Occupational Therapy in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Practice Context
Deadly Ears Program: Queensland Health's Statewide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ear Health Program for children raises awareness and provides information about the impact of ear disease in children. The multidisciplinary team also provides intervention and works with communities to help children hear, talk and learn. The website includes a lot of resources and information about Indigenous hearing and examples of the programs they provide.
Useful journal articles for occupational therapy students on clinical education placement
Hooper, K., Thomas, Y., and Clarke, M. (2007) Health professional partnerships and their impact on Aboriginal health: An occupational therapist's and Aboriginal health worker's perspective. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 15(1), 46-51. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1584.2007.00849.x
Nelson, A. (2009) Learning from the past, looking to the future: Exploring our place with Indigenous Australians. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 56, 97-102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2009.00781.x
Nelson, A. and Allison, H. (2007) Relationships: The key to effective occupational therapy practice with urban Australian Indigenous children. Occupational Therapy International, 14, 57-70. https://doi.org/10.1002/oti.224
Nelson, A., Allison, H. and Copley, J. (2007) Understanding where we come from: Occupational therapy with urban indigenous Australians. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 54(3), 203-214. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2006.00629.x
Nelson, A., Gray, M., Jensen, H., Thomas, Y., McIntosh, K., Oke, L. and Paluch, T. (2011) Closing the gap: Supporting occupational therapists to partner effectively with First Australians. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 58, 17-24. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2010.00912.x
Stedman, A and Thomas, Y. (2011) Reflecting on our effectiveness: Occupational therapy interventions with Indigenous clients. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 58, 43–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2010.00916.x
Watts, E. and Carlson, G. (2002) Practical strategies for working with indigenous people living in Queensland, Australia. Occupational Therapy International, 9, 277–293. https://doi.org/10.1002/oti.169