Equity , diversity and belonging
Equity , diversity and belonging
Feature
From tickbox to co-creation
As part of a series of articles with RCOT ’ s three expert advisory groups , this month we hear from the ABLE group members , who share their experience as part of the pilot and the progress and impact they feel they ’ ve been able to make so far .
A s part of RCOT ’ s commitment to leading innovative change to promote equity and social justice and aim to lead the profession by adopting and advocating for a culture that values , respects and celebrates diversity and challenges inequality and discrimination , a pilot project set up three steering groups – more recently renamed as expert advisory groups – whose aim is to act as a sounding board for ideas and projects , as well as being a critical friend to RCOT .
The ABLE , BAME and LGBTQIA + expert advisory groups were launched in March 2022 – with reviews conducted after three and six months – and the pilot project is set to end in September 2023 .
We feel proud to be a part of the ABLE expert advisory group and be a voice for all occupational therapy staff and students with lived experience of a disability and / or long-term health conditions within the profession .
Working with RCOT ’ s Equity , Diversity and Belonging Lead , Ketan Davé , who always welcomes our thoughts , the past 15-months have been a pleasure .
Our involvement in RCOT ’ s Equity , Diversity and Belonging ( EDB ) strategy project has been a pinnacle and monumental in ensuring that our experiences do get represented . We have also promoted occupational therapy as a profession , in the hope of encouraging those people who want to join us but are questioning whether the profession meets their access needs .
The importance of diversity data is recognised with questions around disability being asked , but now we need to look forward to how we use this data to promote the profession within those underrepresented communities .
Having a channel for the advisory group as this year ’ s RCOT Annual Conference was also welcomed to help increase our visibility . While published articles for Disability Pride Month and Disability History Month are also great opportunities to celebrate and explore how the profession can embed an inclusive relationship with the disabled community .
Our values and the hard work of all our volunteers as an advisory group is getting recognised . We have seen a shift in culture towards language and terminology and having an active involvement in helping to develop an inclusive language guide .
Meeting and working with RCOT staff across different teams has helped us to establish what is achievable for us as an expert advisory group . But the question we are yet to answer is , have we found that middle ground yet ?
On joining the expert advisory group , members of the group felt quite empowered in thinking that we would have a say in changes happening at RCOT . Both members who have been challenging RCOT ’ s position and treatment of members with lived experiences for years and students who continue to come across ableist attitudes to them joining the profession are thankful to be given this much needed platform .
Yet , although we hope a sense of community and solidarity is coming through reflecting on the logistics of the expert advisory group , it has not been easy and at times we have felt like an afterthought .
The ABLE expert advisory group represents a lot of people with a variety of access needs , meaning that every piece of content that RCOT produces has to be analysed with accessibility at the heart ; but at times this approach has not been taken , or it has been very last minute , which is a lot of pressure when you are a group of people with differing degrees of energy .
Progress takes time and we understand none of this can be done quickly . As we move on to the next chapter it ’ s time to reflect on how this pilot project has turned out . Was it co-creation ?
28 OTnews July 2023