Writing Justice In The School System: An Integrative Review Of Handwriting Using The Framework Of Occupational Justice

Abstract

Handwriting is a complex occupation; it is an intricately coordinated symphony of skills and interactions. The success of a child’s handwriting is dependent on many factors and conditions. The concept of occupational justice implies, as a determinant of health and well-being, all children have the right to access sound handwriting instruction and if required, supportive services for therapeutic intervention. However, a number of school-aged children do not have access to sound handwriting instruction or therapeutic intervention. This is an occupational injustice. An integrative review of the occupational therapy literature was completed for the purposes of enhancing the understanding of handwriting in the school system. The Revised Framework of Occupational Justice was used to guide the analysis of the literature sources and identify the conditions contributing to an occupational injustice. The results of this review provided a comprehensive overview of handwriting and identified conditions leading to an occupational injustice in handwriting.