A Developmental Program in the Black Community

Abstract

In the last ten years there has been a preponderance of programs intended to change the life styles of the so-called disadvantaged groups. Most of these programs have been federally funded and as such should have had national impact. Although several such projects have demonstrated relative success, many have been victims of misconceptions regarding procedures for alleviating the effects of racial prejudice. This article attempts to show the difference between what was planned and what happened in a program that ended successfully. Fortunately, modifications in the plan were implemented early enough to insure some success. In a Southern city a federally funded summer program was established to develop a sense of awareness, organization and application to the environment for seventhand eighth-grade black students from a lower income neighborhood. Staff included a school-community coordinator (white minister), and three occupational therapy graduate students (two black men and one white woman) who conducted the program. A consultant with occupational therapy credentials was involved in planning and implementation of the project. Goals and progression as articulated and implemented, utilizing an occupational therapy frame of reference, were: