#13: Beyond Occupational Injustice with Antonia Suszek (CE Course)

[antonia (Antonia Suszek)]

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Full Course Details: Public course page
Learn more about our guest: Antonia Suszek, OTR/L, BCPR

Read the article and discussion upon which this podcast is based.

Course Description

Released July 12, 2021 from Aurora, NE

Any occupational therapy practitioner knows that we often face tough questions surrounding ethics and justice.

We work in imperfect systems, and each day we see how societal systems favor some, while placing others at a disadvantage.

So, how do we process all of this? And, how do we see ourselves as contributing to the greater good?

One framework that has been taught in many OT schools is “occupational injustice.” But, the article we will review is a critique of this familiar framework. And, instead, it will introduce you to the concept of “capabilities theory.”

To discuss how these big-picture questions impact how you show up as an OT—including how your work can help address unjust systems—we’ll be talking to Antonia Suszek, OTR/L, BCPR.

Primary Research Explored

Be sure to check out the OT Potential Club’s written breakdown of the following research article, then share your questions and thoughts with fellow practitioners.

Hammell, K. R. W., & Beagan, B. (2017). Occupational injustice: A critique: L’injustice occupationnelle : une critique. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 84(1), 58–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008417416638858

Secondary Research

Gerlach AJ, Teachman G, Laliberte-Rudman D, Aldrich RM, Huot S. Expanding beyond individualism: Engaging critical perspectives on occupation. Scand J Occup Ther. 2018 Jan;25(1):35-43. doi: 10.1080/11038128.2017.1327616. Epub 2017 May 23. PMID: 28535745.

Bailliard, A. L., Dallman, A. R., Carroll, A., Lee, B. D., & Szendrey, S. (2020). Doing Occupational Justice: A Central Dimension of Everyday Occupational Therapy Practice . Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 87(2), 144–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008417419898930

Supplementary Reading

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations
• Occupational Therapy and Human Rights, WFOT
• Creating Capabilities, Martha Nussbaum

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to identify the primary critiques of “occupational injustice.”
• You will be able to recall the basic pillars of “capabilities theory.”

Agenda

Intro (5 minutes)

Breakdown and analysis of journal article (10 minutes)

• Why was this paper written?
• What is occupational injustice?
• What is the history of occupation injustice?
• The manifestations of occupational injustice and related critiques:
  • Occupational deprivation
  • Occupational alienation
  • Occupational imbalance
  • Occupational marginalization
  • Occupational apartheid
• Further overarching critiques
• Advocating for a focus on occupational rights
• Advocating for a capabilities approach
• Authors’ conclusion and recommendations
• Takeaways for OT practitioners

Discussion on practical implications for OTs (with guest Antonia Suszek) (45 minutes)

• Occupational justice is written in our practice framework; should we feel uncomfortable critiquing it?
• Do you think that how we think about justice and injustice impacts the way we show up as OTs?
• Do you find practical value in the concepts behind occupational injustice?
• Did you find capabilities theory to be a helpful framework?
• The article seems to imply that self-critique and reflection are essential in pursuing justice; do you think that is true?
• What are some practical ways we can show up in a more “just” way for our clients?
• What are practical ways we can be involved in changing the systems around us to be more just?
• Moving forward, how do you hope to see the concept of justice guiding the occupational therapy profession?

Contact Hours

1 hour (0.1 AOTA CEUs)

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn more about occupational injustice. The educational level is introductory.

Instructional Methods/Registration/Special Needs Requests/Cancellation Policy

This course is an independent/self-study course delivered via podcast on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play. Explore your listening options on the OT Potential Podcast page.

If you need accommodations to take this course, please contact us and we will address your needs on an individual basis.

If this course were to be cancelled, please see our cancellation policy on our terms page.

Course Completion Requirements

In order to receive a certificate for this course, you must first listen to the podcast in its entirety. Then, you will need to take the test (found at the top of this page) and earn 75% or higher. If you pass, a certificate will be automatically generated and sent to your email.

Speakers

Antonia Suszek, OTR/L, BCPR:

Antonia completed her undergraduate studies in music and religion at St. Olaf College. Before becoming an occupational therapist, she worked to develop leadership skills in young people through cooperative play. She also organized restaurant workers pursuing fair wages, paid sick leave, and equal employment.

While earning her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Rush University in 2014, Antonia was voted the student “who best exemplifies the seven core values and attitudes of occupational therapy practice.” She considers this a step up from being named “most attached to the desk writer” in second grade. Since graduation, Antonia has primarily worked in the acute care setting at Level 1 trauma centers, but she also has some experience in outpatient hand therapy and acute inpatient rehabilitation.

Antonia recently moved back to the Pacific Northwest for the mountains and trees, and she is thrilled to work for an employer who prioritizes healthcare for vulnerable populations.

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L:

Sarah’s passion is helping fellow OT practitioners translate evidence into daily practice. Sarah earned her BA in religion from St. Olaf College, then earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University in 2011. Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital.

In 2011, Sarah launched OT Potential because she realized we needed a reliable source of quality occupational therapy-related content and resources. She has also had the opportunity to create content for brands like WebPT, MedBridge, Saebo, and NeuroLutions.

She launched the OT Potential Club in 2019 to marry her love of simplifying complex topics with her desire to help therapists access the most important OT-related research released each year.

Sarah is a prairie girl at heart, which is why she returned to her hometown to raise her children in Aurora, Nebraska (home of the strobe light).

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Please share any other feedback below! Including, ideas for future programming, and most importantly, how you feel this podcast will impact your practice!

[barb (Barb Tighe-Wilkinson)]

This was a great podcast to start thinking about so I’ll justice as an OT. Working in schools this is framed for teachers, but this resonated more with me. The simple questions to ask make sense as an OT and listening. Simple!, but important.

[lauren1 (Lauren Burns)]

This conversation gave me so much more to think about the scope of justice in OT practice. Good ways to think on a more population and systems level than just day-to-day, one on one with clients I have in my current setting. It also helped me realize that my own work in self-reflection and learning to hear, listen, and be aware of where diverse voices are or are not present in my life help me find and learn more about where injustice lies and how I can be an ally.

[SarahLyon]

Hi Barb! I’m so glad you liked the podcast! And, I’m especially glad that it felt relevant to you in the school setting. I think a good framework- like the one we are heading towards will transcend practice settings!

[SarahLyon]

Hi @lauren1 so great to hear from you! It totally agree with the self-reflection piece. Even as I was saying that on the podcast, I was thinking of some settings I’m in where everyone looks just like me—and there is a need to get more voices at the table.

[sanchala (Sanchala Sen)]

Sarah,
I really liked this podcast- so much to think about for our clients and profession. Antonio is a good speaker and articulated her thoughts well. I especially liked and connected to her words" OT is so unique but we lack the tools/language to articulate its importance". So true.
Recognizing and acknowledging our biases is the first step for change. The whole podcast resonated with me and I learned a lot from it. Thank you both. On a side note, both of you sound alike - calm but enthusiatic voices

[SarahLyon]

Hi @sanchala! I’m so glad this podcast resonated with you—it did with me as well. I always love how @antonia is both thoughtful and candid. I think the shift in frameworks of justice is subtle, but really powerful. And, does impact how we show up for our clients.

I also loved your “calm, but enthusiastic voices” comment!! Such an honor to be compared to Antonia! She is so awesome.

[meg2 (Meg Proctor)]

I loved this episode. Sarah, your intro was so eloquently written. I actually didn’t full decide to go to OT school until I read “A Political Practice of Occupational Therapy,” which introduced me to occupational justice. I wrote a highly political application essay for OT school, which seemed to land (I mean, they let me in at least!). But man, once I got there…I’d use the occupational justice lens to critique things like prisons and eyes would go wide and mouths would shut. Or tell mine to shut. It was not well received.
There is such a huge disconnect between this framework and our actual clinical practices that are, for the most part, billed to insurance and exist within the medical model. We are told to be change agents, but then told more forcefully to maintain the status quo. I appreciate the critique of the model and the questions around if and how we are really applying it.

The other thing that struck me about this shift was the focus on choice. There are so many possible applications here! Just thinking about non-speaking people, access to robust AAC where kids can truly choose what they want to say. And for neurodivergent kids, letting them choose how to authentically move their bodies and how they like to play. It could go on and on. It would be nice to have a framework that is really applicable and that we are truly taught and encouraged to apply. In OT school and clinical practice, it can really feel like swimming upstream.

[SarahLyon]

Why have I never heard of this book? I just put it in my Amazon cart!

A Political Practice of Occupational Therapy: 9780443103919: Medicine &...

I would love to read your highly political application essay! I definitely sought out an OT school that was less focused on the medical model and more focused on community-based interventions. I also scoured websites to find schools that talked about a holistic understanding of health versus the biomechanical model. Then, I remember my application essay was super big-picture and sweeping. I remember having to nix an initial paragraph on occupation and ancient Egypt !

I agree that switch to the focus on choice has implications for so many of our patients. I really hope this framework for understanding justice is finding its way into our OT classrooms. It is so simple and so powerful.