Responses of the Occupational Therapy Profession to the Perspective of the Disability Movement, Part 2

Abstract

In part 1 of this article, the origins and development of the disability movement were described. The movement's perspective of a social model of disability and its critique of the adoption of a medical model of practice by the rehabilitation professions were discussed. The evolving professional philosophy of the occupational therapy profession was explored. In part 2, the explicit responses of the occupational therapy profession in the UK and in the USA to the concerns of the disability movement are described. The implications for the philosophy and practice of occupational therapy of the adoption of a social model of disability in appropriate interventions are discussed. The conclusion is reached that the occupational therapy profession has yet to debate fully the validity of the social model of disability for appropriate areas of professional practice. The author foresees two major effects of its adoption: a clarification of the philosophical base underpinning such practice and a changed professional role.