Ann Neville-Jan; The Problem With Prevention: The Case of Spina Bifida. Am J Occup Ther 2005;59(5):527–539. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.59.5.527
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© 2021 American Occupational Therapy Association
In this paper, I present a viewpoint about prevention and spina bifida that is not usually expressed within the occupational therapy literature. Using an autoethnographic account, I convey my experiences as a person with impairments from spina bifida in order to problematize current preventive efforts undertaken to eradicate this birth defect. This self-reflexive account connects my personal experiences to historical and medical views about spina bifida. The messages inherent in preventive efforts are discussed from a disability rights perspective. Occupational therapists are challenged to examine their attitudes toward disability, act as advocates in their practice, and, in a more informed manner, support or contest policy initiatives.
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