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Oliveira RHDD, Malfitano APS. Occupational Therapy and Imprisoned Adolescents: An Analysis of Professional Practices. OTJR-OCCUPATION PARTICIPATION AND HEALTH 2024:15394492241247570. [PMID: 38655627 DOI: 10.1177/15394492241247570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
The care of adolescents in reclusion has been a field of work for occupational therapists in different parts of the world. The objective of this study was to describe and analyze Brazilian occupational therapists' practices with adolescents in reclusion. Research conducted in Brazil, identifying 56 professionals, invited to answer a questionnaire (n = 43); participate in discussion groups (n = 9); and interview (n = 4). Professionals reported different visions that guide their practices, including the identification of individual skills and the profession's possibilities for social action. Occupational therapists have specificities to work in these institutions, highlighting the possibilities of acting with a focus on social change. Practices in occupational therapy can lead to social change if focused on social issues. Social occupational therapy offers theoretical and methodological elements that inform the profession. Reflections on the practice carried out, according to a critical perspective, enable a performance in occupational therapy that intends social change.
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Schiller S, van Bruggen H, Kantartzis S, Laliberte Rudman D, Lavalley R, Pollard N. "Making change by shared doing": An examination of occupation in processes of social transformation in five case studies. Scand J Occup Ther 2023; 30:939-952. [PMID: 35261331 DOI: 10.1080/11038128.2022.2046153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As social and health inequalities deepen around the world, scholarship in occupational therapy and occupational science has increasingly emphasised the role of occupation as a powerful tool in transformative processes. OBJECTIVE To explore how opportunities for everyday doing together may contribute to processes of social transformation by identifying ways occupation is being taken up in socially-transformative practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS A generic descriptive qualitative case study design was utilised in order to describe current practice examples and identify ways occupation was being taken up in five initiatives working towards social transformation located in Canada, Germany, South Africa and the United Kingdom. RESULTS Focussing on the positioning of occupation within the initiatives, three themes were developed: The intentionality of the process, the nature of occupation within the initiatives, and the role of occupation within the processes of social transformation. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE Providing examples of agency on the micro level and of engagement with socioeconomic, political and cultural power structures at the societal level, this analysis raises important considerations in addressing how occupational therapy practice can move in socially responsive and transformative directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Schiller
- Faculty of Social Work and Health, HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hildesheim, Germany
| | - Hanneke van Bruggen
- Facilitation and Participation of Disadvantaged Groups, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
| | - Sarah Kantartzis
- Division of Occupational Therapy and Arts Therapies, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Debbie Laliberte Rudman
- School of Occupational Therapy & Occupational Science Field, Graduate Program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Ryan Lavalley
- Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Nick Pollard
- Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK
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Egilson SÞ, Jónasdóttir SK. Drawing on critical disability and universal design perspectives within occupational therapy. Scand J Occup Ther 2023; 30:1102-1112. [PMID: 37347800 DOI: 10.1080/11038128.2023.2225755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Critical perspectives which focus on socio-political influences on occupation have gained increased attention within the occupational therapy profession. Critical disability studies (CDS) question prevailing assumptions about disability and how disabling ideologies and practices are perpetuated in society. Universal Design (UD) is a design approach that aims to operationalise issues of inclusion and justice. AIM To identify and discuss how the tenets of CDS and UD can contribute to occupational therapy practice and research. METHODS AND RESULTS Drawing on the writings of leading scholars within CDS, UD and occupational therapy, we demonstrate the intertwined barriers faced by disabled children, youth, and adults who have participated in our studies and provide ideas on how practice can be guided by the tenets of CDS and UD to promote social equity. CONCLUSIONS Incorporating CDS and UD perspectives in occupational therapy practice and research requires a change in mindset and ways of working. Occupational therapy knowledge needs to be expanded to scrutinise disabling hindrances hidden within social and structural spaces, and implemented in services. We recommend working with disability communities to raise awareness and combat disabling barriers at various level of society, as mandated by policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snæfríður Þóra Egilson
- Centre of Disability Studies, School of Social Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Sigrún Kristín Jónasdóttir
- Department of Occupational therapy, School of Health Sciences, University of Akureyri, Akureyri, Iceland
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Krishnakumaran T, Bhatt M, Kiriazis K, Giddings CE. Exploring the Role of Occupational Therapy and Forced Migration in Canada. Can J Occup Ther 2022; 89:238-248. [PMID: 35238670 DOI: 10.1177/00084174221084463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND. In response to increasing forced migration across the globe, Canadian occupational therapists are returning to the profession's social justice roots by exploring this emergent area of practice. Purpose. This research explores occupational therapy practices with forced migrants in a Canadian context. Method. Grounded in critical epistemologies, the researchers conducted 12 semi-structured interviews with occupational therapists, students, and researchers connected to displacement. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings. Four themes describe current occupational therapy practices related to forced migration: 1) engaging clients in new environments, 2) translating the everyday, 3) connecting and networking, and 4) advocating for occupational justice. Implications. This research contributes to the advancement of occupational therapy and forced migration by documenting the diverse and fluid nature of occupational therapy roles. Further, the paper outlines promising reflexive practices while forwarding advocacy priorities for (occupational) justice.
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Irvine-Brown L, Ware VA, Malfitano APS. Exploring the Praxis of Occupational Therapy-Community Development Practitioners. The Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy 2021; 89:26-35. [PMID: 34898297 DOI: 10.1177/00084174211066662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background. A growing body of occupational therapy knowledge and practice focuses not on health but on social transformation, and couples occupational therapy with community development. A tension in both these fields is the disconnect between what practitioners espouse and what they do, limiting the potential of practice. To address this, practitioners are encouraged to engage in praxis-the critical synthesis of theory and practice. Purpose. To explore whether and how Australian occupational therapy-community development practitioners engage in critical praxis. Method. A critical dialogical method was employed to complete multiple in-depth interviews with four occupational therapy-community development practitioners. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings. Practitioners appeared capable of praxis but were not consistently employing it. Findings were grouped into themes: disjointed praxis, authentic praxis, supporting praxis, and praxis challenges and solutions. Implications. Occupational therapists need to be supported to develop, use, and maintain skills in critical praxis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Irvine-Brown
- 63617Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,2104Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.,67828Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Vicki-Ann Ware
- 63617Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,2104Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.,67828Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Serrata Malfitano
- 63617Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,2104Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.,67828Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
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Abstract
Background. Occupational therapy and occupational science literature include growing attention to issues of justice, marginalization, and rights. In contrast, the concept of oppression has scarcely been employed. Purpose. This paper investigates how adding the concept of oppression may enhance occupational therapy approaches to injustice, prioritizing a focus on structural causes, and facilitating conscientious action. Method. A critical interpretive synthesis explored insights from authors who name oppressions in occupational therapy and occupational science literature. In total, a sample of 28 papers addressing oppression, ableism, ageism, classism, colonialism, heterosexism, racism, and/or sexism was selected for inclusion. Findings. Four themes were identified: oppression and everyday doing; effects of structures and power; responding and resisting; and oppression within occupational therapy. Implications. Incorporating oppression within the plurality of social discourse may help occupational therapists to avoid individualistic explanations, attend to relationships between social structures and constrained occupations, frame intersectional analysis, and engage in praxis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Pooley
- Elizabeth A. Pooley, c/o School of Occupational Therapy, Dalhousie University, Room 324, Forrest Building, 5869 University Avenue PO Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2.
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Duncan M, Sinclair K, Creek J. Upstreaming occupational therapy: reflections on sustaining contextual relevance in a globalising world. WORLD FEDERATION OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS BULLETIN 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/14473828.2021.1932043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Duncan
- Division of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Kit Sinclair
- Department of Rehabilitation and Social Sciences, Tung Wah College, Hong Kong
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Cunningham M, Warren A, Pollard N, Abey S. Enacting social transformation through occupation: A narrative literature review. Scand J Occup Ther 2020; 29:611-630. [PMID: 33142081 DOI: 10.1080/11038128.2020.1841287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In occupational therapy and occupational science there is a drive to confront social and health injustices through occupation-based practices with social transformation as a goal. However, scholars acknowledge a lack of theory to support this developing area of practice. AIM To explore how occupations have been used to enact social transformation for disadvantaged communities and to elucidate socially transformative outcomes. METHODS A narrative literature review was carried out, focussing specifically on arts-based occupations, using seven databases. Thirty-eight items were included. RESULTS Three overarching themes emerged: experiences related to giving voice; levels of change and arts-based occupations influence social change. CONCLUSIONS Art forms as a means of expression can support people to make demands for change. This was true whether the art form was adopted at grass roots level, or via formalized projects run by researchers or Non-Government Organizations. Whilst personal change and small scale social change outcomes were achievable, larger scale structural change was not evident. Unintended outcomes in the form of risks to participants were reported. How and why change came about was not clearly articulated; leaving a need for further exploration of the mechanisms and contexts supporting change in the growing field of social transformation through occupation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alison Warren
- School of Health Professions, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Nick Pollard
- College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK
| | - Sally Abey
- School of Health Professions, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
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Aldrich RM, Rudman DL. Occupational Therapists as Street-Level Bureaucrats: Leveraging the Political Nature of Everyday Practice. The Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy 2019; 87:137-143. [DOI: 10.1177/0008417419892712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background. As front-line service providers who often work in systems regulated by governmental bodies, occupational therapists can be conceptualized as “street-level bureaucrats” ( Lipsky, 1980/2010 ) who effect and are affected by policy. Purpose. Drawing on understandings from a study of long-term unemployment, this article proposes that occupational therapists, as street-level bureaucrats, respond to inter-related policies and systems in ways that can perpetuate, resist, or transform opportunities for doing and being. Key Issues. By highlighting practitioners’ everyday negotiation of governmental, organizational, and professional power relations, the notion of street-level bureaucracy illuminates the political nature of practice as well as the possibilities and boundaries that policy can place on ideal forms and outcomes of practice. Implications. Framing occupational therapists as street-level bureaucrats reinforces practitioners’ situatedness as political actors. Mobilizing this framing can enhance awareness of occupational therapists’ exercise of discretion, which can be investigated as a basis for occupation-focused and emancipatory forms of practice.
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Combatting occupational deprivation and advancing occupational justice in institutional settings: Using a practice-based enquiry approach for service transformation. Br J Occup Ther 2019. [DOI: 10.1177/0308022619865223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Farias L, Rudman DL. Practice analysis: Critical reflexivity on discourses constraining socially transformative occupational therapy practices. Br J Occup Ther 2019. [DOI: 10.1177/0308022619862111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lisette Farias
- Division of Occupational Therapy, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Debbie Laliberte Rudman
- School of Occupational Therapy & Graduate Program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Western University, Ontario, Canada
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Pollard N, Sakellariou D. Occupational therapy on the margins. WORLD FEDERATION OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS BULLETIN 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/14473828.2017.1361698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nick Pollard
- Occupational Therapy and Vocational Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University, South Yorkshire, UK
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Restall G, Gerlach A, Valavaara K, Phenix A. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action. The Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy 2017; 83:264-266. [DOI: 10.1177/0008417416678850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Restall G, Gerlach A, Valavaara K, Phenix A. Les appels à l'action de la Commission de vérité et réconciliation. Can J Occup Ther 2016; 83:266-268. [PMID: 28050934 DOI: 10.1177/0008417416678850a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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