Occupational Therapy Perspectives on Health Care Enablers and Challenges in Serving Black People With IDD

Participatory research in occupational science and therapy seeks to redress the occupational concerns of diverse communities. To explore occupational therapy practitioners’ (OTP) perspectives on health enablers and barriers for Black people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). 23 OTPs, educators, and students participated in a World Café conference session. Participants were prompted to discuss facilitators, barriers, and the influence of OT on the health of Black adults with IDD. Three themes emerged: (a) Negotiating culturally specific and systemic understandings of health, (b) leveraging professional privilege and community partnerships to expand occupational possibilities and access, and (c) confronting implicit bias, racialized ableism, and structural barriers to health care and occupational engagement. OTPs are positioned as institutional agents of possibility and advocacy who can amplify client expertise, critically examine systemic barriers, and co-create health-promotion rooted in clients’ realities. This study contributes to calls for anti-racist, justice-oriented OT praxis.