Anti-racism and Occupational Therapy Education: Beyond Diversity and Inclusion

Abstract

There is a pressing need to address racism within healthcare education; however, occupational therapy educators lack a compilation of discipline-specific knowledge of anti-racist actions. The objective of this study was to examine anti-racist instructional practices for educators to employ in occupational therapy education. We conducted a scoping review and systematically searched six electronic databases to identify and synthesize anti-racist educational practices within the occupational therapy literature. The 20 included articles identified that educators should: use collaborative, anti-racist teaching strategies throughout the curriculum; engage in reflexivity including how intersecting identities impact occupational engagement; decolonize curricula through including Indigenous content and non-Western practice frameworks; increase representation of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color students and faculty; and strengthen educators’ capacity to engage in anti-racist actions. To address systemic injustices to educational inclusion and prepare students to address health care inequities, occupational educators must engage in anti-racist actions across curriculum, programs, and universities.