Occupational Engagement: Doing, Being, Becoming, and Belonging.

Welcome to my post about Riding for the Disabled (RDA).  Lasy year I spent my second semester placement with the Hamilton Group RDA, going one morning a week to work with children with a variety of disabilites being assisted in physical rehabilitation, emotional expression, and social inclusion, by horses and volunteers.  I wanted to do a paediatric placement, and love horses, so it was a great fit for me.  Here is a link to the Hamilton Group's web page:

http://www.horses.net.nz/index.asp?PageID=2145852338

This is a slide show with some images that will hopefully help you see just what the RDA can do for all sorts of kids.



Let's have a look at some concepts in occupational therapy that relate to this slideshow.

Doing is when we engage in "purposeful, goal orientated activities" (Hammell, 2004, p. 301).
Being is "time taken to reflect, be introspective... savour the moment, appreciate nature... and to enjoy being with special people" (Hammell, 2004, p. 301).
Becoming is described as "the idea that people can envisage future selves and possible lives, explore new possiblities" (Hamell, 2004, p. 302).
Belonging is "the necessary contribution of social interaction, mutual support and friendship, and the sense of being included, to occupational performance and life satisfaction" (Hammell, 2010, p. 302).

Rda ppoint

View more PowerPoint from emmelby78

Ethical considerations taken into account when creating this presentation were obtaining permission from the RDA coach to use photos from the website, as families of the children who use the service either consent or decline the right for photos of their children to be published. Consent was also obtained from those who appear in photos with myself, this being done prior to them being posted on my facebook page shortly after I first took them. I also chose not to resize the photos, so that the faces of individuals were for the most part concealed, and chose not to name any individual.
References

Figures 3,7,8,12,18: Brown, M.L. (2011). RDA Pictures [Digital images].

Figures 1,2,4-6,9-11,13-17,19,20: Hamilton Group RDA. (2011).  RDA Photos [Digital images]. Retrieved May 14 2012 from http://www.horses.net.nz/index.asp?PageID=2145852338

Hammell, K.W. (2004). Dimensions of meaning in the occupations of daily life. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(5), 296-305.