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This is a shortened version of the first Hanneke van Bruggen lecture, presented by the author at the 17th Annual Meeting of ENOTHE in Ghent, Belgium (2011).
Introduction
As an enthusiastic traveller, I observe that occupational therapy is recognisably the same profession in every country I have visited, but it also differs in the ways that it is taught and practised, reflecting diverse cultural norms and expectations. Through discussions with colleagues around the world, I have learned to appreciate just how flexible and adaptable occupational therapy can be, when we have the skills and confidence to set goals and deliver our services in ways that are culturally and socially relevant to diverse settings.
What is diversity?
Diversity means difference, variety and being unlike each other (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary 2002). For example, the term biological diversity, or biodiversity, means 'the variability among living organisms from all sources… and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems’ (UN 1992). We know that biodiversity is essential to life on earth because:
It is the combination of life forms and their interactions with each other and with the rest of the environment that has made Earth a uniquely habitable place for humans. Biodiversity provides a large number of goods and services that sustain our lives. (Secretariat of the Convention on Biodiversity 2000)