All great institutions grow from a single idea. Only after a strong foundation of beliefs, visions, and values is built can a structure hold its strength. It only takes the minds of a small group of people to build an establishment. The people behind any creation are called founders. The field of occupational therapy has seven original founders, including George Barton, William Rush Dunton, Thomas Kidner, Eleanor Clark Slagle, Susan Tracy, Susan Johnson, and Herbert J. Hall. They all had a shared goal and worked toward the creation of occupational therapy. There is another group of people who also had a shared goal and worked toward the creation of something great. Most likely the most famous and well-known founders of a major institution are
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Franklin began his work in politics because he was an activist for independence. He had a strong sense of civic duty. How he began his work is solely just by his own desire to help the public (Independence Hall Association, 1999). He saw problems with the way society was currently running and had a vision to create a better world. This is significantly similar to the founders of occupational therapy, who strived to create better lives for people with disabilities and injuries. Both Benjamin Franklin and the founders of OT had a great respect for all kinds of people. In relation to the arts and crafts movement, Franklin also valued skills and craft. The Hull House in Chicago that some of the OT founders helped with was an establishment that offered instruction in weaving, woodworking, printing, and other handcrafts (Cole & Tufano, 2008). Benjamin Franklin himself worked in printing. In comparison to the humanistic philosophy that guided the original OT basis for moral treatment is greatly similar to Franklin’s ideals. Humanistic philosophy viewed all men as equal. This is the view that our country strives for and was first laid out in the U.S. Constitution which Franklin helped to draft. The last movement that affected the original beliefs of the founders of OT was the mental hygiene movement, which emphasized the importance of occupation in order to avoid mental illness. Benjamin Franklin would most likely agree with this because he was known to be an extremely busy man, which can be clearly observed in his diversity of careers and interests. The last striking similarity between Ben Franklin, a Founding Father, and the founders of OT involves the fact that they are obviously both founders. This means that they both created the foundation for future generations. Just like the founders of OT who wrote the first books and journals of occupational
Franklin began his work in politics because he was an activist for independence. He had a strong sense of civic duty. How he began his work is solely just by his own desire to help the public (Independence Hall Association, 1999). He saw problems with the way society was currently running and had a vision to create a better world. This is significantly similar to the founders of occupational therapy, who strived to create better lives for people with disabilities and injuries. Both Benjamin Franklin and the founders of OT had a great respect for all kinds of people. In relation to the arts and crafts movement, Franklin also valued skills and craft. The Hull House in Chicago that some of the OT founders helped with was an establishment that offered instruction in weaving, woodworking, printing, and other handcrafts (Cole & Tufano, 2008). Benjamin Franklin himself worked in printing. In comparison to the humanistic philosophy that guided the original OT basis for moral treatment is greatly similar to Franklin’s ideals. Humanistic philosophy viewed all men as equal. This is the view that our country strives for and was first laid out in the U.S. Constitution which Franklin helped to draft. The last movement that affected the original beliefs of the founders of OT was the mental hygiene movement, which emphasized the importance of occupation in order to avoid mental illness. Benjamin Franklin would most likely agree with this because he was known to be an extremely busy man, which can be clearly observed in his diversity of careers and interests. The last striking similarity between Ben Franklin, a Founding Father, and the founders of OT involves the fact that they are obviously both founders. This means that they both created the foundation for future generations. Just like the founders of OT who wrote the first books and journals of occupational