What Are Life & Employment Skills? What is OT?
Life & Employment Skills
At Dream Weavers, we are passionate about and committed to programs in the area of life & employment skills because we believe there is a lack of accessible services that focus on goals in these areas for teens & young adults with disabilities.
By Life Skills, we mean: Nutrition, cooking, budgeting, living independently, sexuality & safe sexual expression, romantic relationships & friendships, community transportation, etc.
By Employment Skills, we mean: Resume writing, job searching, determining what type of job is best for you, how to/when to disclose you have a disability, job interviews, etc.
Research shows the healing power of employment and independent living in fostering feelings of self-worth and empowerment. As occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants, we have a deep understanding of the value of productive occupations (school, work, volunteering) in promoting quality of life for all individuals. Furthermore, through these activities, people with developmental differences engage with their community and break down social barriers, showing others all that they are capable of.
Occupational Therapy (OT)
Occupational therapy provides the skills for the job of living to help people lead productive and satisfying lives.
At Dream Weavers, both of our founders & many of our staff have a Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy. All of our group programs have been designed by occupational therapists.
Occupational therapy (OT) is a regulated health profession. Although OT has been around for over a century, it is still largely misunderstood. Part of the confusion lies in the fact that it is an incredibly broad profession. Just some of the things that OTs CAN do include:
Providing rehabilitation services to individuals after an injury
Supporting individuals experiencing mental health issues to achieve or maintain meaningful employment, find housing, function in their community, etc
Helping children with fine motor/ handwriting issues to improve their participation in school activities
Creating more accessible environments for older adults
Working on Life & Employment skills goals with teens & young adults
OT Defined: Occupational therapy is the art and science of enabling engagement in everyday living, through occupation; of enabling people to perform the occupations that foster health and well-being; and of enabling a just and inclusive society so that all people may participate to their potential in the daily occupations of life (Townsend& Polatajko, 2007, p. 372).
Occupation Defined: Occupational therapists consider "occupation" to be anything and everything people do to occupy themselves that brings meaning to their lives. This can include looking after themselves (self-care), enjoying life (leisure), and contributing to the social and economic fabric of their communities (work/productivity) (The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists).
What OT Means To Us: At Dream Weavers, occupational therapy is close to our hearts and we strongly believe in the values and philosophy of the profession. As proud OTs, we strive to follow member-centred holistic approaches to healing, understand the importance of building strong communities, and fully incorporate the open and caring attitude of our profession into all our work.
Occupational Therapy Links:
To learn more about the profession of occupational therapy, check out these links: