If occupational therapists enabled diverse clients'perspectives to inform occupational categories, perhaps relationships between occupations and well-being might more easily be identified in theory and addressed in practice.
If occupational therapists are to take seriously their espoused commitment to enabling equitable access to participation in occupation, the inequitable conditions of people's lives will need to be addressed. Critical occupational therapy is a committed form of practice which acknowledges that well-being cannot be achieved solely by enhancing individuals' abilities, and that consequently endeavours also to address the conditions of people's lives.
Belonging, connectedness, and interdependence are positively correlated with human well-being, are prioritized by the majority of the world's people, and inform the meanings attributed to and derived from the occupations of culturally diverse people. If occupational therapy is to address meaningful occupations, attention should be paid to occupations concerned with belonging, connecting, and contributing to others.
The connection between well-being and human rights would be made explicit, occupational rights would be recognized as a political issue and the profession's confinement within health-care services would end. This commitment to occupational rights would bring our practice into line with our espoused belief in the relationship between occupation and well-being, and enable us to state, unequivocally, what occupational therapy contributes to humanity.
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