Cultural Respect in Academia

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Alondra M. Ammon, MOT, OTR/L, Ph.D. (cand.)

Abstract

Given the aim to increase diverse representation in health care to promote equitable health care outcomes, occupational therapists must critically examine how we respect cultural diversity. This opinion piece intends to highlight the importance of creating academic spaces where students can thrive and carry over those teachings beyond the classroom and into the communities they serve. The author, who identifies as a person of color, is a Ph.D. candidate and academic occupational therapy educator who integrated their constructionist epistemological lens and reviewed literature to inform a working definition of cultural respect and recommendations. Cultural respect involves recognizing, understanding, and appreciating individuals and groups from different cultures and abstaining from discriminatory or disrespectful behavior toward them to instill a sense of belonging, which is necessary for students and faculty to thrive in an academic environment. As a final point of consideration, the author provides recommendations, starting with occupational therapy programs (meso level) and accrediting bodies and associations (macro level), to highlight actionable steps that occupational therapy educational programs can take to create a culturally respectful space for students to learn and experience a sense of belonging.

Comments

The author declares that they have no competing financial, professional, or personal interest that might have influenced the performance or presentation of the work described in this manuscript.

Recommended Citation

Ammon, A. (2024). Cultural Respect in Academia. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 12(3), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.2200