements are funded by the European Union and mean students from higher education institutions can spend a placement period of between three months and one year in another EU country.

Bournemouth University helps students to find the placement abroad and offers support throughout the year, making sure students are settled and happy.

Martin was in Charleville–Mezieres from last June to July this year, and said he learnt a lot both about industry and himself.

“I really enjoyed my placement and it was actually quite difficult to come back.

“I felt like I really had a lot of responsibility and the company took me very seriously, as if I had been there ten years and I wasn’t just a work experience student.

“Everybody went to a lot of effort to make me feel welcome and at the weekend, I was making friends and we would go out and do different things, and I had new experiences because of it.”

He added: “I think going abroad adds a completely different dimension to your placement year. By putting myself a bit out of my comfort zone, it helped me to develop much more.

“Now I can speak French and now I can say that I received an award for my film about the experience. It is something that little bit extra that makes you stand out.”

He said that the experience has also helped him decide what career path to go down after graduating.

“It has definitely given me the direction that I was never really sure about before.

“Now I know that I want to work in the automotive industry, as I found the whole experience so great.”

Watch Martin’s video

 

Health professionals learn more about nutrition for cancer survivors

Health professionals found out more about the right nutrition and lifestyle advice to give cancer survivors at a masterclass jointly organised by Bournemouth University and Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

Health professionals attended a masterclass jointly organised by Bournemouth University and Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

Evidence increasingly shows the importance of a good diet and gentle exercise for cancer survivors – with improved survival rates, physical and psychological wellbeing and a reduced risk of cancer recurring.

The free Nutrition for Survivors Beyond Cancer masterclass on Thursday gave professionals involved in the care of cancer survivors information on current evidence and key advice to give patients.

It was jointly organised by Dr Jane Murphy, framework lead for nutrition and exercise science in BU’s School of Health and Social Care, and Grainne Ford, dietetic manager at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

Jane said: “The purpose of the masterclass is to think about how we can improve the nutritional knowledge of people working on the frontline, who care for people who have had cancer and are living beyond cancer, and to think about how we can improve their nutritional skills.

“We also want to signpost them to important nutritional resources and a key evidence base that will support and improve their practice.”

The masterclass took place at the Village Hotel, next to Royal Bournemouth Hospital, and a diverse range of health professionals attended – from hospital managers to fitness instructors and cancer support group representatives.

Talks included the importance of gentle exercise, the evidence linking nutrition and cancer and how to broach the subject of the need to lose weight with cancer survivors.

There were also interactive workshops, where health professionals were given cancer survivor case studies and had to come up with a nutrition and lifestyle plan for them.

Grainne said that people often gained weight following cancer treatment – particularly for breast cancer – and it was important to raise the benefits of being a healthy weight sensitively once people were in remission.

“There is a lot more emerging evidence to show that diet and lifestyle can really help cancer survivors and it’s an area that patients can take into their own hands and feel empowered by doing something about the nutrition side of their life.”

She added: “The feedback that we have had shows a real need for this kind of class to help people understand what the current evidence is and what the recommendations are, so that they can take those practical things back to their patients and help them on their journey.”

Advice for cancer survivors includes limiting the amount of red and processed meat they eat, avoiding sugary drinks and alcohol and being active for at least 30 minutes a day.

The masterclass also helped to dispel some of the common myths about cancer and nutrition – such as the fact that dietary supplements alone do not benefit cancer survivors, and large doses are actually negatively associated with cancer recurrence.

Mary Milne, who works with breast cancer patients and is currently doing a PhD into cancer survivorship, was one of those who attended the masterclass.

She said: “Nutrition often comes up and we tend to find that patients are often informed via the internet – whether it’s right or it’s wrong – so it’s important that health professionals are able to give informed answers to the questions they are asked and to feel comfortable giving that answer.

“The masterclass has been excellent. I think it has been targeted perfectly to the health professionals – and we’ll leave feeling informed and ready to go back and hopefully just provide a better service for cancer survivors.”

A second free masterclass will take place at the Kingston Maurward Conference Centre in Dorchester, on Wednesday 21 November.

It will run from 10am–4pm and you can find more information and book online here

BU students win two international awards for short film

An animated film created by students at Bournemouth University has won two awards at international film festivals.

Almighty Doodles was made by computer animation and sound design students as part of a coursework project last May.

But the one minute film has also impressed at international film festivals, and has been awarded both audience and jury prizes.

Simone Giampaolo, who is now in his third year of a BA Computer Animation Arts degree at BU, directed Almighty Doodles and entered it into one–minute film festivals in Switzerland and the USA.

Simone, 23, is from Switzerland, and was able to attend the One Minute Film and Video Festival 2012 – which took place in Aarau, Switzerland in August – to see the film win the Audience Award.

The group won a trophy and a camera – which they will share between them and use for future projects while they are studying.

“The festival was awesome but I didn’t expect the film to win any prizes,” said Simone, who lives in Winton while at BU.

“To be honest, we had to rush in the end to submit something but, even though there are some little mistakes, people still seem to like it.”

He added: “The film festivals are quite established and there were people there with a wide range of skills, and some film–makers who had been doing it for ten years.

“At the end of the day, this short was nothing more than a university assignment and I think it is really nice, and it really makes us proud that something we did for university could be screened abroad and watched by hundreds of people.

He added: “It was a really nice feeling and great that I could be there and explain how the film was made and the people who worked on it.”

He also submitted the film to the Film One Fest, which is based in New Jersey, in the USA, and takes place in July.

Although no–one from the group was able to attend the festival, they were told they had won a Jury Prize via email, and received a certificate through the post.

“It is quite a big festival,” Simone said. “I would have loved to have gone there. It has a giant screen in a field and they told me that more than 1,000 people watched the film.

“I never thought we would get an award at both the festivals, so we are all really happy.”

Almighty Doodles was created by Simone and fellow BA Computer Animation Arts students Jack Carrington and Danit Klibansky; BA Computer Visualisation and Animation students Rob Stratton and Rochelle Flynn, who are now in their third year; and BSc Music and Audio Technology students Andrei Leskovski and Asha Blatherwick – who worked on the sound for the film and have now finished their degrees at BU.

The film is inspired by the Book of Genesis, and takes place in ‘God’s studio’, showing him selecting the creatures he will bring to life. Man manages to escape before he can be rejected by God’s holy stamp.

“We were trying to make fun of humankind but do it in a funny, naïve way without offending anyone,” said Simone.

He added that he hopes the film’s success will inspire future students who have to do the coursework project, which involves pitching and creating a one minute film.

“After spending hours and hours on a project, you want your work to be showed somewhere,” he said.

“Hopefully letting this year’s second year students know that one of these film projects was shown at international film festivals will help them see it is not just an assessment.

“Bournemouth University is really renowned for computer animation, so the fact that we got to showcase our skills while we are still students is really positive.

View Almighty Doodles

Historian talks at BU about black community during World War II

Historian Stephen Bourne was at Bournemouth University to share the forgotten stories of black people who helped Britain’s war effort.

His talk, Mother Country – Britain’s Black Community on the Home Front 1939–45, took place in a packed lecture theatre of students and staff in Bournemouth House on Tuesday.

He said: “I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout and the diversity of people in the room, with such a wide mix of students from different courses.

“I think it is important that these stories are told and their contribution needs to be explained to young people.

“Time is running out as we are getting further and further away from World War II and young people need to get out there and talk to older people.”

Stephen is an author of 19 books, looking at the secret histories which are often ignored, forgotten and overlooked.

His talk covered some of stories of black people during World War II – from children who were evacuated to find that no–one in rural villages wanted to take them in, to a mother who wrote to Prime Minister Winston Churchill after they were forced out of their local air–raid shelter by police.

He also talked about some of the black people who contributed to the war effort – such nurses who came over from the West Indies and other British Colonies to help.

He said: “During the war, people did pull together – in spite of all the negative stories. “For every negative story, I found a positive story – and that is very important for me as part of a history of black Britain.

“Some historians portray black people in history as victims, but I don’t think that is healthy and I don’t think that is the bigger picture.”

The talk was one of a number of events taking place at Bournemouth University throughout October to mark Black History Month.

On Monday 29th October there will be a screening of film The Help, in Kimmeridge House, from 6pm. The screening is open to staff, students and members of the public.

On Tuesday 30th October, there will be a culture evening in the Loft, in Poole House, which will feature live music, West African food and a display of fashion. The event runs from 7pm and is open to staff, students and the public.

Dr James Palfreman–Kay, equality and diversity adviser at Bournemouth University, said: “We celebrate Black History Month as well as other cultural events at Bournemouth University because we are a multicultural university with a diverse range of students and staff.

“We hope that by marking such events it shows that we are an inclusive and diverse community.”

If you would like more information about events happening at BU as part of Black History Month, email multiculture@bournemouth.ac.uk.