Occupational Science Students\u27 Ethnographic Approach to Understanding Women\u27s Employability

An ethnographic research project at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Richmond, Kentucky, helps senior occupational science (OS) students’ transition into the masters’ in occupational therapy program by affording the opportunity to understand and apply social advocacy concepts to their future occupational therapy practice. Advocacy, in its most simple form, means to support a cause, which can take the shape of an individual, event, or circumstance and the purposeful actions causing an effect or consequence (Merriam-Webster’s, 2011). For these students’, the principle of doing, or carrying out an advocacy research project, helps to create their occupational identity (Crepeau, Cohn, & Schell, 2003) and enables the students to understand the impact of occupations on individuals’ sense of health and well-being (Royeen, 2003). The Liberty Place House of Recovery for Women (Liberty Place), in Richmond, Kentucky, is a state-funded, six - twelve month community residential program that seeks to adequately serve Kentucky women who are recovering substance abusers (“About the Program,” para. 4). Assisting Liberty Place in advocating for the women, the students offer their skills in organizing an employment fair, matching the women with local employers, and understanding the women’s employment needs. Students begin to address the women’s needs, rights, and interests in employment while learning fundamental occupational therapy principles in the area of work, such as clients’ (1) managing work time, (2) redeveloping work habits and skills, and (3) work-related social behaviors (Early, 2008). Participants of this research presentation will be able to 1) learn about one group of occupational science students’ research experience in an advocacy course, 2) learn about a small-scale ethnographic study conducted spring 2013, that explores women who are recovering substance abusers and their perceptions of employability, 3) discuss the study results within the context of occupational science and broad Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) philosophy, and 4) understand advocacy as it relates to employability. Key Words: advocacy, women’s employability, occupational scienc