The Elizabeth Casson 50th Anniversary
Elizabeth Casson was born on 14th April 1881 into a musical family in
Denbigh, Wales. As a young woman she
went on to work for Octavia Hill, co-founder
of the National Trust and well known social
housing reformer, as Secretary to the Red Cross Hall in Borough,
where she experienced some of
Miss Hill's philosophies in practice. The scheme linked
model cottages with a community hall and
green sitting room in a very deprived area of London. Music, drama,
gardening, arts, gymnastics
and play activities were part of the regular programme.
Her next move was to become a medical student at Bristol University. She was the first woman to graduate from Bristol as a doctor and was soon breaking other traditional barriers by specialising in the field of psychiatry.
Dr Casson then began her long association with occupational therapy by opening the first school of occupational therapy in the UK at Dorset House in Bristol in 1929. Interestingly, this educational institution also functioned as a clinic for women with mental health problems.
Her interest in occupational therapy continued with involvement in the Association of Occupational Therapists (AOT), established in 1936 and the work which led up to the creation of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) in 1952. She received an Honorary fellowship of WFOT in 1954 in recognition of her work.
A more detailed biography of Dr Casson appears in Volume II of 'Occupation for Health' by Dr Ann Wilcock, COT 2002, pp 118-125. She was a unique and key figure in the history of the profession and the Association in the first half of the twentieth century. Her legacy continues.
Download pp118-125 Chapter Four of 'Occupation for Health' Volume II by Dr Ann Wilcock, COT 2002 (239KB 
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