Concepts in dispute in occupational therapy

Abstract

The proposal for a Research Fellowship Abroad (BPE) is presented as part of the activities related to the project "Concepts in Dispute in Occupational Therapy". The research project is based at UFSCar, in partnership with Dr. Debbie Lalibierte-Rudman, Western University, Canada. The activity plan for BPE is scheduled for the period from February to August/2024. The project proposes the discussion of the concepts that underlie the occupational therapy area for carrying out its actions. It is justified by the increase debates around the theoretical-methodological diversity rooted locally, which involves histories, cultures, and vocabularies. Starting from the concepts about the locus of professional action: human activity, occupation, daily life and ways of life, as well as those related to the purpose of the action: occupational engagement, social insertion/inclusion, emancipation/autonomy and social participation; its plurality is defended to express diverse manifestations and variations of the profession around the world. Based on Social Occupational Therapy and Critical Occupational Science, a debate is proposed on the concepts of social insertion/inclusion and social participation as those that inform occupational-therapeutic actions in social life. This process will be carried out through: a) conceptual review of the literature about the productions on the concepts of insertion/inclusion and social participation; b) conducting thematic debates with researchers, in order to create conceptual syntheses that inform the profession. It is expected that the project will contribute with greater methodological rigor for the profession, as well as with developments in the foundation of its contemporary practice in the face of the social challenges experienced, for which there is a growing demand for technical-professional action. (AU)