It seems that one of the most complicated issues of modern society is the integration of disabled people into the world of the ordinary. Because of the complicacies that the enabled people can face in the unusual and thus hostile environment, the concern for the health of these people is becoming quite understood. However, despite the complicacies that disabled people have to face in the modern world, occupational therapy still can make their life brighter.
It is worth mentioning that the environment in which disabled people work plays a great role in their further relationships with the people surrounding them, as well as their further health improvement. It must be admitted that people with disparities often encounter hostile treatment or even oppression from others, which creates quite an obstacle in their relationships with the world around them. Therefore, the problem concerning the oppression of the disabled must be tackled eventually; otherwise, the integration of disabled people into modern society will become practically impossible.
What difficulties do the enabled people face in their occupational therapy period? Some of the most evident issues described vividly by Hammel (2003), the social ones are the key priority here; however, Hammel also points out that these are the abovementioned aspects of people’s life intertwined that create the most problems for the disabled people. According to Hammel (2003), these are the “institutional environments” (40) that have the greatest impact on disabled people during the period of their occupational therapy.
There is no doubt that occupational therapy has the most positive impact on the enabled people, which finally results in the fact that they feel they belong to society. Therefore, they hope that they will eventually become members of society rises. According to Carlsson (2009) says, “To practice from an occupational justice framework is to enable clients the right to experience occupation as meaningful and enriching” (7). Indeed, such therapy means filling the life of the enabled with the idea that they are wanted in this world.
However, there are several problems that the enabled have to face. One of the most widespread ones is finding the points of social contact with the rest of the world. A good example of such difficulties in social adaptation was driven by Hriensdottir et al. (2006): “Anne recalled expressing her despair and frustration by hiding from staff in the grounds of the institution in what she still refers to as ‘my secret place’” (159). In addition, choosing the patients for further occupational therapy, the therapists themselves often display certain discrimination. It must be marked that the decision-making process in such cases is based rather on personal assumptions than on the existing evidence. As Moats (2006) mentioned, in his experiment “blending of client-defined, professionally driven and negotiated styles of decision-making” (110) was a common practice.
Thus, it is evident that the core problem that the enabled people have to overcome is the social hostility in relationships with the world. In addition, the procedure of the occupational therapy is often focused mainly on the desired results of the process than on the features of the patient’s personality, which is a pity as well. According to Townsend (2003), one of the key priorities is to figure out the main problems that the enabled people face during occupational therapy and help them overcome these obstacles:
As I discuss client-centered practice with therapists and students there are other issues that increasingly seem to trouble them including deciding who is the client, how to be client-centered with people who cannot respond either because of the language or illness and how can client-centered practice be used […] (81)
Therefore, the difficulties in communication and socialization that the enabled people encounter during their occupational therapy period can be handled. However, this requires considerable effort and much strain. Nevertheless, there is still hope that occupational therapy can help the enabled become members of society.
Reference List
Carlsson, C. S. (2009) The 2008 Frances Rutherford Lecture. Taking a Stand for Inclusion: Seeing Beyond Impairment! New Zealand Journal of Occupational Therapy, 56 (1), 4-11
Hammel, K. W. (2003) Changing Institutional Environments to Enable Occupation Among People with Severe Occupational Impairments. In L. Letts, P. Rigby & D. Stewart (Eds.), Using Environments to Enable Occupational Performance. Thorofare, NJ: 35-49
Hreinsdottir, E. E., et al (2006) Is My Story So Different from Yours? Comparing Life Stories, Experiences of Institutionalization and Self-Advocacy in England and Iceland. Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 34: 157-166
Moats, G. (2006) Discharge Decision-Making with Older People: The Influence of the Institutional Environment. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 53: 107-116
Townsend, E. (2003) Reflection on Power and Justice in enabling Occupation. Revue Canadienne d’Ergotherapie, 2 (70): 74-87