Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2014; 21: 107–115 ORIGINAL ARTICLE “My view that disability is okay sometimes clashes”: experiences of two disabled occupational therapists ANETA CHACALA 1 , CATHY MCCORMACK 2 , BETHAN COLLINS 3 & BRENDA L. BEAGAN 4 1 Occupational Therapy Department, LHO – North West Dublin, Dublin North East, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, 2 Discipline of Occupational Therapy, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, 3 Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Social Care, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK, and 4 Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Abstract Aims: While disability is the focus of much attention in occupational therapy, there has been little attention paid to disability within the profession. Disabled therapists not only bring valuable perspectives on disability, but also pose important challenges to taken-for-granted assumptions about impairment and disability within the profession. At the same time, their cultural beliefs and values may clash with core assumptions of the profession. Methods: This study analyses interview data from two disabled occupational therapists, part of a larger study with cultural minority therapists. Semi-structured interviews explored their experiences of professional practice in the context of societal belief in the superiority of non-disabled and “normal” ways of doing and being. Major findings: Some cultural values of participants clashed with the values and beliefs of their profession, particularly concerning independence. Negative attitudes of colleagues and managers were the key barriers to practice. The responsibility for bridging the disabled/non-disabled cultural divide rested with the disabled therapists, exacerbating inequity. Nonetheless, these therapists believed their disability experiences had advantages for practice. Conclusions: Disabled therapists may be required to engage in invisible work to communicate across cultural differences, and to educate others. Respectful openness to difference could enhance the practice competence of both disabled therapists and their non-disabled colleagues. This demands critical reflexive attention to ableism within the profession. Key words: stigma, discrimination, disabled occupational therapists, disabled health personnel, disability Introduction McCormack and Collins (1) have argued that “occupational therapists need to have an appreciation of the concept of ‘disability’ from the viewpoints of disabled people”. One of the most immediate ways to do this is to listen to the voices of disabled occupational therapists. While disability is the focus of much atten- tion in occupational therapy, there has been too little attention paid to disability within the profession. Dis- abled therapists not only bring valuable perspectives on disability but can also pose important challenges to taken-for-granted assumptions within the profession, inviting us to reflect on how impairment and disability are understood and approached. This paper asks: “How do disabled occupational therapists experience professional practice?” While person-first language (“person with a dis- ability”) is normative in occupational therapy, some in the disability rights movement (particularly in the UK) have argued that this positions disabled people as “just people” who “just happen to have” a limita- tion or impairment (2,3). It constructs disability as something people have or do not have – as opposed to the influence of social and environmental barriers that make an impairment relevant or “disable” the person. Correspondence: Brenda L. Beagan, PhD, School of Occupational Therapy, Dalhousie University, PO Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada. Tel: +1 902 494 6555. Fax: +1 902 494 1229. E-mail: bbeagan@dal.ca (Received 28 June 2013; accepted 25 October 2013) ISSN 1103-8128 print/ISSN 1651-2014 online Ó 2014 Informa Healthcare DOI: 10.3109/11038128.2013.861016