Critical Occupational Literacy: Thinking about Occupational Justice, Ecological Sustainability, and Aging in Everyday Life

Conversations about the anticipated costs and caregiving burden of an aging population are rampant in North America. The 2014 Dr. Ruth Zemke Lecture in Occupational Science redirects conversations on aging by introducing occupational literacy, especially critical occupational literacy as a way of learning to think, talk, write, make decisions, and otherwise make sense of occupational justice and ecological sustainability in everyday life. Illustrations focus on aging, first by challenging taken-for-granted ideas and statistics, then by raising questions to expand conversations. Integrated are three approaches: using the language of occupation (very broadly defined) to think about everyday life; exhibiting a moral commitment to engage in everyday justice (occupational justice) and everyday ecological sustainability (occupational sustainability); and, developing educational strategies to learn critical occupational literacy. With recognition that everyday occupations influence and are influenced within the contexts in which they are enacted, the Lecture explores three questions: What might be gained by naming and recognizing occupational literacy, especially critical occupational literacy? How might critical occupational literacy skills be used to challenge and expand conversations on aging? Where, when, and with whom might we learn critical occupational literacy? The argument is that explicit critical occupational literacy skills are not only interesting and useful to learn, but that they are essential learning if we are to challenge and expand ideas, practices, policies, and economies that can disempower some people, including older persons, while empowering others.