What is Otion?
The Occupational Therapy International Outreach Network is…
- A grass roots initiative to promote outreach to areas of need by forming partnerships using the internet.
A grass roots initiative…
A group of Australian occupational therapists andstudents, with experience and interest in working in developing countries, met in April 1999 at the OT Australia National Conference in Canberra. They saw a need to foster communication between occupational therapists interested and involved in working in developing countries.They wanted to promote greater awareness of the needs and opportunities in this area among the wider occupational therapy profession. A small group of volunteers, led by Elise Newton, took on the challenge of turning a concept into reality.
Thus OTION was born.
OT Australia endorsed OTION in November 1999. In May 2000 the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) agreed to support it, and incorporated the network within its International Cooperation Program.
Since its development, OTION has received continued support and encouragement from occupational therapists world wide, demonstrating considerable 'grass roots' interest within the profession.
To promote outreach…
OTION is guided by a spirit of 'outreach'. By sharing information and resources it seeks to minimise imbalances in access to occupational therapy services not only between 'developed' and 'developing' countries, but also within individual countries.
OTION aims to raise awareness among occupational therapists of this inequality, and to provide practical ways in which everyone can help. OTION recognises that some occupational therapists are interested in working in currently under-serviced areas themselves, whilst others would prefer to provide support from home.
OTION aims to promote outreach to currently under-serviced populations by
- raising awareness of the needs of these groups among the profession;
- encouraging occupational therapists to work towards meeting these needs; and
- providing access to the necessary support, information and resources for occupational therapists to carry out this work in the best possible way.
To areas of need…
Some sectors of the world's population are well serviced by occupational therapists, and others clearly are not. Bangladesh, for example, has fewer than five occupational therapists to service a population of over 60 million people. But disadvantaged groups, with limited access to health services, can be found in all countries. For example: refugees, indigenous minorities, street children, prisoners, child prostitutes, the poor…
Another group which shares this view is DOLPHIN, an initiative of a group of European occupational therapists. DOLPHIN works from an 'occupational justice' perspective, viewing access to meaningful occupation as part of a basic human right to health. Read more about DOLPHIN by clicking here.
By forming partnerships…
The key to achieving OTION's objective of 'outreach' is to provide a forum for communication and information exchange, and hence to enable the formation of partnerships. Many occupational therapists are interested in working in developing countries and with marginalised client groups, but are unsure how to get started. Other occupational therapists have a wealth of experience but are not accessible. Occupational therapists currently working in developing countries and with marginalised client groups do not have a strong voice within the international occupational therapy profession. OTION aims to provide a forum to bring these groups together, and hopes that this may result in:
- support and development of the work of occupational therapists in under-serviced areas;
- closer working relationships between occupational therapists in 'developed' and 'developing' countries, and occupational therapists working with well resourced and under-resourced client groups;
- facilitation of research, and support for new initiatives;
- further development of the knowledge base for occupational therapy service provision in these areas, through discussion and information exchange;
- improved access to occupational therapists who have experience in these areas, in order to enable the profession to respond proactively to requests as they arise; and
- the capacity to encourage occupational therapists to work in these areas, and support them in their endeavours.
OTION also provides an opportunity to form partnerships beyond the world of occupational therapy. Having a visible network makes it possible to raise the profile of occupational therapy, and educate key stakeholders within the international community of the role that occupational therapists can play.
Using the internet…
The internet makes the dream of a global network a practical possibility. By establishing this website we can create a borderless meeting place for OTION. We do acknowledge, however, that although access to the internet is increasing rapidly, it is the very populations which we are targeting where this is often less readily available and less reliable. To us, this poses a challenge rather than a barrier.
The OTION website is designed to:
- Provide a central point for information and resources related to the practice of occupational therapy in developing countries and other client groups. It will be set up with the needs of therapists in isolated areas in mind, so they can use the OTION website as a 'stepping stone' to other internet based resources;
- Facilitate networking among OTION members. For example, the member database will allow users to search for other occupational therapists who are working, or have worked, in a particular country, clinical area, or with a particular organisation. It will then be possible to make contact with that person directly via email;
- Enable discussion between OTION members through the Forums and/or email list;
- Provide information about opportunities to work or volunteer in developing countries and other areas of need. The website will provide links to existing government and non-government programs, as well as notify members of opportunities sourced within the profession itself.
