Understanding and Advancing Occupational Justice and Social Inclusion

Abstract

Occupational justice emerged in the discursive terrain of occupational therapy and occupational science over two decades ago. Occupational justice differs from social justice in its orientation toward a recognition of differences in levels of capabilities between individuals and groups which enable or constrain occupational participation. Recognizing such difference, therefore, predicates the need to mobilize different types of resources to support participation and, inter alia, social inclusion. There are three main sections to this chapter. First, the chapter defines and presents a discussion of occupational justice and tracks its development over time as a significant discourse with salience across disciplines. Second, it defines and discusses occupational injustice with a focus on occupational deprivation as a prevalent, often institutionally linked, phenomenon and highlights some lived experiences of thisthrough the presentation of narrative data from a study undertaken by the authors. Finally, it focuses on how occupational justice can be advanced and the ends of social inclusion achieved, through presenting the Participatory Occupational Justice Framework. In all sections, mini case stories – in text boxes, highlighting the application of the concepts through lived experiential accounts – are included to enhance practitioner utilization across diverse contexts.