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It is the position of the Canadian Association of

Occupational Therapists (CAOT) that occupational
therapy services can infuence the health, well-being and
occupational justice of First Nations, Mtis and Inuit
people. Occupational therapists enable people to engage
in everyday living through occupation (Townsend &
Polatajko, 2007). Having an understanding of the
dynamic relationship between the person, occupation,
and environment can uniquely position occupational
therapists to provide effective, compassionate, cultur-
ally safe and collaborative services with Inuit, Metis,
and First Nations. CAOT acknowledges and respects the
importance of collaboration, partnership and relation-
ship building in working with Aboriginal groups.
Recommendations for occupational
therapists:
1. Occupational therapists advocate for and promote
the potential benefts of occupational therapy
among Inuit, Metis, and First Nations.
2. Occupational therapists collaborate with represen-
tatives of Inuit, First Nations, and Mtis to contrib-
ute to the health and social services that respect
diverse needs and are meaningful for clients and
enable the client engagement in everyday
occupations.
3. Occupational therapists promote access to occupa-
tional therapy services for Metis, First Nations, and
Inuit.
4. Occupational therapists educate themselves to en-
able the delivery of culturally safe practices
1
.
5. Occupational therapists encourage members of
aboriginal communities to consider occupational
therapy as a career choice.
CAOT Initiatives
To enable occupational therapists to provide effec-
tive, compassionate, culturally safe and collaborative
services with Inuit, Metis, and First Nations, CAOT will:
1. Identify and develop formal alliances and partner-
ships with key stakeholders in Inuit, Metis, and First
Nations health and social services.
2. Advocate for funding and access to occupational
therapy services for Inuit, Metis, and First Nations.
3. Represent occupational therapy at national forums
related to Inuit, Metis, and First Nations health.
4. Acknowledge the traditional territorial sites at
annual conferences.
5. Provide continuing education and networking
opportunities for occupational therapists to provide
services for Inuit, Metis, and First Nations.
Background
1. There is growing recognition of the need for im-
proving the health of First Nations, Inuit and Mtis
in Canada. The health status of Aboriginal Peoples
is below the national average (Shah, Svoboda &
Goel, 1996). The experience of many Aboriginal
People with the mainstream health care system
has been negative, often due to cultural differences.
Frequently, cultural differences and the inability
of health providers to appropriately address these
differences have contributed to high rates of non-
compliance, reluctance to visit mainstream health
facilities even when service is needed, and feelings
of fear, disrespect and alienation [National Aborigi-
nal Health Organization (NAHO), 2003]. A dominant
discourse on cultural awareness and cultural sensi-
tivity largely focuses on increasing health provider
knowledge of various cultural beliefs or trends
(Papps, 2005).
2. Occupational therapists are committed to promot-
ing an equitable Canadian society through practic-
ing in ways that are accessible, welcoming, mean-
ingful and effective for people from diverse social
and cultural backgrounds (CAOT, 2007). These views
are captured and promoted in the guiding occupa-
tional therapy document entitled, Enabling Occupa-
tion II: Advancing and occupational therapy vision
for health, well-being, & justice through occupation
(Enabling Occupation II) (Townsend & Polatajko,
2007).
3. Occupational therapists understand that collabora-
tion with key stakeholders is critical for the success
of services. Relationships with representatives of
Advancing excellence in
occupational therapy
Promouvoir lexcellence
en ergothrapie
CAOT Position Statement:
Occupational therapy and aboriginal health (2011)
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See CAOTs position statement, entitled, Occupational therapy and cultural safety (2011)
2
Inuit, First Nations, and Mtis that respect diverse
needs are necessary to ensure that services are
meaningful for clients (individuals, families, groups,
communities, organizations or populations).
4. Occupational therapys core competency is one of
enablement. Our enablement foundations include
our interests, values, beliefs, ideas, concepts, critical
perspectives, and concerns that shape enablement
reasoning and priorities (Townsend & Polatajko,
2007, p. 100). These foundations are conducive with
a community development perspective and at the
same time provide guidelines of what this should
look like. These foundations consist of key concepts:
choice, risk and responsibility, client participation,
vision of possibility, change, justice, and power shar-
ing (Townsend and Polatajko, 2007).
Defnitions
Cultural safety: refers to what is felt or experienced
by a patient when a health care provider commu-
nicates with the patient in a respectful, inclusive
way, empowers the patient in decision-making
and builds a health care relationship where the
patient and provider work together as a team to
ensure maximum effectiveness of care. Culturally
safe encounters require that health care providers
treat patient s with the understanding that not all
individuals in a group act the same way or have the
same beliefs (NAHO, 2003).
Culturally unsafe practice: refers to any actions that
diminish, demean or disempower the cultural iden-
tity and well being of an individual. (NAHO, 2006)
Client-centred practice: Is based on enablement foun-
dations and employs facilitation skills in a collab-
orative relationship with clients to advance a vision
of health, well being, and justice through occupa-
tion. (Townsend & Polatajko, 2007) Client-centred
occupational therapists demonstrate concern for
clients, involve clients in decision-making, advocate
with and for clients needs, and otherwise recognize
clients experience and knowledge (CAOT, 2002;
2002a).
Clients: In occupational therapy clients may be
individuals, families, groups, communities, organi-
zations, or populations who participate in occupa-
tional therapy services by direct referral or contract,
or by other service and funding arrangements with
a team, group, or agency that includes occupational
therapy (Townsend & Polatajko, 2007).
Occupational therapy: Is the art and science of
enabling engagement in everyday living, through
occupation; of enabling people to perform the oc-
cupations that foster health and well-being; and of
enabling a just and inclusive society so that all peo-
ple may participate to their potential in the daily
occupations of life (Townsend & Polatajko, 2007).
CAOT gratefully acknowledges and thanks NAHO
for the support offered in the development of this
preliminary draft position statement.
References
Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. (2002).
Enabling occupation: An occupational therapy perspective.
Ottawa, ON: CAOT Publications ACE.
Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (2007). Profle
of occupational therapy practice in Canada. Ottawa, ON:
CAOT Publications ACE.
National Aboriginal Health Organization. (2003). Analysis of ab-
original health careers education and training opportunities.
Ottawa: National Aboriginal Health Organizations.
National Aboriginal Health Organizations. (2006). Fact Sheet:
Cultural Safety. Retrieved from: www.naho.ca/english/docu-
ments/Culturalsafetyfactsheet.pdf
Papps, E. (2005). Cultural safety: Daring to be different. In D.
Wepa (Ed.), Cultural Safety in Aotearoa New Zealand (pp. 20-
28). Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Shah, C.P., Svoboda, T., and Goel, S. (1996). The visiting lecture-
ship on aboriginal health: An educational initiative of the
University of Toronto. Canadian Journal of Public Health.
87(4): 272-74.
Townsend, E. & Polatajko, H. (2007). Enabling Occupation II:
Advancing an Occupational Therapy Vision for Advancing
Health,Well-Being and Justice through Occupation.
Position statements are on political, ethical and social issues that impact on client welfare, the profession of
occupational therapy or CAOT. If they are to be distributed past two years of the publication date, please contact the
Director of Professional Practice, CAOT National Offce, CTTC Building, Suite 3400, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON
K1S 5R1. Tel. (613) 523-2268 or E-mail: practice@caot.ca.