Abstract
Introduction
From Occupational Therapy, special attention has been paid to the description and analysis of the occupations that take place in contexts of greater vulnerability and social precariousness in which occupational performance and participation in conditions of health, well-being, and personal sense can be significantly compromised.
Objective
To describe and explain the occupation from a cultural approach in families with children with disabilities living in a context deprived of freedom such as the Sahrawi refugee camps.
Method
Cross-sectional descriptive study, of an ethnographic nature, carried out in the Saharan refugee camps of Tindouf (Algeria).
Results
In the camps, the time invested in the development of daily life activities is far from the West, since the very concept of 'time' has a very different meaning. The daily chores of the Saharawis are marked by three “times”: (1) sunlight, (2) prayer, and (3) tea time, the last two being the most significant occupations of the refugee population. The meaning of culture seemed to be an integral part of professional practice, as well as the life circumstances with which families with disabled members lived.
Conclusion
Occupational Therapy must be challenged to offer opportunities for a more dignified daily life for all people, supporting and protecting the rights of occupational participation of all subjects, especially those who experience situations of greater vulnerability.
Keywords:
Occupational Therapy; Disabled Persons; Culture; Refugees; Sub-Saharan Africa