The WFOT Position Paper on Community-based Rehabilitation: A Call upon the Profession to Engage with People Affected by Occupational Apartheid

Abstract

The World Federation of Occupational Therapists’ (WFOT’s) position paper on community-based rehabilitation (CBR) was the first of the kind in its 52 year history, a significant indicator of the importance of CBR approaches with the increasing professional interest in social justice and socio-political barriers to participation in dignified and meaningful occupations as a human right. The authors describe the primary health care roots of CBR and critically discuss potential occupational therapy roles in the CBR strategies for inclusive community development. CBR enables the exposition of links between poverty, disability, and other hidden issues. The WFOT CBR project is presented as stemming from the perception that disability can be rethought as a social and development issue incorporating inclusion and individual needs based around occupation. The potential outcomes from the adoption of CBR are explored through the political Activities of Daily Living (pADL) tool, which is used to propose further strategic actions for WFOT, and occupational therapy practitioners, educators and researchers.

Keywords:

• professional roles
• occupational development
• politics
• participatory approaches
• human rights