Working With Marginalized Populations

Abstract

This Eleanor Clarke Slagle lecture describes the author’s work with marginalized populations, including homeless adults with mental illness, premature aging conditions, and poor literacy; women who became homeless as a result of domestic violence; children in impoverished, urban school systems reading below grade level; and adults with severe and chronic mental illness that impeded their ability to secure employment, housing, and independent community living. The author illustrates how and why occupational therapy practitioners should become part of the primary care team that evaluates the impact of multiple disorders on marginalized populations’ daily life activities, provides services to optimize community participation, and provides environmental modifications to enhance safety and function.