Discovering the lifestyle of the physically disabled

The "discovery process" learned in the Leadership Training Institute sponsored by the American Occupational Therapy Association was used as the foundation for a course offered to senior occupational therapy students. The students had completed required courses in the curriculum and had returned from six months of field work experience. They had little or no exposure to patients outside a hospital setting. The objectives of the course were: (1) To offer the student an experience in which he could gain an understanding of a physically disabled person's natural environment and the forces exerted on him within that environment; and (2) to offer the student an opportunity to develop issues relevant to that physically handicapped person's life style and, by using that person's natural abilities, assist him to adapt to or change his environment. The process that evolved between the students and the handicapped people that they visited in the community is discussed.