Focusing on “what matters”: the Occupation, Capability and Wellbeing Framework for Occupational Therapy

Introduction: Critical occupational therapists have challenged models from the Global North that have dominated occupational therapy and informed ableist practices focused on appraising dysfunctions, classifying deviations from bodily “norms”, and remedying individuals’ “deficits” in performing three occupations (selfcare, productive, leisure). This indicated the need for a new conceptual framework; one grounded in research evidence derived from a diversity of people and contexts. Objectives: To outline the imperative for, and genesis and features of an evidenceinformed conceptual framework for occupational therapy, centred on occupations, capabilities and wellbeing. Methods: This paper draws from the work of critical occupational therapists; outlining the conception and process of building a flexible framework by linking concepts identified through extensive review of multidisciplinary research from both the Global South and North. Results: Building on evidence that occupation is a determinant of wellbeing, the Occupation, Capability and Wellbeing Framework for Occupational Therapy (OCWFOT, Hammell, 2020a) encourages a strengths-based approach to occupational therapy: assessing and building on individual, collective and community assets, abilities and resources; focusing on occupations that “matter most”; and fostering a relational view of people as interdependent and embedded within families and communities. Conclusion: Focused unequivocally on the wellbeing needs and aspirations of individuals, families, groups, communities and populations that are met or unmet by current patterns of occupational engagement; on both abilities and opportunities; and on occupation as a human right, the OCWFOT is theoretically defensible, provides conceptual clarity, and has utility as an evidence-informed structure around which future research and practices may be oriented

Tricks and treats: designing technology to support mobility assistance dogs

Assistance dogs are a key intervention to support the autonomy of people with tetraplegia. Previous research on assistive technologies have investigated ways to, ultimately, replace their labour using technology, for instance through the design of smart home environments. However, both the disability studies literature and our interviews suggest there is an immediate need to support these relationships, both in terms of training and bonding. Through a case study of an accessible dog treats dispenser, we investigate a technological intervention responding to these needs, detailing an appropriate design methodology and contributing insights into user requirements and preferences

Advancing an energy justice perspective of fuel poverty: Household vulnerability and domestic retrofit policy in the United Kingdom

The concept of energy justice has brought philosophies of ethics and principles of social justice to bear on a range of contemporary energy issues. More inter-disciplinary and applied endeavours are now needed to take this field forward. One such application is to the issue of fuel poverty and the challenge of retrofitting inefficient housing stock. An energy justice perspective sees fuel poverty as a fundamentally socio-political injustice, not just one of uneven distribution. Starting from this premise, we highlight the multiple injustices faced by two groups who are regarded by policymakers as being particularly vulnerable to fuel poverty: disabled people and low-income families. In the UK, these groups are nominally prioritised within fuel poverty policy, but their complex situations are not always fully appreciated. Building on the theoretical foundations of energy justice, we present an inter-disciplinary dialogue that connects this approach with wider vulnerability research and domestic energy efficiency policy. Specifically, we discuss ‘within group’ heterogeneity (recognition justice), stakeholder engagement in policy and governance (procedural justice) and the overlap of multiple structural inequalities (distributional justice). In each section we illustrate the added value of combining justice and vulnerability conceptualisations by linking them to domestic energy efficiency schemes