Resources, Websites and Blogs About Social Justice
(Look for more content and resources to be added in the coming days, weeks and months)
In 2005 I was invited to be part of a panel presentation at the 2006 American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) Pi Theta Epsilon (PTE) Colloquium, “Health Disparities and Social Justice: Empowering Clients to Facilitate Participation,” at the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Annual Conference & Exposition. I presented the outcomes of a research and demonstration project, "Enabling Self-Determination in Persons Living with HIV/AIDS," a federally funded project I conducted with Gary Kielhofner, DrPH, OTR/L. This along with conversations that I had with Dr. Kielhofner and Brother Felix Bettendorf of the Alexian Brothers' AIDS Ministry started me on my journey to understand the meaning and centrality of social justice within occupational therapy. This journey has been exhilarating, enlightening, and sometimes exhausting. I have learned much about the values and views of others and of myself.
I recognize that for some persons the term social justice elicits strong partisan thinking and reaction and that no matter what logic or explanation I provide, I will not convince them that I am not being partisan in my thinking or intent. Still, I remain committed to finding the common ground on which persons with varying political orientations can stand to promote equitable access to resources and to eliminate systematic discrimination and health disparities. To this end I offer this definition of social justice. “Social justice is a broad term that encompasses several interrelated concepts, such as equality, empowerment, fairness in the relationship between people and the government, equal opportunity, and equal access to resources and goods” (Braveman and Suarez-Balcazar, 2009, p. 13 ).
Resources on this page are intended to enlighten, but I make no promise of providing equal space for different perspectives. There are many places in which to engage in debate, my webpage is not intended to be one of them.
Braveman, B. & Suarez-Balcazar, Y. (2009). Social Justice and Resource Utilization in a Community-Based Organization: A Case Illustration of the Role of the Occupational Therapist. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63 (1), 13-23.
I recognize that for some persons the term social justice elicits strong partisan thinking and reaction and that no matter what logic or explanation I provide, I will not convince them that I am not being partisan in my thinking or intent. Still, I remain committed to finding the common ground on which persons with varying political orientations can stand to promote equitable access to resources and to eliminate systematic discrimination and health disparities. To this end I offer this definition of social justice. “Social justice is a broad term that encompasses several interrelated concepts, such as equality, empowerment, fairness in the relationship between people and the government, equal opportunity, and equal access to resources and goods” (Braveman and Suarez-Balcazar, 2009, p. 13 ).
Resources on this page are intended to enlighten, but I make no promise of providing equal space for different perspectives. There are many places in which to engage in debate, my webpage is not intended to be one of them.
Braveman, B. & Suarez-Balcazar, Y. (2009). Social Justice and Resource Utilization in a Community-Based Organization: A Case Illustration of the Role of the Occupational Therapist. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63 (1), 13-23.
The Urban Institute was founded in 1968 to understand the problems facing America’s cities and assess the programs of the War on Poverty. The mission of the Urban Institute is to open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions through economic and social policy research. Find the Urban Institute at http://www.urban.org/
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This PDF includes the presentation given on April 1, 2017 at the AOTA Annual Conference & Exposition in Philadelphia, PA titled, "Health Disparities, Social Justice and Occupational Therapy Interventions: Exploration and Application of Key Concepts.
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(Last updated 4/4/17)