Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Treating everyone with dignity and respect

We consider the uniqueness of each situation. We are respectful of all voices, conscious of bias, open-minded, and dedicated to learning. We are committed to integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) practices throughout our organization and the occupational therapy profession to protect the public interest.

Maintaining trust and confidence

We are fair, open and responsive. We are proactive. We hold ourselves accountable for our decisions and actions. 

Partnering for quality

We listen. We work together to ensure quality occupational therapy services across the province.

As part of the 2024 – 2027 Strategic Priorities, COTO has a dedicated goal to integrate the practices of equity, diversity and inclusion throughout the College and profession.

The Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada (2021) outlines the expectation for occupational therapists to provide culturally safer health services, while upholding the human rights of all clients and people who work with occupational therapists.

The Culture, Equity and Justice section of the Competencies says occupational therapists are expected to:

• Promote equity in practice
• Promote anti-oppressive behaviour and culturally safer, inclusive relationships
• Contribute to equitable access to occupational participation and occupational therapy

To learn more, view the Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada.

Occupational therapists can encourage clients to share what they consider to be safe and support them in drawing strength from their identity, culture, and community. Embracing cultural safer services is not just an initiative; but a journey towards improved health care experiences when receiving occupational therapy services.

When working with an occupational therapist:

• You should expect to feel safe, respected and valued.
• You should expect to receive care without fear of judgment or harm. Cultural safety recognizes that people from different communities may not feel safe in healthcare settings. Some people may feel afraid or distrustful because of historical or ongoing experiences of discrimination.
• You should expect your therapist to be willing to talk openly with you and handle feedback well.
• You should expect your occupational therapist to adjust their approach to fit your needs. Making services culturally safer means understanding power dynamics and making sure everyone feels safe. Occupational therapists should understand they are in a position of power and privilege as health care providers.

Learn more about What to Expect From Your Occupational Therapist.

National eLearning Module

COTO is working together with national regulators (ACOTRO) to develop a national eLearning Module for occupational therapists across Canada on Advancing Culture, Equity and Justice in Occupational Therapy Practice. The module explores the topic of cultural humility and equity in occupational therapy practice and applies to occupational therapists in diverse practice areas.

The module focuses on real scenarios to engage professionals and build awareness and application to practice. It introduces concepts related to culture and equity, with the understanding that terminology and experiences are evolving and incorporating humility into practice is a lifelong endeavour.

The goal is for occupational therapists in both clinical and non-clinical roles to apply this learning directly to their daily work.

Working with system partners

In addition to our 2024 – 2027 Strategic Priorities, we also work together with our health system partners to support and advance EDI in health care.

• Health Profession Regulators of Ontario (HPRO) Anti-Racism Steering Committee: COTO works with other health regulatory colleges to identify systemic racism and implement tangible solutions that help build health systems and practices that reinforce EDI.
• Ontario Ministry of Health and College Performance Measurement Framework: Annually, COTO also reports on the organization’s EDI progress to the Ministry of Health through the College Performance Measurement Framework (CPMF) tool.

Culture, Equity, and Justice in Occupational Therapy Practice

COTO has a resource on Culture, Equity, and Justice in Occupational Therapy Practice. The intent of this document is to be a starting point to help occupational therapists apply principles of culture, equity, and justice in their practice. This resource complements the Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada (2021), Domain C: Culture, Equity and Justice. 

Equity Perspectives Advisory Committee

This advisory committee explores, discusses and provides recommendations on current occupational therapy practice issues relevant to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). They have provided input on topics such as: College policies, standards, the Culture, Equity, and Justice in Occupational Therapy Practice document and more.

Committee members are volunteer occupational therapists who are members of one or more equity-deserving groups, including: Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, LGBTQ2SIA+ and/or those who face historic and ongoing systemic oppression due to social identities and positions including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, dis/ability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation and/or religion.

See our Work with Indigenous Communities page for information on our Indigenous Insights Advisory Committee

COTO has compiled a list of resources for patients, clients, occupational therapists, and others who want to learn more about equity, diversity, and inclusion. The resources are not produced by COTO and are provided as reference material.

We will continue to listen and learn as we work together to move forward.

Please contact the Practice Resource Team at practice@coto.org or 1-800-890-6570 x240 with any questions or comments. If you have specific questions regarding resources, please contact the authoring organization.