The Council and staff of the Alberta College of Occupational Therapists (ACOT) are committed to acting against systemic racism and intolerance within our organization as part of our mandate to protect the public. We understand that as representatives of ACOT, we are in positions of privilege and we have started work internally to reflect on how this shapes our policies, practices and biases. We have much to learn about weaknesses in our ability to recognize how systemic racism and intolerance exists in our organization.
We are eager to approach this important work in a respectful way, through seeking the guidance of people who have been affected by systemic racism or intolerance, whether by ACOT or other societal institutions. Our plan is to inform how we should approach this work, through dialogue and co-creation of actions we can take going forward. ACOT’s leadership is committed to implementing meaningful changes as a result of these dialogues, in an accountable manner.
Preferentially inviting people to the conversation who have lived experience of racism or intolerance will be a key aspect of this work. We will focus on recruitment of occupational therapists who self-identify with one or more racialized groups or other groups who face oppression and/or discrimination. If this interests you, please contact the Registrar at: marianne.baird@acot.ca or 780-436-8381 extension 105.
Our intent is to create a brave space for authentic dialogues and to form an advisory panel early in our journey to chart the course of the work, including identification of accountability measures for ACOT.
A per-meeting stipend will be paid to those who join us in this journey. If multiple people come forward to join us, we will collaborate as a group to decide how all interested members can be included in a way that preferentially raises the voices of people who have experienced racism and intolerance.
Sincerely,
Andrea Petryk, President
Marianne Baird, Registrar