Search

The COVID-19 pandemic and the move to remote education exposed old and new inequities, yet it also represented an opportunity to rethink inclusive education. This paper presents findings from a one-year project "DIGITAL in a time of Coronavirus" and draws upon policy analysis and interviews with teachers, principals, and community leaders from six countries in the Global North and South (Italy, England, Malaysia, Australia, United States and Chile). By mobilising education assemblage theory to challenge binary divisions (included/excluded, modern/colonial, local/global), it presents five concepts to rethink inclusion and its relationship with technologies. It illustrates how during the pandemic alternative entanglements of digital and non-digital technologies challenged narrow and Eurocentric constructions of the digital divide enabling inclusive subjective experiences. Drawing upon local possibilities and histories, re-habilitating non-scientific knowledges, especially in view of future experiences of blended education, the paper seeks to provide policy tools to rethink current understandings of inclusive education.

Purpose: RebiSmart® is an electromechanical multidose autoinjector developed for administering subcutaneous interferon beta-1a in patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). This online survey aimed to understand MS nurses' and pwMS preferences and perceptions regarding the features of an upgraded version of the RebiSmart device (RebiSmart 3.0) compared to other assistive devices used for multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy. Patients and Methods: Eligible MS nurses and pwMS from Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom completed a double-blind, 30-minute online self-administered questionnaire, including a 10-minute video describing the features of RebiSmart 3.0 and its use in administering interferon beta-1a. Results: In total, 102 participants (MS nurses, n=52; patients, n=50) completed the survey. Overall, 70% respondents found the RebiSmart 3.0 device "very"/"extremely" appealing, 53% were "very"/"extremely" interested in learning more, and 71% stated they would be "very"/"extremely" comfortable using (pwMS) or educating (MS nurses) on it. Among current or recent RebiSmart 2.0 users (vs RebiSmart 2.0 nonusers), 67% (vs 52%) rated RebiSmart 3.0 "very" or "extremely" appealing, 52% (vs 43%) were "very" or "extremely" interested in learning more about the device, and 67% (vs 48%) stated they would be "very" or "extremely" comfortable using the RebiSmart 3.0 device. Respondents ranked customizable injection process (including injection speed, hold time, depth and rotation guide), self-injection process, and hidden needle as the most important self-assistive device features. RebiSmart 3.0 was rated higher than other self-injecting devices on all tested features. Overall, with respect to the top three features, 89% of the MS nurses and 73% of PwMS rated RebiSmart 3.0 "very good" or "excellent". After reviewing the video, 52% respondents had no questions, 67% nurses recommended providing more information on the customizable injection process feature of RebiSmart 3.0 to patients, and 88% nurses considered patient demonstration materials to be the most helpful type of information for them when initiating and educating pwMS on self-assistive devices. Conclusion: The overall reactions of MS nurses and pwMS to the RebiSmart 3.0 device features were positive. The incremental advances over previous versions of the device as well as in comparison with other currently available assistive devices were welcomed. The MS nurses identified key needs for patient education on the use of the device and the suitable approaches (training videos and educational leaflets) to support MS nurses and pwMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]