Culture and Occupation: A Model of Empowerment in Occupational Therapy

Since Cultural Competency for Health Professionals was first published in 2000, much has changed in the world. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have resulted in increased suspicion in the United States and around the world of people of Arab descent. In the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that began shortly thereafter, people from many countries have been killed or seriously wounded, among them U.S. service members whose injuries are significantly challenging health care practitioners in the armed services and Veterans Administration hospitals around the country. In addition, the United States is becoming an increasingly diverse nation, and advances in communications technology have made it possible to connect with cultures from around the world in an instant.

In the world of occupational therapy, the concepts of occupational justice, community-based rehabilitation, and health disparities have been introduced and studied. AOTA's Centennial Vision has called for a culturally diverse occupational therapy workforce by 2017, the 100th anniversary of the profession. Also, the first culturally sensitive occupational therapy practice model, the Kawa Model, has been developed to provide a culturally appropriate intervention option for Japanese clients.

The future of health care and of the occupational therapy profession are merging with the realities of this changing world. Becoming culturally competent is a requirement for occupational therapy professionals today, who have opportunities to become leaders as agents for change so that all people, privileged and disadvantaged alike, have equal access to health care, social and political resources, and meaningful occupation. This book provides information, theories, and examples of how this can happen as well as introduces the Cultural Competency Model, which occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants can use to help provide in culturally competent care to all clients.

Roxie M. Black, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, has been an occupational therapist for almost 40 years, 25 of them as an educator. She is the Director of the Master of Occupational Therapy Program of Southern Maine at Lewiston-Auburn and also is an invited adjunct teacher at the University of Indianapolis.

Shirley A. Wells, MPH, OTR, FAOTA, has practiced occupational therapy for 28 years, working 8 years as an educator. She was manager of the Multicultural Affairs Program of the American Occupational Therapy Association.