We belong here and we’re here to stay

I am not there to inspire. I am not the feel-good story that will be shared

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When I roll into a meeting or event, I often know I am the only visibly disabled person in the room. The only one checking whether I can fit through the door, whether I will be able to move easily around the room without having to ask people to shift their chairs and whether the space has been set up with me in mind at all. I scan for step-free access, calculate whether I will be able to reach the refreshments table or if I will need to ask for help. I am also thinking ahead – is there a toilet at this venue that meets my needs, or should I have worn a pad today just in case?

But I am not there to inspire. I am not the feel-good story that will be shared.

I am there because I belong. I am a qualified, experienced occupational therapist. I have led teams, shaped services, coached others and brought lived experience into leadership spaces where it has long been absent.

That is why this year’s Disability Pride Month theme, chosen by The Arc, speaks so directly to me – we belong here and we’re here to stay.

The Arc is an American organisation that promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes. Very OT!

The system needs to change. Not for the sake of disruption, but for the sake of fairness.

None of us is truly independent. We are all interdependent

As occupational therapists, we speak the language of inclusion, belonging and meaningful participation. But how often do we turn that lens on ourselves? Who gets to belong in our profession without question? Who has to explain, adapt and self-advocate just to get through the door?

Here is the reality. Disabled occupational therapists bring skills that align perfectly with the core of our profession. We are expert problem-solvers. We adapt constantly – not because we are taught to, but because we have to. We know how to advocate, not just for others, but for ourselves in systems that were not designed with us in mind.

We are still working within a profession that often holds up independence as the ultimate goal. But in reality, none of us is truly independent. We are all interdependent. This interdependence is part of the very fabric of occupational practice, yet it is often overlooked in both professional culture and how we define success within the profession.

Occupational justice and occupational alienation

Lived experience is not a burden we carry. It is a perspective we contribute. It is a professional asset. Yet too often, we are treated as exceptions, as risks or as people to accommodate rather than value.

When disabled students are denied the adjustments they need, or when colleagues are excluded from leadership opportunities due to physical or attitudinal barriers, this is not just a workplace issue. It is a matter of occupational justice. It is about the right of every individual to have equitable access to meaningful occupation, to contribute and to be recognised.

Many of us live with the impact of occupational deprivation. These are systemic barriers that limit our opportunities to engage fully in professional life, not because we lack motivation or skill, but because environments are inaccessible, policies are inflexible and bias is still present. Others experience occupational alienation, where our professional activities feel disconnected from our identity or are shaped by others’ assumptions about what we can and cannot do.

AbleOTUK

I know what it is like to feel pushed to the edges of a profession that talks about inclusion but does not always practise it. That is why I co-created AbleOTUK – a peer-led network for occupational therapists and students with lived experience of disability, long-term conditions or neurodivergence. It began with people sharing concerns about access, belonging and feeling like we had to be better than perfect just to be seen as enough.

At AbleOTUK, we hear regularly from people who feel like they do not belong. Students who have not been given access to reasonable adjustments or who do not feel safe asking. Colleagues whose competence is questioned the moment they disclose a condition. Practitioners who are told they are not quite right for certain roles, not because of their skills, but because of assumptions about what disability means.

I am no longer just rolling into rooms

These are not rare stories. They are recurring patterns. They reflect the absence of occupational justice within our profession. They send a message, whether intended or not. You are welcome here, but only if you can pass. Only if you do not inconvenience us. Only if your support needs do not upset the system.

But the system needs to change. Not for the sake of disruption, but for the sake of fairness.

Because no profession that excludes its members can truly stand for inclusion.

So, this Disability Pride Month, I want to be clear. I am no longer just rolling into rooms. I am holding space, claiming space and making space for others to join me.

We are not temporary guests in this profession. We are not waiting in the wings, quietly grateful to be here. We are shaping occupational therapy. We are leading with lived experience. We belong here and we are here to stay.

A call to reflect

As you mark Disability Pride Month, I invite you to reflect on your practice, your team and your workplace.

• What assumptions do you hold about what a competent occupational therapist looks like?
• Where might ableism be present in your practice, organisation, or education setting?
• What are your unconscious biases?
• How do they show up?
• And most importantly, how will you begin to challenge them?

Occupational therapy should not just speak of inclusion and belonging. It should be practised. That begins with each of us.