Disability History Month : Where does occupational therapy fit in ?
Rachel Booth-
Gardiner and Dr Wendy Bryant reflect on Disability History Month and our profession ’ s connection to the disability movement .
U
K Disability History Month has been celebrated every year since 2010 . The theme for 2022 is Disability , Health and Wellbeing ( World of
Inclusion 2022 ; Sayce 2021 ). It is an opportunity to consider how occupational therapists have responded to the disabled people ’ s movement and work together in the future .
Disabled people came together in the 1960s to assert their right to live as equals , as part of the civil rights movement . The social model of disability was developed by disabled activists in the UK in 1983 .
Disability History Month takes inspiration from the social model , aiming to raise awareness of the persistent inequality of disabled people and the historical roots for their struggles and successes .
The social model of disability is aimed at health and care professionals , challenging their focus on impairments . Activists have called for more resources to address barriers in society .
Using the social model has developed and strengthened the disabled people ’ s movement ( Oliver 2013 ), although impairment and difference , rather than barriers in society , are still emphasised by many government bodies , services and charities .
The stereotype persists of disabled people as victims , requiring others to plead for support on their behalf .
Activists with experience of mental health services have struggled to use the social model of disability to secure greater equality , despite the model and the Equality Act 2010 not distinguishing between different forms of impairment ( Russo and Wooley 2020 ).
Services are still largely separated between physical and mental health problems . OTs claim to bridge this separation with practice models that can be used in any setting , being focused on occupation rather than body dysfunction or disorder .
However , there are specific issues in mental health services . The recovery movement was initiated by service users
12 OTnews November 2022