Jaime Daniel Leite Junior(he/him)

Starting with the foundation established by Black feminist scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, intersectionality has been adopted and adapted within various disciplinary contexts. The purpose of this chapter is to present the origin, key principles, and current use of intersectionality theory and to consider its contribution to understanding occupation and occupational therapy by addressing its key postulations and constructs. As further discussed below, integrating an intersectionality lens in occupational therapy and occupational science is relatively recent. There is a growing recognition in the occupation-based literature of the need to examine intersections of diverse social positionings. More recent studies have also begun extending the analysis beyond an initial focus on race and gender. Explicitly applying an intersectionality lens to occupation-based knowledge, theories, and frameworks can further advance understanding of how diverse identities intersect within power structures and the implications of these complex intersections for occupation.

Introduction. Occupational therapists are tasked with developing technical, political, and ethical actions that address the suffering and isolation of diverse groups, particularly those historically marginalized. This study focuses on gender and sexual dissidences – a term encompassing individuals who exist beyond or outside of identity categories (such as lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, among others).

Objectives. To present an overview of the practices of occupational therapists in Brazil with the population who experience dissidence of gender and sexuality.

Method. Data were collected through an online survey using snowball sampling, initially reaching out to seed informants, professional entities, and social media networks. Data organization, analysis, and discussion were conducted using descriptive statistics, supplemented by the theoretical background of social occupational therapy, queer studies, and critical occupational science.

Results. Ninety-five responses were analyzed, with informants reporting various motivations for their involvement with the topic, including personal and familial affinities and needs encountered within their professional contexts. A wide array of practices emerged, developed from distinct approaches across various professional domains. These were grouped into four main categories: individual consultations, group consultations, academic activities, and network articulation. Despite the relevance of theoretical-methodological frameworks, informants infrequently mentioned studies specifically addressing gender, sexuality, or occupational therapy in their responses.

Conclusion: While contributions to the population who experience dissidence of gender and sexuality were noted, we identified no practices explicitly tailored to these populations or themes. Occupational therapists predominantly employ resources aligned with their core professional training and general education.

Keywords. Sexual and gender minorities; Professional Practice; Occupational Therapy; Social Occupational Therapy; Critical Occupational Science.

Committed to the necessity of international dialogues in occupational therapy and occupational science, we have developed a proposal for alliance between social occupational therapy and critical occupational science based on a series of theoretical dialogues between Brazilian and Canadian researchers. Through these dialogues, we have aimed to understand and propose contributions that articulate the shared intent of social transformation enhancing social justice of these disciplines. While acknowledging points of difference, we propose an alliance based on points of convergence, including emergence from concerns related to justice and equity; development coming from the ‘margins’; mobilization of critical social theory to orient knowledge production and question power relations within and outside the discipline and the profession; and an intent to work towards social justice, especially with marginalized groups. Our key arguments are informed by theoretical concepts from three authors: Judith Butler’s conceptualizations of vulnerability, precarity, and alliance; Nancy Fraser’s propositions regarding social justice; and Paulo Freire’s concept of dialogue. Through dialogue that recognizes and respects different knowledges and practices, an alliance is produced toward social justice, one that aims to realize more complex theoretical and practical resources for critical thinking about social reality. In turn, possibilities for apprehending how different oppressions impact and influence the possibilities of living can be expanded, informing approaches to building inhabitable worlds and proposing practices of freedom with persons and communities facing oppression.

Keywords. Occupational science; Occupational therapy; Social justice; Dialogue; Critical thinking; Coalition

Paulo Freire’s work is important to support the praxis of Social Occupational Therapy. The purpose of this study is to expand the scope and deepen the character of the academic presence of Paulo Freire in Social Occupational Therapy. A scoping review was carried out as a methodological approach, including studies published in four Brazilian journals and three international databases. The searches were conducted only in Portuguese; no year parameters were stipulated. The review considered articles published at any time up to February 2023. A total of 18 studies with Freire’s works in their references were included; “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” and “Education, the Practice of Freedom” are the works that mostly appeared in the articles included. The refinement of the Freirean categories was carried out, and 42 categories were verified: conscientization, eleven times, transformation/transformative action, and praxis/ action-reflection, both ten times. With the data obtained in the study, it was possible to verify the increase in the number of publications in Social Occupational Therapy that use Freire’s theoretical framework. The author’s work has contributed significantly to the construction of a problematizing and emancipating Social Occupational Therapy.

Keywords. social change, occupational therapy, education

The purpose of this chapter is unapologetically to further one of the goals of global racialised communities: ending racism. Farias et al. (2020, p: 243) explains that the “… racialisation of life and the production of racial inequality permeates the everyday life of all agents, whether those who suffer violence, whether those who practice and/or legitimise violence, or those who watch them”. Measuring antiracism is a small aspect but necessary action of the antiracism approach, yet it does not follow that racism with its roots in colonialism is easily circumscribable nor open to being scrutinised and grappled with. This chapter will argue why and how measures of antiracism require nothing less than the collaborative strength of collectives using multiple strategies across multiple spheres of influence to bring transformation. We outline a stepwise antiracism programme that includes honest identification of sites of racism, bespoke and contextualised plans, in full and transparent collaboration with expert collectives. As antiracism and decolonisation are entirely contextual, we do not endorse standardised antiracism measures, closed protocols, or universals. Thus, the critical question that guides this chapter is: How can we suggest possibilities for an antiracist praxis in occupational therapy, considering different contexts, breaking with an universalist approach?

The heteronormative relations are placed in rurality in specific ways, bringing challenges to the experience of dissident sexualities. This article aimed to comprehend the relations of social markers of difference that permeate the territory and sexuality. This is a qualitative research, which uses semi-structured interviews and seeks to comprehend the narratives of a young, homosexual and black man who lived in rural territory, constituting there material, affective and subjective bonds. The heterosexism, compulsory heterosexuality and heteronormativity led the young man to leave their home territory, causing deterritorialization. It was concluded that the trajectory of this young man is marked by the no place, where it was not possible to be constituted as gay in the rural nor fully experience their sexuality in the city, given the urbanocentrism that marks contemporary society.

Keywords. homosexuality; homophobia; rural population; migration; social markers of difference.

Importance. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other dissident gender and sexuality (LGBTQIA+) population is prone to experiencing violence and social deprivation. Although occupational therapy research and practice has addressed populations experiencing various forms of discrimination, few studies have focused on the LGBTQIA+ population as an area of concern.

Objective. To map, characterize, and analyze peer-reviewed journal articles related to the LGBTQIA+ population in the occupational therapy literature.

Data Sources. We searched for journal articles published up to December 2021 indexed in the Virtual Health Library, CINAHL, SciELO Citation Index, SCOPUS, and Web of Science.

Study Selection and Data Collection. We used Arksey and O’Malley’s methodology and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) extension for scoping reviews. Included articles articulated occupational therapy practice, education, research, and theoretical analysis in relation to LGBTQIA+.

Findings. Forty-three articles published from 1987 to 2021 met the inclusion criteria. They included 28 research articles, 9 reflection articles, 3 experience reports, and 3 literature reviews.

Conclusions and Relevance. Articles primarily offered general recommendations and possible professional contributions. More studies that seek to ascertain the effectiveness and limitations of occupational therapy practice with the LGBTQIA+ population are needed. With its diverse theoretical and methodological assumptions, occupational therapy can offer support so that professionals can alleviate these people’s suffering in oppressive conditions and contribute to a more just society.

This article discusses the expressions of gender in the care and prevention process of COVID-19 and seeks to explain the manifestations of sexism in issues related to the changes in daily life caused by the pandemic, in addition to reflecting on the possibilities of actions of occupational therapy in this context. The investigation presented in this article unfolded from a broader project, entitled: “Inequalities and vulnerabilities in the COVID-19 epidemic: monitoring, analysis, and recommendations”, carried out between May and November 2020, whose general objective was to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in more vulnerable neighborhoods of the municipalities where the study was carried out. The methodology was based on the use of material produced in the field research process; this is a qualitative study that focused on the information obtained through conversation circles, interviews, application of questionnaires, the production of reports and field diaries, and the articulation of this material with theoretical references that favor social occupational therapy and gender studies. Among the results, it’s possible to highlight the different ways in which men and women comprehended the period and established their ways of life in the pandemic, in addition to the different attitudes and behaviors towards the care necessary to prevent COVID-19. The critique of hegemonic masculinity allows for an accumulation of knowledge that favors the development of interventional processes, such as the carrying out of activity workshops and conversation circles that aim to soften the reflexes of this thought on society.

Keywords. Occupational Therapy, Gender Studies, Masculinity, COVID-19, Disease Prevention, Sexism.

Educational indicators from Brazil show a sensible increase in the participation of black women in higher education; however, when it comes to courses considered to be of high prestige, they are even more at a disadvantage. This tendency is expressed in their everyday lives, demanding from these female students an additional effort to overcome racism. This research aimed to understand the impacts of racism on the social participation of black female undergraduate students in the university and the ways of facing it. This is a qualitative study, carried out at a public university in the state of Alagoas, which adheres only to the social quota system. The data production has occurred through a focus group with six black female undergraduate students, from three distinct health undergraduate courses by the university, who self-declared blacks. The data produced were analyzed using the thematic analysis technique, being presented and discussed from three categories: Difficulties related to access and stay at the university; Expressions of racism in university everyday life; and Strategies to fight against racism. Difficulties in the entry and trajectory of these black women in higher education were perceived, which were crossed by the markers of gender, race, and class. The need for affirmative policies in the university context is reinforced and theoretical deepening and reflection on the theme is suggested.

Keywords. Women, Racism, Education, Higher.

This essay presents an analysis of the contributions of black memories within Occupational Therapy field — highlighting the story of Yvonne Lara. Yvonne Lara was a nurse, social worker and specialist in Occupational Therapy. From the 1940s, her practices aimed to care for people with mental disorders using music as a therapeutic activity and working in cooperation with families and communities in her efforts to deinstitutionalize individuals. The article discusses the innovation of these care practices bearing in mind the hegemony of the organicist current and the asylum-based model that marked psychiatry at that time. It is argued that the salvaging of Yvonne's history is central to the historical reconstruction of the profession, turning from the racist epistemicide against the contributions of the knowledge of black people. Herein, we seek to give visibility to individuals who were marginalized by official narratives and to build an epistemic diversity in the field, which we denominate the becoming-black of Occupational Therapy.

Keywords. Racism, African Continental Ancestry Group, History of Public Health, Occupational Therapy/History.

Social occupational therapy has been located throughout history as a subarea that is built in Brazil, mainly on the emergence of studying, researching, and questioning themes related to the social contradictions and injustices of capitalist society, proposing occupational therapy’s actions that seek to face them. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the chasms created by these contradictions have become increasingly evident, nationally and globally, given the existing structural inequality. The population in social vulnerability is the most impacted by its effects, given the absence and/or insufficiency of resources, prevention strategies, and/or treatment of the disease in their everyday lives, associated with the difficulties of executing social isolation, maintaining employment, and income, as well as less access to health and basic sanitation. Given this, it is understood that macrosocial issues are directly related to the development of the disease and the way it affects different groups. In this way, it is emphasized the importance of the contributions of occupational social therapy, within the scope of research and/or intervention, based on thinking/doing that embraces the wants and needs of individuals and groups, which problematizes the impacts of structural inequalities in everyday life, what strengthens life-affirming movements, autonomy, citizenship, and rights. Finally, promoting strategies for equality and recognition, in the democratization of the possibilities of continuing life in the pandemic and beyond.

Keywords. Occupational Therapy/Trends, Coronavirus Infections, Pandemics, Social Vulnerability, Social Occupational Therapy.

Race has been constituted as an historical, social and political determinant which produces racial inequality. This has limited the black population in their participation and social insertion. This essay aims to bring reflections about the emergency of an anti-racist training and practice in occupational therapy, being the social occupational therapy the methodological and theoretical reference. First, it was conducted a narrative review searching for works about occupational therapy and black population, to start the debate. It was identified the incipience of the discussion about the theme, which requires qualitative and quantitative advances. In this little universe, the productions of social occupational therapy have a highlight. About the training, despite the limitations of the nationals and internationals guidelines on theme’s approach, it is understood that there are official documents addressing the necessity of training that consider specific social groups, but is important for these guidelines to treat the questions involving the black population more evidently. Considering the practice, it is understood that there is a possibility of intervention by means of the occupational therapy, headed to anti-racist praxis, contributing for justice and racial equality, where black people have recognition and access to their rights, with opportunity to acknowledge themselves as able to carry out transformative moments, in the macro and microsocial dimension. Despite the limitations, it is important to recognize the need of debating this theme and the potential of our actions, so as to join forces to continue searching for a technical-political praxis, which besides of not being racist, is anti-racist.

Keywords. Occupational therapy; training; professional practice; black population; racism.

In a racially unequal society, black people experience everyday life crossed by the manifestations of racism, which is historical, structural and institutional. Thus, the problems that involve this population are important for occupational therapy, which focuses on people's participation in everyday life. We aim to incite some provocations searching for an open dialogue and invitation to occupational therapists to enter the themes that involve the black population in their practices and knowledge production. Our reflection begins with the understanding that the reality of black people are marked by social asphyxiation and the genocide of children and young people, causing movements like the Black Lives Matter worldwide, including in Brazil. Afterwards, we highlight that the context of racism linked to the abyss of inequality and accentuated by the pandemic of COVID-19 provokes the policy of death directed to the black population. Sequentially, we pointed the need for this debate, enabling the construction of assistance and knowledge production committed with emancipatory practices; and we highlight the expansion of the number of groups focused on this debate, enabling the construction of different knowledge about and for the black population and technical-political actions for occupational therapy. Finally, we point out that the anti-racist practice of occupational therapy is an ethical, political and technical determinant for carrying out actions that look for racial and social justice in the lives of black and non-black population, in a racialized society.

Keywords. Black Population; Occupational Therapy; Racism.

The social life is organized on normative models according to genders and sexualities. Considering the forces that go through and determine it is a condition for occupational therapists to act from the perspective of citizenship with the populations that are opposite to the meanings and materiality of heteronormativity. Thus, this essay aims to produce reflections anchored in social occupational therapy that help to understand the constant attacks on the rights of the dissident people in genders and sexualities and how these situations of violence cross their everyday life and the praxis of occupational therapists with these populations. To this end, it takes as its starting point the debate on the crisis of contemporary Brazilian democracy, located from the impeachment coup of President Dilma Rousseff and the presidential successions with conservative and undemocratic agendas. Then, the bills that are materializing such controlling and disciplinary agendas of society are identified and discussed. Finally, there is a debate on how these problems lead to impediments and invisibilizations of performative activities in the various everyday life of dissident people in genders and sexualities.

Keywords. State, Gender, Citizenship, Occupational Therapy/Trends, Sexuality.

The population that finds on the streets an alternative for their own survival and for sorting out their identities, is marked by a number of disruptions and violation of rights, resulting in vulnerability processes and social disaffiliation, given the current socioeconomic conditions and the neoliberal rationality. There is a need of innovative work that can add different sectors and knowledge, which defend the strengthening of a support network and services that aims the enfranchisement of the individuals, promote social participation and respect their diversity. Therefore, it is reported the experience of an extension project that promoted creative strategies to operate with the homeless from an arts and culture perspective. In order to do so, the weekly activities workshops promoted experimentations for the participants, aiming to express their potentialities, from the themes and requests relevant to the group, producing art, dynamics, and products that reflected the culture of the streets. Sensitive displacements were produced, noticeable to those involved, making the participants protagonists of their own expressions. The encounters took on creative proportions and composed new experiences of occupational therapeutic formation and practices in the social field. In defense of respect, appreciation of the human dimensions and capacities, especially of the groups in a vulnerable situation, associated with actions that aim to promote and extend their human and social rights.

Keywords. Social Vulnerability, Social Occupational Therapy, Culture, Art, Social Services.

The processes of inferiorization affect the existence of the black person in a profound way, mainly in the difficulty of constructing a Black Identity and in the structures of exclusion generated by Occupational Apartheid. This is a reflection article, in which a historical and contemporary survey of the black population in Brazil was carried out, in order to think about the possibilities of Occupational Therapy acting alongside these subjects. This profession looks forward, as a political and social agent, to work with populations who have their occupational participation threatened by inequalities, in order to elaborate coping strategies. By acting alongside the black population, the professional is able to work in the creation of possibilities fields, with the use of group or individual emancipatory activities, in the search for awareness and empowerment of such people. In addition, the occupational therapist poses as an articulator in the search to enable social participation, rupturing processes of social exclusion.

Keywords. Occupational apartheid; Social participation; Racism; Occupational therapy.

This paper presents an exploratory study performed with the occupational therapy graduation courses of public universities in the state of São Paulo - Brazil, between 2013 and 2015, in order to identify and discuss the insertion of the gender themes. We focused on travestility and transsexuality in the Occupational Therapy undergraduate training. Initially, we performed a literature revision in the most relevant national and international indexed publications, as well as in the databases SCOPUS, SciELO and Web of Science. Also, we performed a survey to find public policies and/or programs, guidelines discussed and proposals specifically for this group in Brazil. In a second moment, the undergraduate courses were invited to participate by: a) giving access to their political-pedagogical projects; b) interviews with coordinators and teachers that worked with the subject; c) interviews with senior students; d) creating debate and discussion rounds. This dataset allowed the production of results focused on the theoretical and practical training of occupational therapists in the state, which has the higher number of professionals, courses, teachers and researchers in the Brazilian occupational therapy community. These results led to a discussion on training, regarding the assistance processes in the given area, in a way that offers references for strategies to deal with the daily vulnerabilities of the people experiencing travestility and transsexuality in the field of occupational therapy.

Keywords. Travestility, Transsexuality, Undergraduate Formation, Higher Education, Public Politics.

This creation was inspired by the Extension Program “Human Rights for Diversity: building spaces for art, culture and education”, which implemented integrated areas of education, art and culture in public services of health and social assistance, with populations marked by social stigmas. Through actions for the defense of human rights, the project sought to promote training and to sensibilize experiments by contact with artistic and cultural resources. The transdisciplinary team can improve its actions, from the theoretical and methodological option of the art engaged in favor of the recognition of the potentialities of the participants, producing respect, empowerment, active citizenship and autonomy. As results, it was obtained greater ownership and criticality on human rights, its diversity and production of sensitive actions. The creative processes that make up this work were developed by team members active in the process, from this formative and transformative experience.

Keywords. Art, Culture, Rights human, Formative, Transdisciplinarity