Occupational Deprivation

Occupational Deprivation through environmental inequality

There are many factors that can produce occupational deprivation, including social, economic, environmental, geographic, historic, cultural and political (Christiansen & Townsend, 2010). The challenge for our group was to produce a short (1 minute) video film highlighting the issues of occupational deprivation. We chose to focus on environmental aspects, and put one of our actors in a wheelchair to show the challenges faced when accessing everyday utilities. Whiteford (2000) describes occupational deprivation as a "state in which a person or group of people are unable to do what is necessary and meaningful in their lives due to external restrictions" p.200. 

As a team we planned and organised a rough storyboard before filming. We had an idea of what and where we wanted to shoot, and had decided that it would be black and white beforehand. We were fortunate to have an experienced photographer and editor in our group which made these processes much easier. The film was to highlight difficulties wheelchair users face in everyday tasks and some not so everyday (emergency situations). Most challenges were environmentally based, such as the dimensions of the toilet doors and the reachable heights of the book shelves. Fire escape procedures I would assume would come under political.

References:

Christiansen, C.H. & Townsend, E.A. (2010). Introduction to occupation: the art and science of living (2 ed.). London: Pearson Education Ltd.

Whiteford, G. (2000, May). Occupational deprivation: global challenge in the new millennium. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63(5),  200-204.