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INTRODUCTION: Travelogues for non-disabled travellers state that travelling offers an opportunity for constructing new identities. This meaning ascribed to travelling led the researcher to pose the question: What is the lived experience of travelling for people with disabilities? The objectives of this study were to describe and explore the experiences of travelling for people with disabilities, how they make sense of their experiences of travelling, and the meaning that travelling holds for them. The theoretical framework for the study is the Person-Environment-Occupation Model and the Model of Human OccupationMETHOD: A qualitative, hermeneutical phenomenological research design was utilised. Through purposive sampling, six participants were selected and then interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was applied to analyse dataRESULTS: Three themes emerged, namely: A Double-edged sword, which highlights the contradictory effects of travelling, followed by People are part of the package, which emphasises the participants' interpretations of the role that society plays in disability, and lastly the Pilgrimage to self-discovery, as travelling offers the means to rediscovery of selfCONCLUSION: The study provides insight into how travelling, as a leisure occupation, facilitated discovery of a new identity for people with disabilities

In 2018, the United Nations global report showed that people with disabilities, who make up 15% of the worlds’ population, have poorer health and rehabilitation access (SDG 3). Without improving the needed person-centered health and rehabilitation services at household level, SDG 3 cannot be achieved. This includes addressing human resource shortages through training multi-skilled community based rehabilitation workers (CRWs) to build rural workforce capacity and enhance the lives of people with disabilities, particularly in LMICs where the need is higher but resources are lower. However, to date, there is no documentation and analysis of existing training and its scope for this workforce in LMICs. A situational mapping overview was undertaken to review the current status of rural rehabilitation training programs offered in Southern Africa for CRWs. CRWs are rehabilitation personnel, based in the home/community, who are not professionals (without a bachelor qualification) but render non-institutional rehabilitation and inclusive development in communities, under the supervision of rehabilitation practitioners. Information on these programs was obtained using a two-step process. Firstly, a descriptive list of university courses for rehabilitation workers offered in the Southern African countries was collected via an internet and literature search. Secondly, detailed information about the disability and rural rehabilitation courses was collected from the respective institutions and their designated websites. There are six training courses targeted at CRWs or disability practitioners with a disability focus being offered at universities in Southern Africa, five of these in South Africa and one in Zimbabwe. Additionally, four training courses are offered as online/open resources by global organizations and are self-directed with no accreditation. While other key competencies feature, none of these programmes’ learning outcomes make direct reference to the rural practice context and its complexities in relation to disability and poverty. The situational mapping overview shows limited training targeted at CRWs in Southern Africa, to effectively facilitate rural rehabilitation, poverty reduction and social inclusion. There is a need for an articulated community-orientated rural training to respond to the unmet needs. This may require a different set of competencies and assessment standards for trainees as well as additional competencies for their supervisors and mentors.

The landscape of occupational therapy is unpredictable, particularly in the field of community based care. Occupational therapists have to work with complexity and uncertainty in a fast-changing world. The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) highlights the importance of ethical behaviour of healthcare professionals towards clients and believes that registered healthcare professionals should act accordingly. Occupational therapists experience many sources of conflict in their daily practices, while at the same time, they have to uphold professional values, responsibilities and duties.

Occupation-based practice is an important feature of occupational therapy. There is however limited research regarding occupational therapists’ experiences with occupation-based practice. This study aimed to explore occupational therapists’ perceptions and experiences regarding occupation-based practice in a tertiary hospital setting in the Western Cape, South Africa. An explorative and descriptive research design within a qualitative research approach was utilised. Purposive sampling allowed the selection of fourt participants with a minimum of 2 years practice experience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain an understanding of how they perceived and implemented occupation-based practice. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: occupation-based practice expresses professional identity; occupation-based practice necessitates relevance; constraints to occupation-based practice; and facilitators of occupation-based practice. The findings revealed that the participants’ perceived the implementation of occupation-based practice as an expression of their professional identity and that in adopting an occupation-based approach they perceived their roles as diverse and transformational. It was however highlighted that the nature of the service context posed several constraints that influenced the implementation of occupation-based practice. Thus, occupational therapists may need to generate practice-based evidence to advocate for the service conditions necessary to implement occupation-based practice and deliver relevant occupational therapy services. Key words : Occupation; occupation-based practice; tertiary hospitals; qualitative research

Background. Interprofessional education (IPE) can be seen as the vehicle to address the health and social problems of society through collaborative approaches. Since IPE should be facilitated by educators who are skilled in this area, faculty development initiatives should be based on the principles of IPE and collaborative practice (IPECP). Objective. To explore academics’ knowledge and experiences of IPECP. Methods. The study used an exploratory descriptive design and the appreciative inquiry framework underpinned data gathering and analysis. The data were collected using workshops, and the participants of the workshops shared their knowledge and experiences of IPECP, which were audio-recorded and analysed using thematic analysis. Ethical clearance was obtained from the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa. Results. The analysis revealed three themes: knowledge of IPE; experiences of IPECP; and enablers of IPECP aligned to the dream and discovery phases of appreciative inquiry. The findings revealed that academics were knowledgeable about the concept of IPE and that their experiences with IPECP ranged from clinical supervision to research. Regarding enablers of IPECP, they provided important input, which could facilitate IPECP in a university faculty. These included competencies for IPECP, professional development and a common practice framework. Conclusion. The academics who attended the faculty development workshops were knowledgeable about the concepts of IPECP. They concluded that for IPE to be effective, a common practice framework should be adopted in the faculty to inform specific teaching and learning strategies and outcomes.

Background. The concept of occupational justice was derived from a social justice perspective in response to a renewed commitment by the occupational therapy profession to address the occupational needs of individuals, groups and communities who experience social injustice. Accordingly, it is acknowledged that education with regard to occupational justice has the deliberate intention of preparing graduates, who would be change agents as critical practitioners. Nonetheless, while occupational therapy education programmes may seek to instil broader professional values, theory covered in the curriculum may not always assure congruent practice. Objective. To explore how occupational therapy graduates’ conceptualisations of occupational justice, as instilled by the occupational therapy curriculum of the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, manifested in their practice while undergoing community service. Methods. Seven occupational therapy graduates were selected to participate in the study through purposive sampling. A descriptive case study of their practice was generated through qualitative methods. Semi-structured interviews, document review and participant observation were used as data collection methods, analysed through a process of inductive thematic analysis. Results. The findings revealed that while the participants conceptualised occupational justice as broader social change through occupational enablement, they encountered several constraints related to structural and systemic power issues in their practice contexts. Conclusion. The study supports the utilisation of transformative learning and inter-professional education in developing critical competencies such as agency and political proficiency to assist graduates in dealing with the complexities of practice during community service.

The management of multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a lengthy process that involves medical treatment for a period of at least 18-24 months that includes compulsory hospitalisation for a period of at least six months. MDR-TB is, however, associated with poor treatment outcomes in South Africa. Although Occupational therapy's philosophy focusses on the use of occupation to promote health and well-being, the occupational engagement and adaptation of patients hospitalised for MDR-TB have never been explored. This article reports on a qualitative study that was aimed at exploring the occupational adaptation of adults with MDR-TB while undergoing long-term hospitalisation at a hospital in the Western Cape. An exploratory and descriptive research design employing an interpretive research approach was utilised in the study. Data collection methods included participant diaries, semi-structured interviews, participant observation and a focus group discussion. All data were analysed through thematic analysis. The findings highlighted several occupational adaptation strategies adopted by the participants while hospitalised. Certain environmental demands were, however, perceived as infringing upon their occupational choices and influencing their occupational identity and competence. It was recommended that the hospital adopt an occupational therapy programme that focusses on occupational enrichment to facilitate occupational adaptation.

INTRODUCTION: Curriculum review is an ongoing, dynamic, long-term process that forms part of occupational therapy education. The Department of Occupational Therapy, University of the Western Cape (UWC) recently responded to the challenge of becoming socially responsive and politically relevant by engaging in curriculum review. The review revealed that political reasoning was not clearly delineated previously in the curriculum. In response to this problem, over a period of several years we engaged in a process of curriculum transformation so that students become politically conscious. METHODS: The process entailed environmental scanning, feedback from teaching staff and clinicians, students' evaluations, regular curriculum revision meetings, academic development meetings, workshops and seminars. A qualitative study using a cooperative enquiry approach was conducted to analyse the data. FINDINGS: From the analysis the following themes emerged: (1) identifying the essence of occupational therapy education at UWC, (2) understanding political practice on a theoretical and then a personal level, (3) integrating and operationalising political consciousness into the curriculum. We discuss the debates and critical questions raised in our efforts to develop a curriculum that prepares graduates to be politically conscious and socially responsive. Finally, we present key strategies for the way forward. CONCLUSION: Curriculum transformation around a political practice of occupational therapy does not merely mean just a change in curriculum content, but requires the internalisation of a political consciousness by educators individually and collectively.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a disorder that can occur in a child whose mother consumed excessive amounts of alcohol during pregnancy. Children with FAS experience physical, cognitive and/ or behavioural problems, with possible life long implications¹. Principles of Evidence Based Practice (EBP) were used to identify methods that teachers could use to stimulate the development of learners with FAS in the classroom. The project took place at a school in Genadendal, South Africa where teachers experienced difficulties with learners who presented with developmental delay due to FAS. Through observations, interviews and assessments of the learners, multiple problems were determined of which activity level and attention span problems were prioritised. A literature search was carried out to identify intervention strategies which could be applied in a classroom setting. Compensatory strategies were chosen and divided into adaptations of person, environment and occupation. Teachers were trained in these strategies through a workshop which was supplemented with a sourcebook.