2018 Spelbring Endowed Lecturer
Joy Hammel, Ph.D., OTR/L
What Social Participation Means to People with Disabilities and Implications for Participation-Focused OT
Full participation in society is not only an important outcome of occupational therapy, but also a civil right that people with disabilities have fought for globally. However, research has shown that occupational therapists spend most of their time on impairment remediation and basic ADLs, missing critical community and social participation opportunities. This presentation will focus on how to promote and support participation in context in everyday OT practice. We will immerse into why and how participation is so central and important to people with disabilities, and the civil rights and societal trends and social ecological theory bases supporting participation in context focused programming and access. This includes looking at the Social Determinants of Health, Chronic Care Model, and Social Models of Disability frameworks. We will explore participation assessments that were developed in partnership with disability communities that can be used to evaluate participation needs, issues and outcomes. Along with assessments, we’ll explore participatory action research projects that have focused on supporting equitable participation in society, including findings from an evidence-based, community-focused participation intervention that combines occupational therapy, self management and social learning empowerment theories to increase participation, engagement, and emotional and physical health outcomes of adults with long term disabilities.
