Dr. Dalia Sachs

October, 1992. It is the first day of studying occupational therapy at Haifa University. Dr. Dalia Sachs, then the head of the Occupational Therapy department, opens the school year.

I am a first year student to occupational therapy. What is this thing, this journey I am starting today, occupational therapy?

Dalia tries to explain. I feel confused, but understand that she understands. I hope that one day I would understand too. Three and a half years of meetings left me with a great feeling of honor and a role model.

October, 2011. I start thinking of a PhD. Dalia agrees to supervise me, great excitement. I had a lot of meetings with Dalia, both fun and challenging times. Every time the feeling of honor accompanies me, I find it difficult to let it go, I choose not to.

This week I meet her again, in her home environment. There is something intimate and different in a living room meeting. With her personal coffee mug and a cake from her favorite bakery. While we sit we remember to turn on the recorder, so that we won't miss anything.

She tells us how she began as an occupational therapist, completely unintentionally. She was between two very different areas, and by the end she was influenced by a picture she saw in the newspaper. A decision that wasn't based on any evidence and was a based decision, which has defined who she is now. I can easily empathize with that feeling; I made many similar decisions like this one.

In her story Dalia tells us about the changes she made and the opportunities she had. We all have many opportunities, the best advice is to take them, and Dalia utilized them all.

How much courage is needed from a young 30-year-old woman to establish an occupational therapy department? Dalia shares with us those decisions and how they changed and influenced her self-definition. She tells us how other pillars added to her being an unusual occupational therapist interested in philosophy, sociology, gender, and feminism. How those added to her being an occupational therapist who is both innovative and varied.

She had so much confidence and faith that her way is right, that she does have what to say, during days that everything was still unclear, unstructured, and novel. She had chosen to share it with others through teaching, opening the department, and through influence both socially and politically.

"What had led you?" We asked? "Social justice" she answered without blinking an eye. An answer not many can say without it being cliché. It was clear to me that Dalia indeed drove others from the same compass of values she carried with her in her different levels of evaluation. When she told us how in an oral examination she refused to answer a question because she disagreed with the answer’s value; I could imagine it happening. She is telling her story and through it, she passes on a clear message – to fight, be everywhere where there is a chance to move social matters and foster any opportunity for equality, to let our voices be heard, for and together with the people we accompanied, and for the uniqueness of our profession. Dalia highlights again and again our uniqueness in the broad understanding of the person in all aspects of their life. "Which other profession does that?" She asks. I have no answers. It is indeed a wonderful profession. She sent us with no hesitation to our two next stations in this chain that had evolved, two new exciting opportunities.

We leave by the red door, one that only Dalia has.

While we walk along the path we smile with satisfaction. I choose again to keep holding it.

Every day I learn new aspects of the profession. I still don’t know why I took this way but I understand why I am still taking it. I choose to be an occupational therapist.

Naama

We scheduled the meeting with Dalia for the first day of Joan Toglia's workshop in Haifa University, for me, to find it easier to get to her house located on one of the most complex and beautiful streets in town. It was great timing for me to be able to have a real observation of her influence. Until yesterday, she was, for me, an impressive figure who I knew from a distance and lately had heard about her more and more from Naama.

From a close view she is just as I say about our profession – as more regular and down to earth, more relevant and meaningful. The is something simple in her, maybe it was sitting in her living room in her inviting house, and the four o'clock timing that gave the atmosphere. This natural feeling created a simple connection that doesn’t need to be explained. Every sentence makes me more curious and now and then I join the conversation because she speaks straight through my own set of values.    

She tells us about her initial reason she chose the profession, and I'm with her, I chose and fought on my place without a clear reason, I just knew. Later on, I realize this feeling is based exactly on points Dalia describes, of a profession that not only focuses on the individual itself but also on the society he or she comes from. Society influences an ability to integrate within it. For me, her ability to strive to justice, and the belief that what should be, not as a slogan but as a personal-professional way of living, with the demand to apply those values in legislation, research, calling out – I identified to my own everyday practice and vocational decisions (that sometimes feel odd to others).

Dalia looks at both of us during the discussion, she is not only speaking equally to us, but also acting this way. She is dividing herself equally and presenting the same to each one. She spoke about the need for a discussion of occupational therapists from a multi age level, that a mutual learning is so important for an evolution of new and old knowledge. Naama quoted Anthony and we all know whom she is speaking about.

They talk about the first strike of people with disabilities; knowing that I don’t "remember", only "know about". I explain from the field how we practice these values. However, in the past, a revolution was needed for them to be noticed. Yes, I used the term revolution even though I don't like it, because the biggest revolution today is to keep changes in the daily routine. To create more interventions, more connections, write another paper, perform in another conference, research, and build up another generation of valuated occupational therapists. Things that would evolve our society, and the people living in it, to have a better and more meaningful life.

She also, as those she follows, tells us about big things she has done while young in age. One being, the creation of a new occupational therapy department at the University on the Mountain. A few hours after I heard the current dean praise the OT department I hear Dalia’s story, explaining to the Dean, years ago, why there is a need for this department in the University. And it happened. She also mentions Yael H'alevi, with great respect, as a strong person that led others in new endeavors. The name Aliza Karni was also mentioned several times. It marked a direction and lead us on the path. It tells us that our community is one with a wide scope that with every meeting reveals to be part of it.

This is our third meeting and I already feel how the story forms an image. She sends us on two routes: one to the academy, and one to the field. I all of a sudden understand that the story of occupational therapy was framed in my mind with a specific point of view of what I know. Which is good, but just part of the big picture.

Sivan