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Aim: Participation disparities among Black children with disabilities are widely documented in a variety of disciplines. Grounded in the Social Model of Disability and Disability Critical Race Theory, the purpose of this scoping review was to examine the extent to which occupational therapy has contributed to the study of participation outcomes among Black children with disabilities., Methods: Empirical studies published from 2010 to 2021 that reported participation outcome data published in nine frequently cited journals were included in this scoping review. Twenty studies were found to meet the criteria., Results: Participation outcomes were reported for six occupations: play, social participation, activities of daily living (ADLs), education, sleep, and health management). The majority of studies reviewed recruited small samples of Black children with disabilities and provided limited to no description of the specific participation differences by racial/ethnic demographics., Conclusion: Occupational therapy has made few contributions to the growing literature on participation disparities for Black children with disabilities. Implications for practice are discussed.

The global challenges humanity faces today, such as social and economic inequalities, occupational deprivation, racism, exclusion, displacement and migration crises, violence, wars, and political oppression, all contribute to health and participation inequities (Powell & Toppin, 2021). The depth and breadth of these inequities became strikingly evident and were exacerbated with the coronavirus 2019 pandemic (Khanijahani et al., 2021). More than ever before, we need to apply an occupational perspective to create caring communities that strengthen each person's sense of belonging (Beagan, 2015; Lavalley & Johnson, 2020; Mahoney & Kiraly-Alvarez, 2019). In this column, we argue that occupational therapy academic programs have a unique role in advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion through the creation of caring communities., (Copyright © 2023 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.)

Based on the increasing diversity of Swedish society, health professionals, like occupational therapists, find it challenging to provide culturally competent services to international clients. Consequently, cultural competence among professionals needs to be measured and improved using psychometrically tested instruments. This study examines the clinical relevance, construct validity, and reliability of the Swedish version of the Cultural Competence Assessment Instrument among Swedish occupational therapists. Material and Methods . A randomised sample of 312 Swedish occupational therapists answered a survey based on the Swedish version of the Cultural Competence Assessment Instrument with supplementary questions on the clinical relevance of the instrument. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the clinical relevance of the Swedish version of the Cultural Competence Assessment Instrument. Factor analyses, both exploratory and confirmatory, were run to examine the factor structure. Cronbach's alpha was performed to assess the internal consistency of the instrument. Results . The participants reported that the 24 items had high clinical relevance. The validation yielded a three-factor model: openness and awareness, workplace support, and interaction skills. All three of these factors showed high loadings. Conclusions . The study results indicated positive clinical relevance and psychometric properties for the Swedish version of the Cultural Competence Assessment Instrument and strong support to be utilised in Sweden. The implications of this study are important given the rapid growth in migration over the last few decades. A self-rating instrument measuring cultural competence could support occupational therapists' professional knowledge and development when they interact with international clients. As the tool was originally developed in English in the United States, the feedback from the Swedish version could potentially be useful for the instrument in modified form and for use by occupational therapists in English-speaking countries., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Jane Holstein et al.)

Objective To investigate the incidence of successful rehabilitation, defined as 90 successive days in employment, within individuals with disabilities receiving occupational/vocational training (OVT) service. Method The follow-up records between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2012 of 5313 individuals aged 15-55 who obtained OVT in the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program of the State of Illinois were examined. Cox regression models were used to analyze the effect of study factors on VR outcomes. Results After controlling for the other factors, males (incidence ratio [IR] 1.11, 95% CI 1.03-1.20), individuals with learning disability (IR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03-1.26), had existing employment (IR 1.40, 95% CI 1.26-1.56), and persons who were referred from educational institutions (IR 1.17, 95% CI 1.01-1.36) or community agencies (IR 1.30, 95% CI 1.14-1.48) appeared to have a relatively high incidence of successful rehabilitation. In contrast, those who lived in densely populated areas (IR ranged from 0.56 to 0.89), had physical disability (IR 0.77, 95% CI 0.68-0.88), had disability of most significant degree (IR 0.85, 95% CI 0.79-0.93), and persons with Supplemental Security Income/Social Security Disability Insurance supports (IR 0.84, 95% CI 0.76-0.94), tended to have a lower incidence of rehabilitation than their counterparts. Conclusion The incidence of successful rehabilitation seems to be related to the demographic, disability, and pre-service characteristics, but not necessarily the provider factors.

Trends in policy, practice, and research point to the need for a community-engaged Scholarship of Practice (SOP) model that can be used to inform the development of occupational therapy practitioners, educators, and researchers. This article describes a community-engaged SOP model, the evidence justifying the need for such a model, and strategies to effectively create community-engaged practitioners, educators and career scientists within occupational therapy. We highlight several examples of community-based participatory research to further inform this model, and in turn, translate this knowledge back to communities for action and systems change that can affect the lives of people with disabilities and the communities in which they seek to live and participate long term.

Today, more than ever, occupational therapists are engaged in close partnerships with community organizations and community settings such as service agencies, refugee and immigrant enclaves, and faith-based organizations, to name a few, for the purpose of engaging in scholarship of practice. However, we know little about the views of community partners regarding the development and sustainability of university-community partnerships. The purpose of this article is twofold: First, we will describe a pilot study in which we gathered qualitative data from community partners engaged in scholarship of practice with faculty and students, regarding their views about benefits of partnerships, challenges, and characteristics of sustainable partnerships. Second, based on this pilot study and extensive experience of the authors, we propose a revised version of a partnerships model available in the literature. We illustrate the model through examples of the authors' collective experiences developing and sustaining successful university-community partnerships.

Five years ago, an academic department in the United States and the Ann Sullivan Center of Peru (CASP) initiated an international partnership to foster research collaborations and reciprocal consultation, and to create an advanced clinical placement for occupational therapy doctoral students. CASP is a globally recognized hub for community-based research, demonstration and training for people with disabilities (most of whom are from low-income families). CASP has provided occupational therapy students and faculty with a rich cultural environment in which to learn and collaborate as well as opportunities for developing research collaborations. The purpose of this manuscript is to discuss an innovative model of international collaboration highlighting specific areas of exchange and reciprocal learning. First, we will describe the collaboration and CASP's rich learning opportunities. Second, we will discuss a model of collaboration that includes three main phases: planning and preparation, developing and sustaining the partnership, and evaluating and celebrating outcomes and benefits. We illustrate the partnership with a case example and describe exchanges between CASP and a local community agency with whom faculty have collaborated for 20 years. Finally, we discuss implications of our innovative model towards developing and sustaining global partnerships. ., (Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

While obesity impacts all ethnic groups in the United States, African Americans and Latinos are particularly at high risk for obesity. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the literature on evidence-based culturally competent strategies for addressing and preventing obesity and discuss roles for occupational therapists working with populations at risk for obesity in the school or therapeutic clinical environment. A review was conducted of over 80 research articles describing successful interventions conducted in schools and communities targeting African Americans and Latino children. Although unique single strategies are highlighted in this paper, obesity interventions are complex and involved a number of multilevel strategies. The results of the analysis of the literature are presented according to strategies that promote healthy eating, physical activity, and overall healthy lifestyles. Along with the cultural competent strategies, we recommend specific roles for occupational therapists in order to promote the implementation of each particular strategy. Lastly, implications for occupational therapy are discussed.

Occupational therapists confront issues of cultural diversity more than ever before because of the increased number of clients seen in their professional practice who are of differing racial or cultural backgrounds. In this study, we examine perceived cultural competence in a sample of 477 occupational therapists. The study's results indicate that among the variables that most affected how therapists rate their level of cultural competence were prior training and favorable attitudes toward cultural competence. Prior training, both formal and informal, was positively correlated with higher levels of cultural competence. In addition, practitioners who placed more value on cultural competence and felt more culturally competent to address the needs of diverse clients scored higher across all of the dimensions of cultural competence measured. These dimensions included cultural awareness and knowledge, cultural skills, and organizational support for multicultural practice. The results have implications for teaching, research, and practice in occupational therapy.

Social justice and occupational justice have received increased attention in the occupational therapy literature. This evolving discourse has focused on establishing a connection between the effects of social injustice and the resulting negative influences on occupational participation. This literature has also addressed the role of occupational therapists in responding to social injustice at the societal, population, or individual levels. We examine the two most well-known theories of social justice to understand the responsibility of organizations, institutions, or governments in providing for people who have experienced difficulties in maintaining self-sufficiency. We use two case examples to illustrate how community-based organizations act as brokers of human, financial, and other resources and the challenges they face in distributing these resources in a manner consistent with social justice concepts. Finally, we suggest how an occupational therapist might assist such organizations in fairly distributing resources by applying occupational therapy paradigmatic knowledge and skills.

Community-based organizations have experienced an increased demand for new and expanded programs, as well as pressure from private and public sources of funding to document the impact of their services and programs. This article highlights the importance of a participatory and empowerment approach to evaluating a community health intervention. A five-phase approach to implementing an empowerment and participatory evaluation process is described using a research study. The five phases included developing a partnership and planning the evaluation, developing a logic model, identifying the methodology and data collection, interpreting and reporting findings, and monitoring and utilizing evaluation findings. In this research study, a WebTV community intervention was implemented to assist community residents in accessing health information and resources through the project's home web page and the Internet. A group of citizen leaders was provided with a WebTV unit, training, and ongoing support and assistance. Citizen leaders used the unit as a tool to obtain health information and resources and to advocate and support community action. Implications of empowerment and participatory evaluation of this type of community intervention are discussed for community occupational therapy, including occupational therapists as agents of change and facilitators of skills building and organizational capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]