Tag Archives: health care

Module 3:5 – Minority Rights International

Minority Rights Group International is a human rights organization whose motto is “working to secure the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples”. Its annual flagship publication is the State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – the 2013 report was released in late September, and focuses on the health inequities faced by most minority and indigenous groups worldwide.

The organization also produces the World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples, which has summary descriptions of the minority and indigenous groups found in all regions of the world. Canada’s entries for First Nations and Inuit are quite lengthy and describe the historical context of colonization as well as current land title issues, etc.

Connecting Statement – eLearning and Traditional Indigenous Health Literacy

Due to systemic neglect and forced efforts at assimilation, the disparities between the health status of the indigenous and non-indigenous population are significant with poorer health outcomes for Indigenous peoples. One of the key obstacles in achieving good outcomes in health care is the health literacy of the individual. Indigenous peoples, with their background of residential schools and exposure to racism have had difficulty in utilizing Western models of health literacy. Our Western definition of health literacy is the ability to read, understand, and use healthcare information to make decisions and follow instructions for treatment. The Indigenous learner, health literacy is defined as being aware of one`s own emotional health and in addressing one`s emotional needs one heals the body. A learner who uses this emotional knowledge model is frequently at a disadvantage in a health care system that is not sensitive to this reality due to a lack of educational resources. The goal of this research project is to create an online eLearning course that will educate and engage the user in the most common issues regarding indigenous health care and what be done at a local level to improve them.  This eLearning module will seek to demonstrate unique Indigenous perspectives in the transmission of knowledge regarding emotional health literacy. By using eLearning courseware, this project will serve as a means by which contemporary learning technology can be used as an educational tool for traditional Indigenous practices.