Clair Irwin CAS Project Presentation

Clair Irwin will present her CAS project "A Resource Guide Collection and A Sociotechnical Framework for Supporting Youth with Type 1 Diabetes." Her committee includes Assistant Professor Rachel Magee, Senior Research Scientist Martin Wolske, and Registered Nurse/Diabetes Nurse Educator Dori Puracchio.

Abstract: Information services to teens with type 1 diabetes can fail to address their full identities, focusing on them as either students or as medical patients. This project provides recommendations for better supporting these teens through a collection of resource guides and a sociotechnical framework for understanding their experiences. A review of literature relating to teens’ with diabetes information seeking behavior reveals a lack of information resources for teens and highlights the need for social support when managing diabetes. To address these gaps, the resource guides focus on topics relating to the illness and provide guidance for navigating social interactions with diabetes. Recommendations for use and implications of the resource guides acknowledge the parental and teacher-librarian roles in supporting teens with diabetes. The roles of teachers are further examined in an analysis of current accommodations in public schools, with recommended education policy changes. The combination of needs for information and social support is also addressed by the proposed sociotechnical framework for conceptualizing youth life with type 1 diabetes, which moves beyond diminishing people to their illness and prompts consideration of issues of identity and social context.