Elisa Santizo

Social Justice Reflection

Before I considered going to graduate school, my exposure to social justice

lacked action. I did not grow up in a culture of volunteerism. While working as a
yoga teacher, I did teach free classes for kids occasionally, but these were mostly
children of our yoga students, not exactly an underserved population. After I
decided to look into occupational therapy, one of my first volunteer roles was to
start an adaptive yoga program for clients at an adult day center for adults with
mental and physical disabilities. This was far out of my comfort zone I was terrified
at first, but over months I got to know the clients and understand their desires and
abilities. It put my abilities as a yoga teacher to the test and I learned a great deal
as I put together a series of adaptive poses. In hindsight, there was an incredible
social justice need at that facility. Many adults were confined to wheelchairs with
conditions like cerebral palsy or neurodegenerative disorders, and I think the simple
stretches they did with me once a week was the most movement they were getting.
Through my work at Touro, I learned that social justice and volunteerism can
be as simple as a donation, or as complex as long-term work for a non-profit
organization. Opportunities are everywhere, such as field trips I took with the
Medical Spanish Club and Geriatrics Interest Group at Touro. There is also much
greater work that needs to be done, both in the United States and abroad. My
presentation on veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other class
projects during 5th semester opened my eyes to the effects systemic suppression
has on marginalized populations. There is so much need in the world, it can be
overwhelming to think about.

During my level IIA fieldwork, the majority of our early intervention caseload
were families who immigrated from Mexico and were lower socioeconomic status.
This presented an enormous opportunity for social justice in the workplace. I was
fortunate to work with a fieldwork educator who was passionate about helping these
families and was a tremendous role model for social justice. Through this experience
I also came to appreciate the importance of therapeutic rapport. The majority of the
help we offered was in education as to available resources and navigating the
medical process for their child, although she would also give away secondhand toys
and supplies. Doing this required a great sense of trust on the part of the family, to
open up about their struggles not only with having a child with developmental delay
but also with their needs regarding services.
Through my experiences as a student, I have not only learned a great deal
about the existing needs in the community, but also how to go about making a
difference. I also know that how I help neednt be a huge commitment, that
everything helps. Whether I go on to work in an area of emerging practice in a
social justice setting, or a more traditional setting, I know I can use the tools I have
learned to make a difference.