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I am privileged to be working with an international group of scholars, as well as a Canadian taskforce, looking at the inclusion of people with disabilities in OT education/practice (as well as other health professions).
We have accessed the WFOT document on inclusive education, and would be delighted to hear from international colleagues who might also have an interest in this area.
MaheshRathnayake
Nice to hear about this.
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It is really important work! Of course I am biased.
A big thing we've found (at the University of British Columbia) is that barriers faced by students in MOT programs and OT's in practice relate strongly to attitudes and stigma, often more so than the physical structure of things. Ironic given the values of our profession.
I'm excited to be part of a team working to increase consciousness and shift stigma.
Bethanhc
Hello Laura,
The OT world is small!
I too am really interested in inclusive education, not only for OTs. One of my earliest pieces of research found that disabled students and academics tended to come from a different perspective (model of disability) in terms of what they think enables success, with the disabled students thinking of the social and physical barriers to learning in the environment and the academics taking a much more medical model view, suggesting that impairment was the problem. That's over 15 years ago now, so things may have changed...
What I think is interesting is how we think of ourselves and our profession and whether we 'other' disabled people, how we write competences and whether or not these may feel or be inclusive. I also wonder both how ready practice is for disabled OTs (in some areas) and also how prepared disabled OTs / OT students are for the barriers that I regret to say remain within our profession.
Good to get this thread started!
Bethan
Ldefere
I agree academics and those of us with disabilities bring different but equally valid perspectives to OT. I currently study OT in AZ and have a disability. It is very interesting to listen/learn/hear/discuss with “typical peers.” I have interest in this exploration all research as well.
