Leo Keller, Occupational Therapist, Liaise:
“In June, I flew to Belfast to present my bachelor dissertation at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Annual Conference, thanks to support from Liaise. It was a 3-day event with this year’s focus on Learning Disabilities, so I came back full of new knowledge and ideas (and sensory toys!) for our service users.
My presentation was titled “Contextually Mandated Occupational Choice: Our Role in Occupational Justice”. It explored how contextual environments – physical, social, cultural, political, economic and historical – influence the choices people make on a short- and long-term basis about what occupations they engage in and what identities they take on. I drew on social and philosophical theories and theorists to gain more depth on this topic, which indicates that environments & contexts don’t just influence, but define, occupational choices. This was specific to youth in socioeconomically deprived communities, however, I’ve found much of this topic to relate to our service users. Feel free to contact me for further information.
The presentation was very well received and it was a pleasure to be able to promote Liaise in the process. I have been able to make contacts with a few occupational therapists working with the same client group which is a great way to share good practices and develop the services we offer our service users. Thank you very much to Liaise for providing me with this opportunity.”
