World Federation Of Occupational Therapists

As a class we were asked to read an article written by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists position on human rights. http://www.nzaot.com/downloads/contribute/HumanRightsPositionStatementFinal.pdf

The World Federation of Occupational Therapists? “The World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) is the key international representative for Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy around the world and the official international organization for the promotion of Occupational Therapy. Founded in 1952, WFOT currently has 66 member associations.” I have to mention this but it’s embarrassing to do so, and that is. I can’t believe I’ve never paid attention to WFOT. I’ve seen the acronym WFOT here and there but I’ve never paid attention to who they really are and what they stand for. They are essentially the root and core definers of the career I’m currently pursuing but I didn’t know about them. I have to admit that to be disappointing on my behalf, but like Maya Angelou says “when you know better, you do better” I hadn’t known about the federation then, but now that I do it’s important that I get to understand what they stand for and understand how I can adapt and adopt their belief system into making it beneficial for me as a student, for me as a therapist in the future and for the clients I will be working with currently and in the future.

For me to find out about  WFOT was enlightening because it helped me realize that there is a greater group of terrific minds that are centered on improving, empowering and constantly enabling individuals the same way I hope to do so. it also reminded me that this “crazy” idea that I have of wanting to change the world through OT does not lie on my shoulders and that it’s safe to want to change the world through OT because there is already of group of people on the same mind path as I am. Seeing OT”s doing their job individually (whether at the hospital or school or wherever they may be based) is inspiring, but that inspiration is to a greater extent when having to realize that there are people so passionate about inflicting change in the world they have actually formed a group that has existed just over 60 years that have been doing it.

When reading the WFOT position on human rights, what I concur with and what I liked most was the emphases on occupation as a RIGHT and a need for individuals because for me this then added a new light to what I understand about occupational therapists. And that is, occupational therapists not only help individuals engage in meaningful purposeful activity because it’s what they want to, or need or have to do. But most importantly it’s because OT’s understand that it’s their RIGHT to do so, It’s every individual’s right to participate, to be supported when doing so and in participation be given the platform to do it freely without any form of societal, religious, spiritual, cultural, or environmental barriers to that occupation.

Visit the WFOT website:
http://www.wfot.org/