Welcome to the advocacy forum

Claudia

WFOT condemns systemic racism and has issued a call to action for all occupational therapists, students, and assistants around the world to lead change and advocate for justice and human rights. We welcome your discussion, debate and collaboration to advance individual and collective action on occupational justice.

Mary-Frances.Schmitz

I have seen where some organizations ask members to take a pledge to do or not do something. How about creating a pledge that any OT Practitioner could sign as a testimonial that she/he/they condemn systemic racism and agree to lead change through advocacy for justice and human rights? Anyone want to help me create a link to such a pledge with a hashtag?

FreemanAndrew

Hi to you all.
My name is Andrew Freeman and since this past January, I'm the WFOT programme coordinator for practice development. I'm an occupational therapist and a professor at Université Laval in Quebec City, Canada. I'll be now helping to moderate this most interesting Forum. I look forward to reading your comments and exchanges.
All the best,
Andrew

Clarissa Adriel

Hi Claudia, Mary-Frances, Andrew and all,

Do you know of any national Associations already engage in anti-racism campaigns locally?

In Australia the anti-racism pledge is: 'Racism. It stops with me'.

(Whilst this doesn't specifically refer to systemic racism, it does locate agency with each individual. Would this pledge do the job for OTs? Keen to hear your thoughts!)

Supporters of the pledge take action in different ways, with progress illustrated online: https://itstopswithme.humanrights.gov.au/publications/what-works

The OT Global Day of Service uses a similar approach of a pledge followed by mapping progress online:
http://promotingot.org/global-day-of-service

So if the profession used an anti-racism pledge and hashtag, we may like to consider curating, mapping and publishing our progress each year.

Publishing progress could help us mark the UN day to end racism (March 21): https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day

The WFOT marks many international days so perhaps a page akin to those listed above could find a home within the current WFOT structure, website and communication calendar? I'd be happy to help if that were the case.

Thanks Mary-Frances for getting the thoughts on this going!

SarahvanHouten

Hello everyone,

I am new to WFOT and this forum. I am a practicing OT in the USA and also a post professional OT doctorate student. This post is in two parts.

Part 1: The topic of racism and race equity is a topic that I have been focusing on for my Capstone project. In my clinical work, I have been completing frequent cognitive assessments (far too many MoCAs), and one of the things that has become apparent to me from literature reviews is the racial bias that is present in many of our assessment tools. I am wondering if anyone has done any work on racial bias in current OT assessment tools.

Part 2: I acknowledge that I am approaching this topic with an understanding of my own privilege as white woman working in a profession dominated by white women. In talking to other OTs over the last several months, I feel as though discussions of race and racism in the profession make many uncomfortable. I feel as though advocacy events, rallies, and pledges are important, but I also feel as though they are performative unless those of us within the profession are willing to take necessary and specific steps to address racism and racial bias in our everyday lives. I would like to have a space where people come with an open mind to learn, reflect, and develop specific and concrete ways to combat some of the racist underpinnings of our profession.

Respectfully,
Sarah