The American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA’s) Vision 2025 conveys a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (2020a). It is everyone’s right to feel welcomed, valued, included, and respected while engaging in daily life regardless of each of our own unique abilities and challenges. This statement made by AOTA supports efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within all aspects of occupational therapy, including practice, education, and research, as well as policy development and advocacy (AOTA, 2020a). Therapist’s working in the home and community setting provides important client-centered services of which DEI principles implicitly embrace.

• Diversity: “Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, and it encompasses all the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. It is all-inclusive and recognizes everyone and every group as part of the diversity that should be valued” (Racial Equity Tools, 2020, para. 1). Diversity has vastly expanded from its original race, ethnicity, and gender categories to include numerous internal, external, organizational and world views perspectives. Internal influence also includes but is not limited to age, sexual orientation and physical and mental ability. Education, interests, spirituality, and religion are incorporated as external influences. While job function, work location, and department fall under organizational influences. World views involve cultural events, politics, and history knowledge (AOTA, 2022). Applying and executing diversity allows for everyone to learn and connect from one another by providing several ideas, perspectives and values.

• Equity: Equity is an approach that ensures everyone is given an equal opportunity; meaning that resources may be divided and shared unequally to make sure that each person can access an opportunity. However, equity and equality mistakenly get interchanged. While necessary resources may be provided to all equally it is equity that considers people have different access to these resources because of a system of oppression and privilege (AOTA, 2020a). Equity seeks to balance this disparity. Having an equitable versus equal system allows communities to collaborate, have increased positive outcomes and build a strong foundation (AOTA, 2022).

• Inclusion: “Inclusion is the acceptance and support of diversity wherein the uniqueness of beliefs, values, and attributes is welcomed, valued, and leveraged for maximum engagement” (Taff & Blash, 2017). This provides the safe space for collective differences and diverse backgrounds to be included, respected, and valued (AOTA, 2022). Mallery (2018) proposes that when people, organizations, and the world begin implementing DEI principles, one should remember to ask three questions. 1) Diversity: Who is in the room? 2) Equity: Who is trying to get into the room and can’t?, and 3) Inclusion: Has everyone been included and has everyone’s ideas been heard? The American Psychological Association (2021b) has published a DEI inclusive language guideline which provides the latest updates to bias free terminology.

     As occupational therapy practitioners, the most effective way to assist and implement DEI principles is through advocacy. We are able to accomplish this through multiple methods: sharing, empathy, encouragement, listening, recognition and assessment of biases. Sharing of resources, information learned through professional development and opportunities within our profession for leadership. Showing of empathy to clients and communities we work with regarding racial trauma. Encouraging others, clients and coworkers to speak up and take on leadership roles within their community and organizations. Always listen and be mindful of others’ experiences. Recognize and normalize speaking out against discriminatory practices and systemic inequities. Continue to assess and identify unconscious biases. Harvard has created Project Implicit, which gives free access to fifteen assessments regarding biases that were developed for “understanding disparities in so many aspects of society, including but not limited to health care, policing, and education, as well as organizational practices like hiring and promotion” (Project Implicit, 2011, para. 2).