Yesterday, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in showing possible future OT students around my school. First of all, I loved being on the other side of things where I already was in the program and not worrying about interviewing and getting accepted! I also really enjoyed getting to know the possible future students of the program. It was neat to hear their stories and see their excitement about the profession of occupational therapy. Hearing others' perspectives on the program has always been fun for me because everyone has a different story of what brought them to the field and what they really want to pursue. Having been a part of this fueled my excitement for the profession as well as meeting the incoming students!
The older I have grown the more I have seen the crippling effects of societal mindsets. Simply looking at the various changes in roles of women, men, children, and races has revealed the side effects of societal norms. From working on plantations without rights to their own bodies to finally becoming integrated and viewed as equal, African Americans have suffered the stigma associated with their race. Alongside this is the issue of women's rights and their desires to become involved in the workforce. Over time and gradual mindset changes equality and rights have been achieved, but I believe the real issue behind societal expectations can be found in the definitions of words and how they are used. Aimee Mullins does an incredible job emphasizing the importance of word definitions and how they are used in her Ted Talks about the demeaning impact of the word "disabled" to refer to an individual with special needs. By reading the synonyms listed with this...
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