#DisruptOT Summit 2021 Return to Community
DisruptOT Return to Community Panel The first panel will guide us on how to bring ourselves into community wherever we are.
Panelists: Isla Emery-Whittington (Aotearoa New Zealand), Mr. Waguma Hassan (Uganda), Dr. Laura Yvonne Bulk (Canada, W̱SÁNEĆ Territory), Ms. Ann Sena Fordie (Ghana) Facilitator: Sheela Ivlev (US, unceded Ramaytush Ohlone territory, India)
Isla Emery-Whittington: Ko Tainui te waka, Ko Kakepuku te maunga, Ko Waipa te awa, Ko Ngāti Maniapoto te iwi, Tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Greetings to the many peoples, mountains, rivers, ancestors and communities gathering together in this space. Greetings to the supporters, speakers and facilitators of good trouble, kind sharing and courageous occupations. I am an occupational therapist and my research is a philosophical exploration of indigenous Māori knowledge and practices of occupation. I co-convene an autonomous network of Māori occupational therapists and am part of a small group building a global Indigenous occupational therapy network. These networks purposefully exist outside of mainstream structures thus enabling practices of self-determination.
Hassan Waguma is an occupational therapist, mental health researcher, and clinical educator in orthotics and assistive aids working in Uganda. He teaches clients with physical challenges new skills and vocational activities using locally fabricated aids that fit their needs. Affordable health services in communities, hospitals, and outreach is a key area of his practice. He has an upcoming research publication on depression in Uganda in September 2021. He aims to share knowledge and skills with colleagues and advocate for occupational therapy rehabilitation in mental wellness and physical ability.
Ann Sena Fordie works as an occupational therapist in a Pediatric and Adult Mental health setting in Ghana. She is currently the President of the Occupational Therapy Association of Ghana, the Clinical head of OT Department, Pantang hospital, and Clinical Director with SENA Pediatric therapy (an NGO aimed at supporting children with disabilities with therapy services and offering teacher and parent training to facilitate inclusive education in Ghana). Ann has co-facilitated a support group for adults with mental health challenges in Ghana. Ann is committed to encouraging social inclusion for children and adults with disabilities in Ghana.
Laura Yvonne Bulk: As a Disabled occupational therapist and scholar, my very presence seems to disrupt. I am a daughter, cousin, friend, woman, femtor, Dutch settler, first-generation university student, a learner, teacher, and a JEDI (justice equity diversity inclusion) activist. I am privileged to engage with learners in Master of OT and pre-OT/PT programs, as a guest in a medical residents' program, and in Rehabilitation Sciences. Although not all of my teaching is explicitly about critical disability perspectives and dismantling ableism and disablism, these perspectives deeply inform my practice. My goals are to enhance belonging in my communities, local and global, and to make significant contributions to knowledge generation that will help create positive change. As a scholar and activist, I do this by sharing space and showing up, and remaining a humble learner, ready to listen to courageous stories. These are significant occupations in my life. Others include making food for people I care about, being with my spiritual family, and walking with friends.
Sheela Roy Ivlev is a Bengali American occupational therapist based in San Francisco, the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone, specializing in wellness and mental health. She has worked for top Bay Area hospitals, San José State University as a clinical educator and is currently running a wellness-based virtual practice and is the founder of DisruptOT and WellWrx. She is committed to removing the barriers to care that keep people from accessing health and wellness services.
More about our panelists: https://www.disruptot.org/contributers
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