Reclaiming our heritage: connecting the Founding Vision to the Centennial Vision.

I am delighted to have the pleasure of exploring with you the Founding Vision of occupational therapy. As the Centennial Vision is poised to lead the profession in the beginning of the 21st century, I would like to take us back in time to the early years of the 20th century, when the profession of occupational therapy was founded. There are many parallels between that founding period and now. In this lecture, I will examine the ideas and values that underlie the vision articulated by the founding generation of occupational therapists and describe the similarities and differences between the Founding Vision and the Centennial Vision. I propose that the commonalities within the two visions create continuity between our past and present—that the Centennial Vision does not represent a new set of values but rather builds on values that the profession has held since its inception in 1917. It is the purpose of history to elucidate connections in the hope that we can learn from our rich past and feel more related to it. Understanding the connection between the values articulated in the Founding Vision and those expressed in the Centennial Vision can give practitioners of today a sense of continuity and community with earlier generations of occupational therapists and an understanding that many of the contemporary values we currently hold were first articulated by occupational therapy’s founding generation almost 100 years ago. Let us first compare the two visions. The Founding Vision states, “The particular objects for which the corporation is formed are as follows: The advancement of occupation as a therapeutic measure; for the study of the effect of occupation upon the human being; and for the scientific dispensation of this knowledge” (National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy [NSPOT], 1917). The Centennial Vision states, “We envision that occupational therapy is a powerful, widely recognized, science-driven, and evidence-based profession with a globally connected and diverse workforce meeting society’s occupational needs” (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2007, p. 613). These visions share a focus on (1) successful promotion of occupation as a vital force to meet society’s needs and (2) engagement in and dissemination of scientific research that supports the effectiveness of occupational therapy. In short, within both visions there is a concern with occupation and science. Let us examine the similarities and differences with which the founding generation and today’s generation view these concepts.