About HUSITA
This page contains the bylaws, goals and objectives,
assumptions, and needs on which
HUSITA is based. It also list current board members and
a link to the board election process.
HUSITA (HUman Services Information Technology Applications)
is an international virtual association dedicated to promoting the ethical and
effective use of IT to better serve humanity. HUSITA's focus and expertise is
situated at the intersection of three core domains: information technology,
human services, and social development. With an emphasis on human centeredness
and social justice, HUSITA strives to promote international knowledge
development, dissemination and transfer of technology within human services. It
achieves this through multidisciplinary leadership in international conferences,
publications, collaboration, and consultation directed particularly at IT
applications and innovations that promote social betterment.
HUSITA current services include a Web site and listserv for
communications, a “calling cards” database for sharing ideas and experiences,
and “Primers” for pulling together research and expertise on specialized
topics. Membership in HUSITA is free but requires you to share your experiences
and expertise by registering with HUSITA “calling cards.” For more information
on the HUSITA organization, go to
www.husita.org.
HUSITA also has an Emeritus Membership category.
Currently Walter LaMendola and Brian Glanstonbury have been designated Emeritus
members of HUSITA.
Current HUSITA board members
and term expiration date are: Neil Ballantyne (10), John Fung (08), Dale
Fitch (10), Paul Freddolino (10), Menachem Monnickendam (09), Rob MacFadden
(Secretary, 08), Goutham Menon (09), Jackie Rafferty (08), Jo Ann Regan,
(Treasurer, 08), Dick Schoech (Chair, 08), Jan Steyaert (09), Stuart Toole
(09), Catherine Williams (09).
Goals and Objectives
HUSITA is a virtual community that exists through the
activities of its members. Thus, the goals and vision of HUSITA are to
network, serve, enable, empower, and enthuse its members in their efforts to use
IT to serve humanity.
A 1988 HUSITA formation
meeting identified the following objectives of HUSITA.
-
Facilitate international cooperation in human service
technology.
-
Collect and disseminate information on human service
technology, including tackling the problems of language translation.
-
Provide technical assistance in human service
technology and encourage the involvement of countries with a less developed
human service IT infrastructure.
-
Stimulate international discussion on key human service
technology issues and encourage position papers in areas such as
security/privacy/confidentiality, curriculum content and teaching methods,
and ethical issues in systems/software development and use.
-
Encourage publications about human service information
technology.
-
Encourage international research efforts.
-
Encourage standards for making human service technology
culturally independent.
Assumptions
The 1988 HUSITA formation meeting developed the following
assumptions.
-
Enthusiasm for information technology applications will
grow as awareness and familiarity with technology grows.
-
There is a set of values and principles underlying
human service technological developments.
-
Human service technology must be under the control of
the human service community.
-
Those working with human service technology have
important knowledge and ideas to offer both the general human service
community and the information technology community, and both of these
communities have much to offer us. At present, the level of communication
between these communities is inadequate.
-
Human service technology cuts across cultural and
national boundaries and those involved with its development and use have
much in common and something to offer each other.
-
It is desirable to strengthen and increase
international, cross-cultural and multidisciplinary networks.
-
The getting together of human service technology
personnel from round the world has a synergistic effect.
Needs
The 1988 HUSITA formation meeting identified the needs
and issues of those in the human service community who are concerned with
information technology. These needs and issues are listed below in the form of
questions.
-
Where do you get information on information technology
e.g., how do we get education and training?
-
How can information on technology be transferred from
one user to another?
-
How do I find and evaluate the information technology I
need?
-
How do you find out about people who are doing things
in information technology?
-
What are the processes one goes through when using
technology, and how do I find out about them?
-
How do I adapt information technology to my culture,
language and value system, e.g., protect my values of security, privacy and
confidentiality?
-
How can we develop the knowledge to control our own
information technology progress, without having to reinvent the wheel?
-
How can I integrate professional values with
information technology developments?
-
How do we promote fellowship and support amongst the
dispersed advocates of human service information technology?
-
If we need a support system, what is the nature of that
support system?
-
How do we promote progress in less developed
communities?
-
How do we promote research in this subject?
-
How do we promote coordination and continuity?
-
How do we establish relevant multidisciplinary
set-works, involving technologists and other service professionals?
-
How do we identify the “somebody” when we say,
“somebody needs to develop this”?
-
How do we interface with users, whether direct service
workers or clients?
-
Do we need to help users handle the psychological
stress and issues raised by computerization?
-
What mechanisms will help us pursue this list of needs?
-
How can we make judgments about the future of
information and its impact?
|