We envision that occupational therapy is a powerful, widely recognized, science-driven, evidence-based profession with a globally connected and diverse workforce meeting society’s occupational needs (AOTA Centennial 2017 Vision).

One of the strategic initiatives from the American Occupational Therapy Association was to “Increase educators’ understanding of the need to accelerate content development in curricula for changing workforce opportunities in areas such as wellness, prevention, primary care, wounded warriors, mental health, and work and industry. [And]Support the preparation of existing occupational therapy practitioners for traditional and changing roles, environments, and patient demographics through continuing education, conference sessions, books, and their preferred communication vehicles.”

As an educator, I see this as a complex challenge. Stuffing more content into the brains of learners does not necessarily lead to filling all the practice niches and opportunities that will evolve now and in the future. Rather, we must evolve as a profession to recognize occupation where it is occurring in native contexts of work, home, community, or school and be able to nimbly respond when we see individuals, families, and groups challenged from performing desired and healthful occupations. This requires a design mind.

What is a design mind? Certainly it is a habit of mind for thinking creatively, flexibly, and moving adaptively to changing phenomena. According to the blog at Design Mind, designers must be: 

1. Systems thinkers: designing for the inter-relationship of ideas, not just a single aspect of a problem.

An example of teaching occupational therapy design mind might incorporate having students examine how facilitating an individual’s use of a dressing stick leads not only to the independence of dressing oneself, but also to the relationships and connections dressing has to a person’s identity through fashion and participation in work and community; and how inclusion of all people into the fullness of society expands our social and cultural competence in the world (occupational justice).

2. Unifying design with technology: Today’s designers must be facile not only with creative materials and methods, but also be capable in the realm of technology.

There are examples of occupational therapy students in many colleges and universities tinkering with designing apps and using iPads to enable activities of daily living. So why not have a new “shop” course in OT education programs replete with 3-D printers, small robotics, and creative software? Students could become engaged in creating the products, services, and designs that nurture people occupying spaces that permit maximum inclusion and use of space for all.

3. Entrepreneurial: According to Design Mind, people burgeoning with ideas go to the front of the pack.

Occupational therapists, educators, and occupational therapy students brimming with ideas and solutions for addressing society’s occupational problems will be reimbursed FIRST and recruited into positions of leadership and policy making at the highest levels of creative thinking and doing. 

4. Think with our hands: Creating things help bring design skills to life.

In occupational therapy education this looks like giving students the tools of time to incubate and marinate in ideas, learning to shape those, turn them over, visualize them inside/out, and practice performing them in contexts where occupation needs to unfold. Such a learning culture allows (even perpetuates) failure, pushing the envelope, risk-taking, and reaping reward when proto-typical ideas can be launched robustly into places of practice.

5. Emphasizes experiences, not things: Good design is about relationships.

I assert that Design creates change, as does the use of therapeutic self! Students must be taught how to use “self” beyond “selfie”. Many people with disabilities desire technologies that do not convey the “look” of disability.

6. Connect by sharing: 21st century is about open-source, sharing, and collaboration.

In occupational therapy education, this is the encouragement of the community of scholars to “steal” and appropriate like artists do. Reserving and meting out intellectual effort within the academy does little to ensure our profession is widely recognized and globally connected. Educators with design mind will push to share in open journals, on blogs, and other connecting sources. It’s about publishing to flourish versus publishing “to not perish”.

So sure, this is my take on design mind for occupational therapy education and practice. I guess I’m not finished hoping for occupational utopia yet!