Occupational Therapy Roots: Decolonial View

Occupational Therapy Roots

• Moral claim emphasizes the importance of social concerns in occupational therapy
• Priority of social concerns is key to occupational therapy
• Equality and justice are fundamental principles in occupational therapy
• Meaningful participation is essential for individuals to engage in activities they value

Decolonial View in Occupational Therapy

• Dominance of Eurocentric biomedical approach has shaped occupational therapy
• Questioning taken-for-granted assumptions is necessary to decolonize occupational therapy
• Coloniality of knowledge, doing, and power has influenced occupational therapy practices
• Capitalism disguised as modernity has impacted occupational therapy

Marginalization

• Marginalization is a state where individuals are pushed to the periphery and assigned lesser value
• Historically positioned process drawing on difference and oppression
• Marginalization leads to social exclusion and lesser value assigned to individuals

Vulnerable Groups

• Members of households living in poverty are vulnerable
• People with chronic health conditions are vulnerable
• Infants and children exposed to maltreatment, conflict, and neglect are vulnerable
• Adolescents first exposed to substance use are vulnerable
• Minority groups, including indigenous populations, older people, and people experiencing discrimination and human rights violations, are vulnerable
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals are vulnerable
• Prisoners and people exposed to conflict, natural disasters, and other humanitarian emergencies are vulnerable

Occupational Therapy Response

• Occupational therapists should reflect on their practices and assumptions
• Explore and learn from marginalized communities
• Challenge dominant discourses and power structures
• Innovate and develop new practices that prioritize social concerns
• Advocate for marginalized groups and lobby for policy changes
• Inform and educate others about the importance of social concerns in occupational therapy