Occupational Justice Research Articles

Commentary on: Peters & Galvaan (2020) A scoping review exploring ‘opportunity’ in occupational science: Possibilities for conceptual development

ABSTRACT Opportunity is an acknowledged, yet ‘taken-for-granted’ concept in occupational science, and specifically within occupational justice discourse. This paper presents a commentary on Peters and Galvaan’s (2020) scoping review on the conceptualization of opportunity within occupation-based disciplines. The commentary focuses on three points: The first is the lack of definitional clarity on key terms identified by the authors, highlighting a need for research to advance how opportunity is conceptualized. The second provides a response to the findings of the first theme; “Opportunity conceptualized as synonymous with capabilities”. Third, the commentary concludes by suggesting how the discipline of occupational science could expand on both the conceptualization and operationalization of opportunity, by introducing moral and political philosopher Axel Honneth’s (1992, 1995, 2001) ‘Theory of Recognition’, to conceptualize intrinsic and interpersonal recognition as a key precursor for opportunity as it relates to notions of equity, power, and justice.

Experience of Filipinos with Spinal Cord Injury in the Use of Assistive Technology: An Occupational Justice Perspective.

Assistive technology (AT) is often required to facilitate the performance of occupations and promote inclusion and reduction of dependency among persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, only 5-15% of individuals in developing countries have access to AT. This study is aimed at exploring the experience of Filipinos with SCI as they use AT and understand these from an occupational justice (OJ) perspective. This study utilised a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to explore the participants' experiences with AT usage. Ten participants were recruited from a hospital and communities within Metro Manila, Philippines, and interviewed last January 2020. Hermeneutic analysis was done to interpret the shared meaning embedded within their experiences and was informed by an occupational justice perspective. Exploring the experience of the participants in using AT yielded four themes, namely, (1) engaging in occupations despite limited opportunities, (2) going to various locations amidst an inaccessible environment, (3) striving towards inclusion in spite of attitudinal barriers, and (4) securing needs in light of unfavourable life conditions. Filipinos with SCI deal with numerous structural and contextual factors in daily life. There has been partial enablement of OJ as they incorporate AT in their daily lives as occupational rights are far from being recognised and respected. In infusing an OJ perspective to understanding AT use, OT practitioners are bound to identify problems and courses of action that go beyond traditional service delivery.

Social participation of seniors: Applying the Framework of Occupational Justice for healthy ageing and a new approach to policymaking

ABSTRACT Background: Social participation is associated with positive health outcomes for seniors. However, not all seniors may be able to achieve a satisfactory level of participation. Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the social participation of seniors within the Framework of Occupational Justice (FOJ) to promote an occupational perspective to policymaking. Methods: This study employed a deductive and inductive thematic content analysis of seniors’ responses from focus group data that looked at seniors’ experiences with social participation in Montreal, Canada. Twelve focus groups for a total of 111 participants from diverse backgrounds were analyzed. Results: The analysis revealed structural and contextual factors that can enable or prevent social participation. Potential enablers to social participation include the presence of individual community support workers, the design and accessibility of the physical environment, and programs tailored to seniors’ needs. Underlying occupational determinants identified as barriers are related to cultural values and policies tied to ageism. Inductive reasoning also yielded new, neutral, occupational outcomes for the FOJ. Conclusion: When applying the FOJ to a diverse population, there is the possibility of a spectrum of occupational outcomes, which shifts the perspective from the polarity of rights and injustices currently presented in the FOJ. In terms of social policy, social participation is viewed as a right and that public policy can work towards promoting this right.

Occupation and environmental sustainability: A scoping review

ABSTRACT Climate change and environmental degradation are largely attributed to human occupations. However, concern for the integrity of the natural environment is often absent from occupationally focused health interventions. As occupational scientists are interested in the relationship between occupation, health, and well-being, the objective of this scoping review was to uncover what is written about environmental sustainability in the occupational science and occupational therapy literature in the English language. Articles were used as data. Using selected key terms, the Journal of Occupational Science, nine occupational therapy journals, and five databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles that answered the research question; were written in English; and had an occupational scientist or therapist as an author. No date ranges were applied to the search. After selecting pertinent articles, the reference lists and citations were searched. Findings were framed using the Evolving Theory of Occupational Justice. The findings suggest that engagement in sustainable occupations is influenced by structural and contextual factors and can contribute to occupationally just or unjust outcomes. The information generated suggests the need for further inquiry on environmental sustainability within occupational science and supports the integration of ecological sustainability concepts into occupational science theory.

A scoping review exploring ‘opportunity’ in occupational science: Possibilities for conceptual development

ABSTRACT The availability of and access to fair opportunities has been proposed as significant to promoting occupational justice. This paper presents a scoping review that aimed to explore how the concept ‘opportunity’ has been understood within occupational science. Following Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) methodological framework, we identified, screened, and selected 12 papers that focused on the theorization of opportunity or concepts and/or frameworks proposed to be related. Our thematic synthesis of these papers revealed three themes: Opportunity conceptualized as synonymous with capabilities, Occupational opportunity conceptualized as an option to participate, and Implicit theorization of opportunity couched within social transformation. Collectively these themes revealed that theorization about opportunity is implicit and largely focused on access to basic resources. Opportunity was also shown to be a concept that holds importance for a socially transformative occupational science agenda because of the relationship it holds with situations of inequality and injustice. Although the third theme teases out some of the relationships that opportunity holds to other concepts relevant for social transformation, this theorization remains limited. We conclude that further scholarship should involve clarifying disciplinary terminology and providing insight into how opportunity could contribute to occupational justice. We end by providing some suggestions for how to take up this challenge.

Transition in Occupations of Refugees During Resettlement

Purpose: In 2016, there were 22.5 million refugees worldwide (UNHCR, 2017). California resettled just over 5,000 of those 85,000 (Igielnik & Krogstad, 2017). Limited research has been conducted in the United States (U.S.) focusing on the refugee experience; furthermore, there is a significant gap in research regarding the impact of the refugee experience on the occupations of refugees as they transition to living in the U.S. Smith (2012) explored the adaptation of cultural weaving among Karen refugees to maintain their previous occupations and the impact of daily weaving on their lives within Western culture; however, the study focused only on work occupations. This study sought to capture the experience of refugees and the impact of their transition on a broad array of occupations. Adding to occupational science literature regarding the occupational impact of the refugee experience, as well as aiding in addressing issues of occupational justice (Townsend, & Wilcock, 2004). Methods: This research was a qualitative-descriptive, phenomenological study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Questions were guided by Person-Environment-Occupation model (Law, et al., 1996) and Transitions Theory (Blair, 2000), to address personal and cultural values, environments where occupations are performed, and occupational patterns to identify changes in meaningful occupations due to the refugee process. Participants have legal status as refugees, have been in the U.S. between one and five years, resettled in Northern California, are at least 18 years old and were not required to speak English. As this study aimed to capture a broad experience of transition and limit confounding factors influencing how the participant responded to changes in occupations, participants could be of any ethnicity, country of origin, or gender. Two participants were recruited through snowball sampling. Interviews were audio taped and transcribed. Interviews were coded using Thematic Analysis to generate common themes across cases (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Rigor was strengthened through member checks and peer review. Findings: Through analysis of the interviews, the researchers found five major themes: contextual barriers, internal factors, adaptation, belonging, and transition. The first four themes form a loop and influence each other both positively and negatively and, ultimately, affect engagement in occupations. Transition is the theme that envelops and influences the whole. Using these five themes, the researchers developed the Transition-related Effects on Refugee Occupations (TERO) Model. Key findings include that refugees may experience more meaning and role change/loss in their occupations, rather than adoption of new occupations. Additionally, the researchers found social network to be important for positive occupational engagement throughout country transition. Implications: As occupational therapists, the tendency towards working with…

Shining a light on the daily occupational experiences of lesbian and gay adults’ in Ireland: applying an occupational justice lens

Purpose Equality of rights for individuals who identify as being lesbian or gay (LG) have emerged over recent years, and significant advancements have been made in recognition and support of LG rights in Ireland. Given the recent change in legal rights for the LG population, Civil Partnership 2010 and Marriage Equality 2015, this paper aims to explore the lived experience of daily occupations of LG adult’s in Ireland today, by applying an occupational justice lens. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative phenomenological research study, examined the concept of occupational justice as experienced by eight adults, who identified as being LG. Data was collected through face to face, semi-structured interviews. Findings Four themes capturing the complexity of each participant’s experience of daily occupations and occupational justice emerged, namely, transitions and personal journeys, celebrating differences, empowerment through occupation and inner conflict. Findings demonstrate how occupational justice is experienced as a complex, contextually embedded and dynamic process specific to each individual. Originality/value Future research in this area should aim to explore the experiences of both a younger and older LG population, along with those who identify as bisexual, transgender, queer or intersex to continue to raise awareness of the potential for occupational injustice within this minority population.

Kaleidoscopic associations between life outside home and the technological environment that shape occupational injustice as revealed through cross-sectional statistical modelling

ABSTRACT Background: Everyday life outside home and accessing a variety of places are central to occupation. Technology is ever more taken for granted, even outside home, and for some may culminate in occupational injustice. This study aims to explore the association between everyday technologies (ET), particularly out of home, and the number of places older adults with and without dementia go to, in rural and urban environments. Method: The Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire, and Participation in Activities and Places Outside Home Questionnaire, were administered with 128 people in England. Six logistic regression models explored the association between ET and the number of places people went to, with other demographic factors (i.e., rurality, diagnosis, deprivation). Results: The amount of out of home technologies a person perceived relevant and relative levels of neighbourhood deprivation were most persistently associated with the number of places people went to. Associations with ability to use technology, diagnosis, and education were more tentative. In no model was rurality significant. All models explained a low proportion of variance and lacked sensitivity to predict the outcome. Conclusion: For a minority of people, perceptions of the technological environment are associated with other personal and environmental dimensions. Viewed kaleidoscopically, these associations assemble to generate an impermanent, fragmented view of occupational injustice that may jeopardise opportunities outside home. However, there will be other influential factors not identified in this study. Greater attention to the intersections between specific environmental dimensions may deepen understanding of how modifications can be made to deliver occupational justice.

Now, being, occupational: Outdoor play and children with autism

ABSTRACT Play is the primary occupation of children and the right for children to play has been acknowledged internationally, for all children, including those with disabilities. However, there is concern that outdoor play is declining, thus warranting more focused investigation to better understand the evolving nature of outdoor play. The purpose of this study was to explore the outdoor play occupations and environments of children with autism, to understand the place of outdoor play in their lives. A qualitative methodology was used, drawing from ethnographic principles. Eight participants were recruited from one primary school in Ireland; five children with autism aged six-to-nine, and three staff members. Multiple methods were employed, including interviews, picture elicitation, observations, and behavioural mapping. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data and three core themes identified, relating to play form, play environments, and play challenge. Children with autism in this study enjoyed many forms of outdoor play. Their preferences were for active play with varied sensory elements including running, jumping, swinging, climbing, and sliding. Play occupations with opportunities for challenge, mastery, and engagement in risky play were particularly favoured, alongside preferences for imaginative play, play with natural components, and social interaction. Play engagement was most evident in environments with higher play value. This work contributes to a reconceptualization of the study of play occupation as a focus on the ‘now’ of childhood. By focusing on being and not becoming, we argue for rejecting a deficit model in favour of a rights-based occupational justice perspective to emancipate play.

Occupational rights, choice and variety: A critical occupational analysis of British Columbia’s Framework for Accessibility Legislation

ABSTRACT Occupational science offers a uniquely valuable perspective to policy analysis. Using an occupational justice lens and an occupational rights perspective, I critically examine a local governing text: British Columbia Framework for Accessibility Legislation. My argument highlights occupational injustices and potential injustices that might remain hidden in the absence of an occupational perspective, with a particular focus on elements of choice and variety in occupations that provide meaning and enrichment. Examining governing texts with occupational rights in mind is essential to promoting equity. While this governing text is specific to the British Columbian context in Canada, I demonstrate how an occupational perspective should influence policy, thus speaking to the broader conversation about contributions of occupational science to policy and governance.

Occupational justice and social inclusion among people living with HIV and people with mental illness: a scoping review

ObjectiveTo explore ways in which occupational justice and social inclusion are conceptualised, defined and operationalised in highly stigmatised and chronic conditions of mental illness and HIV.DesignThis scoping review protocol followed...

Exploring the Impact of Nature-Based Intervention on the Physiology, Emotions, and Ability to Self-Regulate in At-Risk Preadolescent Youth

Abstract Date Presented 03/26/20 The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of nature-based interventions on physiological and emotional responses in at-risk preadolescent youth. Preliminary results indicate a decrease in resting heart rate and an increase in positive emotional states following the interventions. Inclusion of nature-based activities in OT interventions for at-risk youth can contribute to advancements in occupational justice and engagement for this population. Primary Author and Speaker: Christine McQuay Additional Authors and Speakers: Charlea Olmstead, Taylor Reamy Contributing Authors: Elizabeth Richardson, Robert Koslow

The Lived Experience of Homeless Mothers’ Participation in an OT Leisure Craft Group

Abstract Date Presented 03/28/20 This phenomenological, qualitative pilot study aimed to gain insight into the lived experiences of homeless mothers participating in leisure craft groups. Information was obtained using semistructured interviews that sought to explore what meaning was derived from attendance. Informants from the study echoed content from literature regarding benefits of leisure participation. This research supports the application of occupational justice by expanding services to an under-served population. Primary Author and Speaker: Winifred Schultz-Krohn Additional Authors and Speakers: Carina Mena, Emily Winter, Alison Roozeboom, Lisa Vu, Erica Yee

Intergenerational occupational justice: Ethically reflecting on climate crisis

ABSTRACT The current climate crisis is linked to the negative impacts of human occupations, as enacted historically and currently, on the world’s ecosystems. Such impacts raise the questions: Are all occupational desires legitimate if their realization is incompatible with the preservation of ecosystems? How do the occupational choices we make today impact the occupational rights of future generations? Can we, and if so how do we, enable people to engage in sustainable occupations? This article seeks answers to these questions through an ethical reflection on the notion of intergenerational occupational justice and the conceptual clarification of five concepts: occupational needs, occupational desires, occupational choices, occupational rights, and occupational duties. Drawing on the thinking of Martha Nussbaum, we argue that while the basic occupational needs of human beings demand to be satisfied in order to ensure survival and fulfillment, to ensure the occupational rights of future generations of human beings, and thus meet their basic occupational needs, we have a duty to reconsider our occupational desires and choices. Thus, we propose an ecosystem approach to ensure the occupational rights and duties of all—present and future—humans.

Decolonising occupational science education through learning activities based on a study from the Global South

ABSTRACT If occupational science education is to become more globally relevant, it must highlight more voices and practices from diverse communities. Learning about occupational justice from the perspectives of Global South communities addresses cognitive injustice and the need to decolonise occupational science education. This paper offers some critical reflections concerning the author’s pedagogic approach, and the ways his research about olive growing in Palestine (Simaan, 2018) informed students’ learning about occupational justice. It focuses on the processes in which students and lecturers engaged within a decolonising approach to occupational science education. A learning activity based on pedagogical processes of ‘conscientization’ (Freire, 1996), critical reflexivity (Whiteford & Townsend, 2011) and intercultural translation (Santos, 2014) is discussed, and lessons learnt by lecturer and students about themselves, their communities, and occupational science are reflected upon. Selected students’ reflections, which illustrate how they positioned themselves in relation to the community studied, and how they interrogated their own reactions to learning about daily lives in Palestine, are discussed. These processes demonstrate the benefits of highlighting local knowledge on occupational justice produced by Global South groups, and how this knowledge might begin to address cognitive injustice and the need to decolonise occupational science pedagogy. More empirical and theoretical work is needed in occupational science education regarding intercultural translations concerning occupational justice, and means of doing and knowing from diverse Global South perspectives.

Using theory to inform understandings of occupation in a migration context

ABSTRACT Research on global migration has grown substantially in occupational science over the past decade. While literature reviews have focused on the results and recurrent themes emerging in occupation-focused studies, the present article discusses the use of theory in occupational science articles exploring international migration. Theoretically grounding occupational science research on migration can allow the discipline to ensure the depth of the knowledge it develops, as well as the relevance of this knowledge to other disciplines and the outreach of occupational science. This theoretical paper is informed by a review of migration studies in the Journal of Occupational Science. Forty one articles focusing on international migration and presenting the results of empirical research were selected and analyzed. Six non-exclusive groups are presented. The largest group includes articles adopting approaches inspired by grounded theory; therefore, not strongly relying on pre-existing theories in the data analysis. Other groups used concepts related to occupational justice or drawn from theories developed by Bourdieu, Goffman, or Ricoeur, as well as transactionalism as developed by occupational scientists based on Dewey’s work. However, there are inconsistencies in the application of theory—some articles did not explicitly integrate any theoretical concepts or, among those using grounded theory, did not all develop a novel theory. We propose Lefebvre’s theory of “production of space”, originally published in English in 1991, as an example of a useful approach for the study of occupation in a migration context.

Justice-Based Occupational Therapy Initiative: Advancing Occupational Justice in Criminal Justice Systems

Justice-Based Occupational Therapy Initiative: Advancing Occupational Justice in Criminal Justice Systems

The vita activa and the human condition: Points of clarification in reply to Jansson and Wagman

ABSTRACT Writing about Hannah Arendt’s valuable contribution to occupational science, Jansson and Wagman (2018) offered perceptive and constructive comments on my previous paper (Turnbull, 2018). Here I seek to clarify and further develop my own interpretive position on these topics. Agreeing that further consideration of Arendt’s philosophical roots is needed, I argue that the three fundamental activities of the vita activa be regarded as ‘existentials’ rather than ‘modalities’ of occupation. I explore themes that Jansson and Wagman noted as our points of difference: Vita activa and vita contemplativa; The existence of human nature; and Whether occupation is conditioned, and both individualistic and pluralistic. To these I add a fifth: On not being conditioned absolutely. The line of inquiry then opens towards regarding Arendt’s existentials as a way of forming evaluative judgements about the human condition. Arendt’s text leads towards two plausible but conflicting interpretations; one tends towards a psychological account, the other towards opening a space for political freedom. Another question involves asking how the terms ‘being’ and ‘doing’ are related in occupational science and in Arendt’s politically oriented thought. It is argued she ranks them equally, but this is evaluative, not ontological. Arendt’s thought on the inability of science to explain what we are or answer the question of who we are, leads her in a political direction. Two implications for occupational science are drawn: that the first task is to make information about labor, work, and action available for evaluation, which leads directly into posing questions of social and occupational justice.

Fostering empowerment through occupation: An overview of an urban school-based parenting program

ABSTRACT Occupational scientists have long examined the challenges of discrimination within societies, and this paper utilizes qualitative research to examine a) occupational justice and how it relates to the social inequality of pregnant and parenting students; b) the connection of United States Title IX federal law and occupational justice; c) how a pregnant and parenting school-based program in a Midwest Urban School District utilized Title IX federal law and concepts of occupational justice to address academic and social inequality; and d) how the Parent Infant Interaction Program (PIIP) administrators implemented socially and culturally responsive occupation-based interventions to empower pregnant and parenting students. As a qualitative case study, this inquiry used content analysis of documents and open coding of semi-structured interviews with administrative stakeholders, to draw upon historical, demographic, and narrative data. This article will exemplify how an educational program and its administrators, as identified through the Participatory Occupational Justice Framework, Culturally Relevant, and Culturally Responsive Framework, aimed to forge parenting students’ occupational agency and create a framework to allow them to achieve their academic and personal goals.

Using appreciative inquiry to explore and enhance perceptions of empowerment for those experiencing homelessness: A pilot study.

Individuals experiencing homelessness endure occupational injustices in the form of marginalization and deprivation at higher rates than their counterparts who are not experiencing homelessness. This population's expressed interests, needs, and desires are frequently ignored or unsolicited by a system of care that continues to exercise power over this fragile and underserved group. Marginalization and deprivation can lead to disempowerment. Few studies have been conducted that explore the perceptions of empowerment by those experiencing homelessness. Providing a "space" for the voice of those experiencing homelessness to be heard can promote occupational justice as an outcome of occupational therapy intervention. This pilot research sought to explore perceptions of empowerment by attendees of a day shelter for those experiencing homelessness. Researchers used an Appreciative Inquiry approach to elicit responses to the question, "For those experiencing homelessness who attend a day shelter, what are their perceptions of how the shelter environment supports empowerment?" This qualitative approach promotes and maintains focus on positivity and inclusivity with respect to the change process from solution identification to maintenance of identified changes. Shelter attendees participated in one of three focus groups. Based upon qualitative analysis of the data, environmental enhancements were made by the researchers and post-environmental enhancement surveys collected data related to perceptions of those enhancements to promote empowerment. Six themes emerged from the data and pointed to both internal and external factors that are perceived to impact empowerment. Results of this study can be used by occupational therapy practitioners to support and develop inclusive and empowerment-focused approaches for those experiencing homelessness.