Dr. Diamond Rashad, OTD, OTR/L
I am so honored to share that I have a chapter contribution featured in Neurodiversity-Affirming Occupational Therapy: Empowering Approaches to Foster Neurodivergent Participation, edited by Bryden Carlson-Giving, OTD, OTR/L. My piece is included as part of Chapter 4, “Collective Liberation: Honoring Disability Justice and Indigenous Wisdom in Occupational Therapy,” alongside so many amazing, intentional people. Getting to be part of this book, and especially this chapter, genuinely feels like a love letter to Sins Invalid and the disability justice movement that has shaped so much of how I think and practice.
My contribution centers on the concept of collective access, and I want to share some of that reflection here.
What Collective Access Actually Means
I see collective access as a commitment to develop spaces where everyone’s needs are considered and are part of the shared responsibility of communities. It is not a checklist. It is not a ramp bolted on at the last minute or a single accommodation made in isolation. It is an ongoing, relational practice of asking whose needs are being centered and who gets to decide.
As Viethi Ly put it, “The good thing is that if we understand that our built environment and social environment are created by people, then we know that these are things that people can change.” That framing matters. Nothing about the way our spaces, systems, and professions are structured is inevitable. People built them, and people can rebuild them.
A Real-World Example That Gets It Right
I have the pleasure of visiting the first accessible bookstore in my area pretty frequently, and it has become one of my favorite examples of collective access done well. The store owner has created space for everyone to thrive through both physical and sensory adaptations: a ramp, automatic push-to-open plates, rolling shelves, natural lighting, no perfumes or loud music, and accessible colors and contrast on signage. These are not special accommodations hidden in a back corner. They are part of the fabric of the space itself.
What makes it stand out even more is that the booksellers regularly communicate, in personal conversations, during event promotions, and in their marketing, that further individual accommodations can always be made. Visitors and regulars know that access needs can be shared privately, collectively, or within the broader community. It truly embodies “for us, by us,” and the solutions grow more creative as the community grows.
What I Hope for Occupational Therapy
This is what I hope to see more of in our profession: prioritizing the voices of disabled individuals, honoring differences, supporting autonomy, and considering intersectionality in every community we collaborate in. In occupational therapy, collective access is an opportunity to create for each person within the profession, with the clients we work alongside, and through transformed systems.
We hold a responsibility to do this work. Not as saviors, not as experts who know best, but as collaborators who show up with humility and a genuine commitment to building something better together.
If you have not yet picked up Neurodiversity-Affirming Occupational Therapy, I cannot recommend it enough. It is a resource for practitioners, students, and anyone invested in what a more just version of this field can look like.
Check out the book and follow @brydencarlson_giving for more. And as always, connect with me on Instagram or through the connect page if you want to keep the conversation going.
