Occupational Justice—Colonial Business as Usual? Indigenous Observations from Aotearoa New Zealand

Background. Western ideologies and systems of occupation and justice are implicated in the colonization of indigenous peoples worldwide. Yet, colonialism, racism, and privilege are minimally acknowledged and examined within occupational therapy and occupational science literature, as evidenced in uncritical development of notions of “occupational justice.” Purpose. First, to open a discussion of how and why theories and approaches to justice have developed as they have in Aotearoa New Zealand. Second, to further a burgeoning field of Indigenous perspectives and critiques of colonial theorizing within the profession, while highlighting local Indigenous justice frameworks including Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Matike Mai Aotearoa. Key Issues. Colonialism is minimally examined in occupational justice approaches and promotion. Implications. Honest examination of colonialism alongside Indigenous justice frameworks can advance critical praxes of decolonising occupation and re-connect occupation with justice and equity.

A critical reflexion on two conceptual tools from a Global South perspective

Background. Occupational therapy’s conceptual tools need to be considered from Global South perspectives to make them more culturally relevant and safe. Purpose. This paper uses an empirical example, and the author’s professional and academic experiences, to analyze the strengths, limitations, and potential refinement of the Critical Thinking Tool (CTT) and the Participatory Occupational Justice Framework (POJF). Key Issues. The paper describes processes of critical reflexivity and intercultural translation to compare concepts used in the CTT and POJF with the findings of a study about olive growing in Palestine to consider the applicability of these tools in Global South settings. The CTT should be amended to address collective occupations, and global and historical contexts, and the POJF should embed intercultural translations and solidarity into its philosophy and processes. Implications. These refinements would enhance the cultural safety of the CTT and the POJF. Tools in occupational therapy will benefit from more evidence to enhance their global utility in an increasingly interconnected world, in which occupational therapists share the duty to tackle social and occupational injustices.

Re-orienting occupational therapy: Embracing generative disruption and revisiting a posture that acknowledges human dignity

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Amidst the Covid-19 lockdown that commenced in March 2020, while the profession and service-users were coming to terms with its vast implications, the Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa initiated a Webinar series that stimulated provocative discussions and difficult dialogues. The authors of this paper deliver a commentary, critically engaging with the challenges of cogently articulating the contribution of occupational therapy services across various sectors of service delivery during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa. The challenges of on the one hand, negotiating the abrupt cessation of rehabilitation services, especially in the public sector and, on the other, advancing the reasoning for accessible, community-based services, are considered AIM: The commentary draws from presentations at and reflections on the webinar hosted on 24 June 2020 titled 'Ethical and Moral Challenges for Occupational Therapy'. In this paper, the competing ethical and moral issues arising from being urged to adopt different ways of thinking and doing occupational therapy during the Covid-19 lockdown are outlined PROPOSITION: It is suggested that experiences emerging from this pandemic are urging the profession to rethink its positionality in the health sector. Two main considerations deserve attention: The first is rethinking how we use occupational therapy knowledge to act from and in relation to local contexts, viewing people who are marginalised as knowledge and action partners through generative disruption. The second is to revisit what it entails to foster a posture that acknowledges human dignity CONCLUSION: Generative disruption includes a continuous and unabashed critical reflection of and on the limits of our practice and knowledge at hand. It means that we need to include service users and community partners in taking necessary steps to render services in local contexts most needed in recalibration toward social and occupational justice. In our knowledge-making partnerships, it is also imperative to revisit the posture of acknowledging human dignity Keywords: Covid-19; occupational therapy; occupational justice; human dignity; generative disruption

Occupational justice health questionnaire: reflections on its application

ABSTRACT Introduction Occupational justice concept is defined as the equal access and participation in all occupations, including the resources required for participation and opportunities for social inclusion. Occupational justice not only remains conceptually ambiguous for occupational therapy practice but also lacks critical examination of its applicability to non-Western cultures. Objective This article describes the reflexive process exercised by the researchers during and after using the Occupational Justice Health Questionnaire (OJHQ) as an occupational therapy tool in a substance addiction rehabilitation setting in the Philippines. Method This qualitative study gathered transcriptions from field notes and focus group discussions of the authors. These transcriptions were characterized by the authors’ reflections on their experiences using the OJHQ on four distinct periods: 1) OJHQ translation, 2) pilot testing, 3) OJHQ-Filipino version administration, and 4) project conclusion. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Results Qualitative data revealed four themes: tool usefulness; administration guidelines; contextualized use of the tool; and nuances of occupational injustices in substance addiction and rehabilitation setting. Conclusion Findings expanded OJHQ’s purpose to enhance clinical reasoning, promote justice-oriented health care, activate reflective practice, and recognize the interweaving and evolving nature of injustices. This article offers an understanding of how reflections can facilitate cultural adaptation of practice tools used in occupational therapy and justice practice.