McCam Child Care & Development Centre

This blog is Part II of previously posted blog. "The Role of Occupational Therapists as advocates for persons with disabilities (PWDs) – a report on promoting SRH for AWDs in Jamaica" The following report is an example of the role that I was asked to play as an occupational therapist in making a difference in the delivery of health care to adolescents with disabilities. In advocating for this change, I had to engage providers at all levels, that is, from the community to the policy level and vice versa. In 2003, the GOJ/EC/UNFPA agreed on an approach to poverty alleviation and a millennium goal which involved the introduction of contraceptives in family planning, the safe delivery of babies for both mother and baby and the control of STIs . The youths were targeted as a core group to be educated on issues related to their sexual and reproductive health and to advocate for the practice of safe sex. For the first time, this national programme also included adolescents with...

This blog is a paper wirtten by the Programme Director of McCam Centre Mrs. Pauline Watson Campbell, OT MSc, for the 9th Biennual Conference on Occupational Therapy presented by the Assocation Of Caribbean Occupational Therapist (ACOT). "The Role of Occupational Therapists as advocates for persons with disabilities (PWDs) – a report on promoting SRH for AWDs in Jamaica" This paper is not based on a theoretical model or framework. It is a composite of my experience as an advocate for persons with disabilities in Jamaica. It is clear to me that as an occupational therapist in a situation where there are limited resources and ignorance surrounding the needs of persons with disabilities, one cannot avoid adopting an attitude of advocating for improvement in the situation surrounding people’s lives. Advocacy is the pursuit of influencing outcomes — including public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions — that ...