EQUALITY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION FEATURE
Everything changed when I went to university in London . But only for a while . At university , I noticed that lecturers treated everyone equally ; there was no mention of colour . Perhaps this was because this was in central London , a multi-cultural and diverse city , and a huge contrast to the small town in which I lived .
I want to say a big thank you to the staff at my university for the great job you did – and still do – in promoting inclusion and diversity .
For me , being a Black woman and an occupational therapist appeared to be a contradiction that people could not fathom . However , it gave me the passion to promote the affirmation that occupational therapy is for all people , from all different backgrounds , regardless of race , gender , ethnicity , disability or sexuality .
I have had comments from service users like : ‘ Are you the occupational therapy assistant , I didn ’ t know there are Black occupational therapists ?’ And ‘ Can I see a white occupational therapist ?’
My personal favourite is when I was asked if I was the cleaner and I replied , ‘ I am sorry to disappoint you , but I don ’ t do the most important job in the hospital ’. I then laughed and said : ‘ I am the occupational therapist , so I am a vital part of your discharge planning ’.
The patient then said they did not want me to go to their house alone in case I took something . ‘ I know what your kind are like ,’ they told me . This is just one example of the ignorant comments I have had to put up with when I first started practising .
I am pleased to say that these kind of comments are received less often now . However , as I previously stated , I feel this may be because of the geographical location in which I work ; things may not have changed as much in smaller , less culturally diverse communities .
My final student placement at North East London NHS Foundation Trust ( NELFT ) was a pivotal point in my journey . I suddenly didn ’ t feel like a novelty , or a ‘ Unicorn ’ – how I best describe the feeling of ‘ otherness ’ – and no longer did I get the same sense that being Black and an occupational therapist was a contradiction .
I met occupational therapists from different backgrounds when I went to a conference at NELFT and I felt so inspired by the presence of diversity in the trust . At NELFT , I began to flourish as an occupational therapist and my confidence grew , hence I could not wait to go back to work at NELFT when I was qualified .
At the office , diversity is not only present in numbers , but celebrated . People are interested and respectful of other cultures . I am a curious individual , so being in a culturally diverse environment enriches my life .
Furthermore , I felt that occupational therapy models and practice often appeared geared towards Western culture . So being Black can be advantageous in certain situations .
I once had the opportunity to complete an occupational therapy assessment with a service user and his mother who spoke the same dialect as me . The mother remarked that she felt confident speaking to me without an interpreter .
She said : ‘ This is the first time I have felt heard and understood ’. Because she was able to speak in a different language , it provided me the opportunity to bring something different to the table . I could see this family in a systemic cultural context that enabled me to be truly person-centred in my practice .
‘‘
It is important we judge someone ’ s ability to be an occupational therapist based solely on the quality of their work and not the colour of their skin .
Another good example was a Black patient who declined to eat a ready meal as suggested by another occupational therapist . I was able to have a discussion with the occupational therapist to explain the meaningfulness of cooking as an occupation from a cultural perspective . The result was good ; the patient was provided with assistance to cook fresh food . These are just a few examples of what diversity brings to the profession . Moving forward , I have encouraged many Black people to enrol on occupational therapy courses . In my private time , I have supported four students during their degree programme . I met many Black women who told me that they wanted to become occupational therapists , but felt that they would not be successful because of comments like : ‘ Occupational therapy is difficult for Black people to grasp , and you are better off going into a profession where there are other Black people ’. This is why so many become nurses and social workers instead , which are all great professions too , but the danger is that these individuals chose professions where they believed they could ‘ fit in ’ more easily as a Black person , instead of following their initial aims and passions . It is a loss to the profession of occupational therapy .
My message is that I would recommend that people are mindful of the comments that they make when they meet people who are not middle-class , white women intending to become occupational therapists .
It might be a thoughtless comment , but the implication for the receiver can be damaging to their confidence . I would go so far as to say that it may impact their self-esteem in the long run .
It is important we judge someone ’ s ability to be an occupational therapist based solely on the quality of their work and not the colour of their skin .
Yakoba Banks , occupational therapist , North East London NHS Foundation Trust ( NELFT )
OTnews August 2021 23