Third year student Kathleen Renwick attended the Student Occupational Therapy Links Scotland conference on the 3rd March 2017 where her contribution won ‘Best Poster’. She has kindly written about her experience at the conference for us.
What were you presenting?
I presented a poster on the occupational injustice issues that transgender people may face in terms of employment in the UK. I looked at the social and legislative barriers to employment and how these barriers can result detrimentally effect health and well-being in relation to occupational science theory. My poster was the result of our second year module, Health, Well-being and Participation: Groups and Communities.
What did you hope to gain from attending the conference?
This was my first experience of presenting at a conference and I felt quite out of my comfort zone but was excited to have the opportunity.
I was looking forward to the keynote speeches; finally laying eyes on Jennifer Creek and Edward Duncan, some of the big names from the past three years study.
What were you main points of reflection from the day?
Applying for the conference required a surge of confidence and opened the door to a new challenge. I had a wonderful time and went away winning the “Best Poster’ award.
Attending the conference gave me the opportunity to see Jennifer Creek speaking about the transformations that she has observed and experienced in occupational therapy throughout her career. She raised the point that occupational therapists must be flexible in their roles and investigate new emerging roles for the profession, which was an inspiring end to my day.
Highlight from the day
It was exciting to speak to so many enthusiastic occupational therapy students who attended Sarah Kantartzis’ workshop. It was a challenging workshop exploring participatory citizenship, critiquing how ‘person-centred’ practice applies across cultures.