Module curriculum
Session one : Introduction to the concept of EDIB ; social and creative courage – a cohort screening and critical discussion and debate around the key issues of the Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lecture ( Atwal 2021 ) ( Sarah McGinley and Belinda Williams ).
Session two : AbleOTUK : Exploring ableism , activism and allyship ( Rachel Booth-Gardiner and Kirsty Stanley ).
Session three : LGBTQIA + OTUK : An occupational therapy perspective ( Hannah Spencer and Rachael Daniels ).
Session four : BAMEOTUK : An Introduction ( Anne-Marie Fadare ).
Session five : Anti-racism : why and how race reflects occupations , occupational science and occupational therapy ( Alan Mathew ).
Session six : Student-led group presentations and facilitated discussion . Students explored their own privileges , while promoting activism , active allyship and disruption through pledges of positive action and change in stamping out racism , victimisation and micro-aggressions in their personal and professional lives .
Atwal A ( 2021 ) Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lecture . No barriers to brilliance : Social and creative courage to innovate and disrupt occupational therapy practice . Available at https :// bit . ly / 3QZm4KE [ accessed 28 April 2023 ].
of the future , they can use these roots to become active allies to colleagues and people receiving occupational therapy .
We finished our session with an exercise exploring allyship as a meaningful occupation .
LGBTQIA + OTUK : exploring identity
Two co-founding members of the LGBTQIA + OTUK affinity group , Hannah Spencer ( they / them ) and Rachael Daniels ( she / her ), were pleased to contribute to the mini-module with their session , titled ‘ LGBTQIA + identity : An occupational therapy perspective ’.
Both Hannah and Rachael maintain ongoing commitment to improving LGBTQIA + experiences in and of occupational therapy . Though keen to emphasise they are not representative of the entire LGBTQIA + community , both shared insights from their individual perspectives as LGBTQIA + identifying occupational therapists and underpinned combined lived and professional experiences with available literature and statistics . The session opened with the question : ‘ Why is a discussion around LGBTQIA + identities relevant and necessary in occupational therapy ?’ It subsequently considered gender identity and sexual orientation in the contexts of occupational engagement , barriers and challenges to occupational engagement and , more fundamentally , LGBTQIA + communities ’ experiences of accessing ( or avoiding accessing ) healthcare services in general .
Statistics around these experiences are stark , hard-hitting and emphasised relevance to practice and the vital role of occupational therapists in facilitating genuinely LGBTQIA + inclusive spaces .
LGBTQIA + inclusion can sometimes be a source of challenge and conflict , but students were curious and keen to learn ; respectful and insightful in their engagement and critical in their reflection and consideration of insights shared .
Shared reflections afterwards suggest that the session , and insights shared within it , had been necessarily thought-provoking and impactful , with many valuable take-aways . It is refreshing to see institutions taking initiative to bring equity , diversity and belonging to the forefront in occupational therapy education .
BAMEOTUK : exploring systemic racism , discrimination and allyship
BAMEOTUK was given the opportunity to host a session on systemic racism , discrimination and allyship within the occupational therapy profession . Providing a platform for discussion and sharing of experiences to students , this allowed the students to think of the impact that these experiences have on their colleagues and subsequently the workforce .
During the session , BAMEOTUK made emphasis on the importance of being an ally and what this may look like within the workplace and educational setting . Students were encouraged to actively work towards addressing systemic racism and discrimination by voicing their concerns in order to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all individuals .
It is essential that we all work together , promoting awareness of these issues within our workforce and raising allies . By doing so , we can create a more inclusive and diverse profession that truly reflects the needs and experiences of all individuals and communities .
BAMEOTUK hopes that through education , advocacy and action we make room for change .
Student reflections : What ?
As occupational therapy third year students , we are incredibly thankful for the opportunity our lecturers provided to educate us on issues relating to EDIB .
22 OTnews December 2023