The Heart of Occupational Therapy

Raising Consciousness of Occupational Injustice

"A foundational process toward enabling occupational justice is to 

raise awareness of occupational injustice as a concern for 

social inclusion in everyday life" 

(Whiteford & Townsend, 2011, p. 75).

 “Our body is not merely so many pounds of flesh and bone figuring as a machine, with an abstract mind or soul added…It is the use that we make of ourselves that gives the ultimate stamp to our every organ.” (Meyer, 1922/1977, p. 641).

A feel good story about how disability became an opportunity for a row team in Texas...

They surge down Lady Bird Lake, a synchronized mass of rippling muscle and fierce expressions against slate blue water.

Reminders of the challenges they face — prosthetic legs and an attentive guide dog — stay on shore. 
Read more...

According to Whiteford & Townsend, "critical questions to enable consciousness raising might be:

• Is a particular community or population inequitably excluded from participating in typical occupations?
• What forms of consciousness raising are culturally appropriate?
• How is social exclusion experienced?
• Does the population experience exclusion as alienation, hopelessness, or meaninglessness..?
• Does the population experience exclusion through prolonged occupational deprivation because of isolation or poverty?
• Is a population marginalized without access..to participate in civic, leisure, employment or other occupations?" (2011, p.75). 

We encourage you to reflect on these critical questions and seek out opportunities as an occupational therapy student or practitioner to raise the consciousness of occupational injustice within your circle of acquaintances, friends, colleagues, community, and international contacts. 

LeBlanc, P. (2009). Physically challenged rowers compete for spot on national team. Retrieved from: http://www.austin360.com
Meyer, A. (1922/1977). The philosophy of occupation therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 31, 639-642.
Whiteford, G., & Townsend, E. (2011). Participatory occupational justice framework (POJF 2010): enabling occupational participation and inclusion. In F. Kronenberg, N. Pollard, & D. Sakellariou (Eds.), Occupational therapy without borders, Volume 2 (p.65-84). Elsevier Ltd: Edinburgh

Unrecognized Occupational Injustices

In this blog we have discussed a number of situations that have been recognized as causing occupational injustices. However, there are many populations who experience occupational injustice that are not recognized. Here are a few we have recently been researching.

Short Stature

 

"People can say virtually anything negative that they want about an individuals' height. They can use derogatory words like elf, shrimp, runt, munchkin, etc. They can get away with making light of a person who possesses a physical trait that is virtually totally out of the control of the  individual.. Society will make sure the short person knows he is inferior through subtle and sometimes not so subtle cues. No member of any ethnic, racial, disabled, or women's group would tolerate such things" (Mangano, 2002). Read more.. http://www.shortsupport.org/Essays/JoeMangano1.html

China's One-Child Policy

“I have felt the baby moving round and round in my belly,” she says. “Can you imagine how I feel now?”

Al Jazeera recently reported that in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, a woman who was 8 months pregnant was forcibly given an abortion because her pregnancy was in violation of the country’s one-child policy. Read more...

For the last 30 years, China has limited most urban couples to one child in a bid to curb population growth and conserve its limited resources. China has the world’s largest population with more than 1.3 billion people. Couples who flout the rules face hefty fines, seizure of their property and loss of their jobs. Read more... http://deskofbrian.com/2010/10/8-month-pregnant-chinese-woman-beaten-by-chinese-officials-to-force-abortion/


What can Occupational Therapist due to spread light on these unrecognized populations?
Can you think of other populations that are experiencing unrecognized occupational injustices?




DeskofBrian. (2010). 8 month pregnant chinese woman beaten by chinese officials to force abortion. Retrieved from: http://d
eskofbrian.com/2010/10/8-month-pregnant-chinese-woman-beaten-by-chinese-officials-to-force-abortion/

Mangano, J. (2002). Heightism: the last bastion of discrimination. Retrieved from http://www.shortsupport.org/Essays/JoeMangano1.html

Smith-Gary, L. (2010). China's one child-policy forces woman to have abortion at 8 month. Retrieved from: http://www.care2.com/causes/chinese-woman-forced-to-have-abortion-at-8-months.html