Disability Accommodation Implementation Within Occupational Therapy Academia: A National Descriptive Survey on Knowledge, Training, and Attitudes

Document Type (Journals)

Original Research

Abstract

Occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant programs are accredited health professional programs that have, anecdotally, seen an increase in requested disability accommodations among students over the last decade. There is limited knowledge regarding faculty preparedness, available resources, and attitudes related to implementing accommodations in accredited occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant programs located in the United States. Researchers aimed to describe faculty knowledge and experience with disability accommodation implementation, as well as identify available training and resources related to accommodation implementation and faculty attitudes toward the accommodation implementation process. Researchers used the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES) framework to guide the development and implementation of an electronic survey. A total of 109 eligible occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant faculty completed the survey. Participants had a mean of 8.7 years (SD 6.9) of teaching experience in occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant programs. Of the sample, 30.3% reported receiving institutional training on disability accommodation process and procedure. Participants reported that extended time for test taking, assignment deadline extensions, and classroom environment modifications were the most challenging types of accommodations to implement within courses. The findings highlight the need for comprehensive faculty training that extends beyond legal compliance to encompass practical strategies tailored explicitly to occupational therapy education. Further qualitative exploration regarding the lived experiences of health professional faculty is needed to further understand the training and implementation strategies surrounding accommodation implementation in occupational therapy education.

Biography

Nicole Pawek, OTD is a recent Doctor of Occupational Therapy graduate from the University of Minnesota.

Julie Olson Rand, M.Ed., NIC serves as the associate director of access programs within the disability resource center at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Rebecca Ozelie, DHS, OTR/L, FAOTA is an associate professor and the program director and chairperson at Rush University in Chicago, IL.

Hannah Oldenburg, EdD, OTR/L, BCPR is an associate professor and associate program director at the University of Minnesota.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Recommended Citation

Pawek, N., Olson Rand, J., Ozelie, R., & Oldenburg, H. Y. (2026). Disability Accommodation Implementation Within Occupational Therapy Academia: A National Descriptive Survey on Knowledge, Training, and Attitudes. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 10 (3). Retrieved from https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/vol10/iss3/17