John Hammond, from the UK , opened the session by speaking about the importance of discomfort in challenging growth. He went on to address the issue of power within the global physiotherapy profession.
The speakers then shared their own experiences of privilege and power.
Maria-Louisa Busuttil shared her experience as president of the Malta Association of Physiotherapists and how she had advocated for physiotherapists to be a part of the Pride march in Malta. She spoke candidly about her struggles to arrange the physiotherapy participation in the march and how this arose because she did not consult the members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community that she sought to include. She merged World PT Day with LGBT awareness day and changed logos to rainbows, in an attempt to support diversity in the profession. She was met with some backlash on social media, with comments calling out her organisation for becoming ‘too political’. She identified a lack of inclusion towards LGBT people as an example of her privilege and oppression, and how this was turned into an opportunity for her personal growth and development. She talked about how this experience allowed her to build a transformational framework towards inclusivity.
Anupa Pathak, from Nepal, talked about her personal experience of power and privilege in Nepal and New Zealand. She talked about her journey, where she was able to view her disadvantages clearly but struggled to see her own privileges. She said she was able to identify her disadvantages when patients refused treatment from her on the basis that she was a woman, and how it was difficult to get her work recognised internationally. Through preparing for her talk, she was able to reflect on her privileges and spoke about how she had access to education in English and the opportunities that it gave her. She urged the audience to take a moment and examine their own privileges.
Jenny Setchell, from Australia, spoke about the first time she questioned what normal was in physiotherapy. She shared about her deeply personal experience with heteronormativity, and how she had felt less able to speak about her relationship with her first girlfriend among her peers. She addressed the implicit gender norms, heteronormativity and class conformity within the profession and said: “We have all been brought up with implicit basis that it takes time to challenge”. She finished by mentioning the promising “peaks of colour” that are now showing in the profession.
Congress sessions are available on demand to all registered participants until 8 July 2021.
