Advocacy - More Than A Buzzword

Author: Katie Little, OTS; ILOTA Blog Coordinator

As occupational therapy practitioners, our profession is renowned for its hands-on care and the ability to help individuals reclaim their independence. Beyond clinical walls and interventions often lies an unseen aspect of our work: advocacy. While some may believe this is just a buzzword, it is the very foundation that successful outcomes are built upon. Not only this, every victory we help consumers achieve, every barrier we help them overcome, serves as a compelling testimony as to why occupational therapy is essential, and strengthens our profession’s standing and ensuring its place in healthcare.

The 8th Annual ILOTA Student Conclave was held on February 15, 2025, hosted by Midwestern University. Big thanks to the committee who worked so hard to make this a successful event:

Video

Sensory Play 3 Ways

By Monica Zloza, COTA

Capstone Journey: The World of Non-Profit Organizations

This blog post is an opportunity to highlight a capstone site that two current Midwestern University OT-III students are currently working at. The Mobility Matters Foundation (MMF) is a non-profit 501(c)3 foundation that was founded by Dr. Amy Siegler, BOCO, OTD, OTR/L. Dr. Siegler founded this non-profit based out of Western North Carolina in 2022 partly in response to NC Medicaid cutting reimbursement for telehealth services for many individuals, including Medicaid patients ages 21 and up who were accessing private OT/PT clinics. After completing her own needs assessment in her geographic area, she noted that there were extreme gaps in terms of access to healthcare, geographic, financial, and transportation barriers, insurance limitations, and lack of nearby seating & mobility clinics. As a result, Dr. Siegler founded the first and only seating and mobility clinic in Western NC that operates on a telehealth and pro bono level.

The scoop on an ILOTA Intern’s Capstone Projects: Ari’s Perspective

Attending Conference: Practitioner/Professor Perspective

Marissa Dastice

Ciara Brabant: What was your first conference experience like?

Attending Conference: Students’ Perspective

Hello readers! My name is Ciara Brabant and, I am a 1st year OTD student at Midwestern University. I am taking Samantha Tupas position as ILOTA blog coordinator for In the Now. This month I am posting the 1st of a 2 part article series about students’ perspectives on attending conference. I had the opportunity to speak with two students, Talya Flores and Samantha Dooley, from Midwestern University OTD program, about their recent experience attending the ILOTA conference.

Talya Flores attends the OTD program at Midwestern University as a 1st-year student.

Lewis University COTAD Interview

Hello readers! This month I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with the Lewis University COTAD Chapter. Miranda, Jay, and Dr. Susan Charnley, DrOT, OTR/L, CHT, joined me for an interview about their recent COTAD events and what their goals are for the rest of the year. I hope you all enjoy hearing about their experiences with COTAD!

Samantha 

Interview with Midwestern University COTAD Chapter: Rocio, Gabby, and Dr. Robinson

Hello readers! This month I had the opportunity to speak with the members of the Midwestern University COTAD chapter. Gabriela Carmona, Rocio Torres, and Dr. Monika Robinson, DrOT, OTR/L shared their insights on what it means to be a part of COTAD and what others can do to contribute to their cause of diversity, inclusion, and equity.

Samantha:

Hello Readers!

Here is some scholarship and grant application information brought to us through the support of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF).

The AOTF is the nation’s leading standalone non-profit investing in new OT research and the future OT workforce. For almost 60 years the philanthropic generosity of the OT community has enabled AOTF to advance the science of occupational therapy and strengthen our profession.

Poetry and Self-Reflection

Hello all! We’ve had a lot of interviews and OT history on the blog recently. For today, I want to change things up and present to you a poem from OTD student at Midwestern University, Tara Schoen. I want to thank her for taking the time to write this wonderful poem and for allowing me to share it with all of you!

It’s a beautiful poem that discusses death and our connection to the people we love. It also shows how OTPs can utilize creative writing as a therapeutic tool in our practice. Also, please feel free to check out the interview that I did with Tara where she explains her methods behind writing it. 

Hello all! Today I bring you an interview with ILOTA board member Elizabeth Kohler-Rausch. In this interview, Elizabeth talks about her professional background, her position with ILOTA, and what she’s learned from being in this position.

1. What is your current position on ILOTA’s board and activities do you engage in to fulfill that role? 

I am the co-coordinator for the Pediatrics Special Interest Section. 

1. Can you describe what your duties are as Director of Quality and Patient Safety?

Develop and implement policies and procedures for the identification, collection, and analysis of quality, risk, and patient safety information

Educate and train the leadership, staff, and physicians as to the quality and patient safety program and their respective responsibilities in carrying out the program

Advise departments on designing quality improvement and patient safety initiatives

Hello all! This month In the Now is covering the work and history of Mary E. Black, an occupational therapist who has made an impact on occupational therapy through her talent in crafts and weaving.

Who is Mary E. Black?
Mary Black was born on September 18, 1895. Interestingly enough, Mary Black did not start off her career as an occupational therapist, she started off as a weaver. From her start at the young age of eight, Mary’s talent in weaving would make a huge impact on her career as an occupational therapist.

Impact on Occupational Therapy
At age 23, Mary became an occupational aide at McGill University in Montreal. She worked specifically in a program for disabled soldiers. After her time there, Mary worked in the Nova Scotia Tuberculosis Sanatorium and then at the Nova Scotia Hospital in Dartmouth. There she taught crafts to veterans who returned from World War I. She would then go on to organize an occupational therapy program not just for soldiers but for civilians as well.

During Black History Month, ILOTA recommended practitioners listen to Episode 4 of the 1619 Podcast.  Dr. Maud Makoni provides a reflection on the podcast.

Health care access and disparity for our black patients/clients as OTPs

Healthcare is a human right, and OTPs, are already participating in closing the healthcare disparity gap. I listened to the 1619 podcast, Episode 4: How Bad Blood Started (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1619/id1476928106?i=1000449718223) and agreed with all the sentiments shared. Much progress has been made nationally and internationally, but as clinicians, we still have some ways to arrive at healthcare equality.  From a provider perspective, who is Black,  I have experienced health care disparities indirectly. By this, I mean through the lived experience of relatives, friends, and some of my patients. Honestly, the discrepancy comes down to humanity’s disservice and not necessarily racial divide occasionally.  I have seen the people around me struggle with the lack of or insufficient medical care resources, just like the man in the podcast who died of preventable disease, the familiar story of many.

Finding the balance between education, work, and family is a hard task! And with all the places we want to go, things we want to do, and hobbies we have it can feel impossible to find time for it all. (Did I mention that you also have to get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep?)

Recently, I had an interview with Dr. Glen Cotton, a professor in the entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) program at Midwestern University. He has started to tackle the issue of balance with the OTD 2024 cohort at Midwestern University by creating a student-run Wellness Group. In this interview, he and I discuss the motivation behind creating the committee as well as the importance of teaching future OTPs strategies to maintain balance in life.

Can you tell me about the OT Student Wellness Group? 

Spring always makes me think of new beginnings. The melting of snow brings fresh flowers and the chance to finally put away the heavy winter coat. The changing of seasons shows how a different perspective can make a huge difference, it can turn a street of slippery ice and snow into the road less traveled on the way to vacation!  

For as much time as OTPs and OT/OTA students spend reading articles and textbooks, and writing research; we can also benefit from being reminded of the value of our profession through a different lens. The poem and short story that you read below express the values of occupational therapy in a refreshing light! 

Thank you to all those who submitted their creative writing. It was so inspiring to read about what occupational therapy meant to you. 

Happy Black History Month! In honor of this celebration, In the Now is drawing attention to the National Black Occupational Therapy Caucus (NBOTC). The NBOTC advocates for Black occupational therapy practitioners and students and seeks to promote their contributions to the public. 

The founding of this organization started in 1974 at the AOTA Annual Conference and was created due to issues in employment, isolation, and discrimination among Black occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs). During the AOTA conference, several Black OTPs discussed starting an organization of their own to tackle these issues among the community. Several practitioners and students passed out notes to Black attendees inviting them to meet in the conference hotel lobby. The turnout was so big that the small lobby was not able to hold them all and the meeting had to be moved somewhere else. From that first meeting, the students and practitioners agreed to meet during the next AOTA conference to offer support and network with each other. 

Among the ten founders of the NBOTC are Jerry Bentley, Yvonne Flowers, Dr. Cynthia Hughes Harris, Wimberly Edwards, Agatha Jackson, Dr. Lela Llorens, Javan Walker, Willian Lofton, Joyce Lane, Bobbie Smith. Several of these founders have ties to Illinois!