Promoting Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Through Caring Communities: Why It Matters to Occupational Therapy.

Abstract

The global challenges humanity faces today, such as social and economic inequalities, occupational deprivation, racism, exclusion, displacement and migration crises, violence, wars, and political oppression, all contribute to health and participation inequities (Powell & Toppin, 2021). The depth and breadth of these inequities became strikingly evident and were exacerbated with the coronavirus 2019 pandemic (Khanijahani et al., 2021). More than ever before, we need to apply an occupational perspective to create caring communities that strengthen each person's sense of belonging (Beagan, 2015; Lavalley & Johnson, 2020; Mahoney & Kiraly-Alvarez, 2019). In this column, we argue that occupational therapy academic programs have a unique role in advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion through the creation of caring communities.