OTAC 21st Annual Tea w/ a Scholar

Event Information

Merging Cultural Fluidity and Cultural Humility as Key in OT Practice

Presenter: Bonnie Nakasuji, OTD, OTR/L, C/NDT, FAOTA

Date, Time, and Location:
January 18, 2025
11:00am - 1:30pm
The Department of Occupational Therapy at California State University, Dominguez Hills
Innovation & Instruction Building, Room 1300
1000 East Victoria Street
Carson, California 90747

Proposed Agenda:
11:00am-11:30am - Mix & Mingle Tea Time
11:30am-11:45am - Welcome from our OTAC Leadership
11:45am-12:45pm – Tea Address: Merging Cultural Fluidity and Cultural Humility as Key in OT Practice
12:45pam-1:15pm – Questions and Answers
1:20pm - Concluding Remarks

Presentation Description
The OT Practice Framework identifies cultural humility as a contributing “cornerstone” of occupational therapy practice (AOTA, 2020). However, based on current literature, there is no consistent process offered in achieving cultural humility.Cultural fluidity was introduced as a concept to replace “cultural competence” in 2013 at the OTAC conference. Cultural fluidity is the continuous and dynamic process of ‘becoming’ in our thinking and attitudes that we have about ourselves and others especially when confronted with culturally diverse dilemmas. Cultural fluidity and cultural humility both promote respect for each person’s uniqueness and distinct ‘culture.’ However cultural fluidity offers a process utilizing in part Meizerow’s Transformative Learning Model in working toward cultural humility. Personally held assumptions are identified and reflected upon that result in a transformed perspective that can remove cultural barriers, allowing us to work more meaningfully with others. It acknowledges that this process toward ‘mastery’ is continuously worked toward, but never achieved. This presentation will also touch on how cultural fluidity and cultural humility are applicable and compatible within diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) concepts.

Learning Objectives
Learners will be able to:

• Describe the similarities and differences between cultural fluidity and cultural humility.
• Utilize cultural fluidity to transform their perspective about common OT practice dilemmas.
• Identify approach options based on their transformed perspective.

References:

AOTA, (2020). OT Practice Framework: Domain and Process. Fourth Edition. AOTA Press

Nakasuji, B., Yamazaki, E.M., Lin, S.M., Pierson, N. (2013, Oct. 25). Cultural Fluidity: Translating international lessons into local practice.OTAC 37^th Annual Conference Session #32.OTAC.

Agner, J. (2020). Moving from cultural competence to cultural humility in occupational therapy: A paradigm shift. AJOT 74(4), 1-7.

Foronda,C. Baptiste D.L., Reinhold, M. Ousman, K. (2016). Cultural Humility: A concept analysis.Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 27(3). DOI: 10,1177/1043659615592677

Bonnie Nakasuji, OTD, OTR/L, C/NDT, FAOTA, has been an occupational therapy (OT) practitioner for over 50 years. She co-founded Therapy West, Inc. in 1985, a pediatric private practice clinic in Los Angeles and Gardena. She has been an adjunct professor in the occupational therapy programs at California State University Dominguez Hills and the University of Southern California (USC). Traveling internationally as an OT and OT consultant (Africa, Asia and South America) sparked a nagging question, “How can one be culturally appropriate?” (or “How not to be an ugly American?”). This questioning led to her concept of ‘cultural fluidity.’ Nakasuji is currently the president of Mephibosheth in Ghana, a nonprofit organization that supports Mephibosheth Training Center (MTC), a boarding school for children with disabilities. Combining her association with USC and Mephibosheth, she has made 17 trips to Ghana and, over the years, led a total of 296 OT students and 52 volunteers to work with the children at MTC and to learn and engage in culturally fluid approaches. She is the recipient of state and national awards, including the Fieldwork Educator of the Year award (Occupational Therapy Association of California-2005), the Humanitarian Award (California Foundation of Occupational Therapy-2009), Award of Excellence and Entrepreneur of the Year (OTAC-2012), International Service Award (American Occupational Therapy Association-2017), and became a Fellow of AOTA in 2015.