The History of Disabilities and How It Impacts Me, A Future OT

   After watching the TED x Talk on Disability Rights and Dr. Keisling's presentation on the history of disabilities I had many take aways that I feel like I could carry as I go through my journey as an OT student as well as an OT practitioner. The TED x Talk presented by Judith Heumann was encouraging in that she fought for her rights as someone with disabilities as well as others. Her resilience and advocacy for herself and others displayed courage and resulted in more rights for those with disabilities. The presentation from Dr. Keisling on The History of Disability showed a timeline of the progression of disability rights. The timeline was very similar to the progression of rights we saw in the ERA presentations. They both showed that with open-mindedness and willingness to learn from others and their experiences we can make progression for those with disabilities.
   Dr. Keisling's presentation revealed to me that it was not too long ago that institutions were still very prevalent. I have learned through these presentations that normalization is key and progression takes time which is why advocacy is so important.  It is imperative to advocate for those who do not have a voice because we all deserve to live our lives independently and to the fullest of our abilities. As a future OT, it's also important to advocate for the field of OT because it shows people who do not have disabilities that it is possible for people with disabilities to live normal lives to their maximum potential. I also learned that it is okay to say "I don't know" when it comes to prognosticating someone's future because emphasizing hope is what is essential in the field of OT. Being engaged in everyday occupations and having self-efficacy is what people with disabilities want and as a future OT it is my job to advocate for that.

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