Our Beginnings

Clarissa's Account

Following Gail Whiteford’s paper on the occupational deprivation of refugees and asylum seekers at the 2003 OT Australia conference I asked a question. "How’s the profession responded to these occupational needs?" I was a green newgraduate, but other than individual, isolated and add- hoc initiatives, I couldn't detect a professional response to global refugee issues.  

So in the tea break, with encouragement from Jeanette Isaacs-Young, I typed a position paper outlining occupation as a human right, including refugees in detention centres. The simple challenge is below:

Position Statement & Challenge to Occupational Therapists

  • Occupation is essential for life and health. As such, occupation is a basic human right.
  • In Australia today, there are communities that suffer occupational deprivation and the inevitable detrimental health consequences.
  • As occupation is our core business, the occupational deprivation, alienation and disruption experienced by communities of detained asylum seekers, prisoners of war and war survivors are matters of professional and ethical concern.
  • We challenge occupational therapists who endorse this position statement to: 1. Make contact to initiate collaboration 2. Consider working together to draw out and articulate the research to support the initiation of an occupational therapy role in Australian detention centers. 3. Together seek avenues to support current pilot programs and continued role development in Australian detention centers.
  • Interested? Phone Jeanette: mobile and work provided or Email Clarissa: work email provided

Vigorous conversations ensued as the paper was circulated during conference drinks. I was told that whilst the profession did have an obligation to respond but was “not ready”.  And that in all likelihood, it would not respond even if the Department of Immigration directly asked for OTs.

Follow up conversations with OTs refined these impressions. OTs felt overwhelmed - what can one OT do? Some felt lost - where and how to begin? Others felt unprepared - what do I need to know? And they felt alone - where can I go support?

So OOFRAS was born to inspire, empower and equip OTs for refugee initiatives.

We started with a clear idea of where we wanted to go, but had no idea about how to get there. We started with raw enthusiasm, but no more than naïve political intuition. But that’s ok, we're on our way.

Where would the world be if no one did anything till they knew what they were doing?
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