Tracey Samuels, Editor of RCOT’s monthly membership magazine OTnews, tells us what is covered in the latest issue.
On the first of this month, to mark the start of Occupational Therapy Week 2021 celebrations, RCOT launched its #OTsForEquity campaign with a pledge to work with members to shine the light on the role occupational therapists currently play in addressing health equity.
It’s no surprise then that the topic of health equity features fairly heavily throughout the November issue.
Occupational therapist and disabled parent Sarah Fay has combined her occupational therapy background and lived experience of complex needs to navigate her own parenting journey to set up a registered charity, to provide disabled parents with a place, a voice and a space to belong.
Founded and designed as a service specifically for disabled mothers and fathers and those parents with additional support needs, Sarah believes it is the first organisation of its kind that can provide clinical, as well as social and functional assessments in relation to the life role of being a parent. In this article, she talks about the underpinning theme of enablement that the charity is built on, and how she hopes to build a community and peer support network of disabled parents.
In a first for this magazine, we have a co-authored feature about adapting an art group for deaf people on a mental health ward during the pandemic. What’s unique about this article is that it is written by occupational therapist Hannah Spreadbury-Troy and activity co-ordinator Paz Jordan; Hannah is hearing and Paz is deaf and uses British Sign Language. Since June last year that two have facilitated an art group with an art charity called Hospital Rooms, delivered remotely via Zoom.
Then occupational therapist Kezia Edridge, a specialist support worker with The Salvation Army anti trafficking and modern-day slavery unit, explores the important emerging role occupational therapists can play while working with survivors of human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
Human trafficking and modern-day slavery are complex, harmful, and largely hidden crimes, she says, with human trafficking being the second largest and fastest growing enterprise in the world. The article explores what occupational therapists can do to look out for the tell-tale signs and provide help and support.
While Clarissa Thompson reflects on the strengths she has brought as an occupational therapist to a brand-new autism access lead role.
Many studies about autistic people have not included an autistic voice and presented findings that were based on the opinions of neurotypical professionals, often overlooking the true experience of being autistic. Her project focused on exploring the experience of accessing mental health services for autistic people, and here she shares some of the key findings from the project alongside her thoughts on why occupational therapy is so vital to the future of neurodiversity services.
Still on the topic of neurodiversity, Victoria Broom talks about her own experience of transitioning from student to practitioner with the ‘label‘ dyslexic and how, with the support of her team, she has become proud of the occupational therapist she is today.
That’s just a taste of what’s inside – we’ve also got stories of occupational therapists pushing themselves as athletes, a look at nature-based health interventions for people with Long COVID, and much more - I hope you enjoy this issue.
OTnews is our monthly membership magazine. If you would like to share your innovative service developments and reflections on new ways of working in a future issue, or get in touch with the editor at editorial@rcot.co.uk or Tweet us @OTnews.