Politics of owning our public voice

Growing up, I gathered that politics amounts to a whole lot talk, talk, talk. And we all know talk is cheap. Or is it?

Owning our public voice makes us accountable. It might be costly. It might start small, private, safe only to hurl us into public space where our convictions will be tested and tried. 

It’s comfortable in a crowd. We can be invisible. We can complain. We can feel personal responsibility when it’s convenient. It seems to cost little, however OT pays the price for this by being governed by our proverbial inferiors.

Another’s public voice may make us squirm with cognitive dissonance with the countless disparities between what we value and our daily choices that shape our use of power. Or the public deconstructing and reconstructing may spur us on with a new vision of what is possible when we’re ready to own our public voice.

Talk like this isn’t cheap, here’s the challenge from the coordination team:

• Examine and clinical ruts and professional borders in light of the “why” of OT
• Embrace the cognitive dissonance between what OT is and what it should be
• Enlist others in dialogue as you test out your voice and vision
• Equip students and colleagues to own the future of their profession
• Extend your voice from a conversation, to a meeting, to an article etc
• Encourage those publicly championing OT
• Email OOFRAS to share your journey