Collective reflections to create knowledge spaces: thinking about an inclusive, diverse, and participatory occupational science

Abstract

[Abstract] The first World Occupational Science Conference took place in Vancouver, Canada, in August 2022. As English was the official language of the event, this brought challenges for some non-anglophone participants, including some of the authors of this paper. In response, the authors gathered to support translation and communication efforts during the event. This strengthened mutual support and led to the establishment of a workgroup to reflect on knowledge production within occupational science. Framed within a call to expand the discipline beyond the English-speaking world and from a Portuguese-Spanish context, our objectives were to (i) share joint reflections on the potential barriers to participation in scientific events; and (ii) recommend options to democratize knowledge in academic events to develop a more inclusive, diverse, and participatory occupational science. This work could contribute to the creation of spaces for inclusive knowledge to engage more people in occupational science and therefore open opportunities for a more nuanced and diverse understanding of occupation.