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Description
This capstone project was completed with Tonya Fish OTR/L at Hopewell Schools in Coshocton, OH. The primary ACOTE focus areas were education and advocacy, focusing on educating individuals in the community on occupational therapy and the importance of integrating it into the community, as well as advocating for changes to be made to current systems to allow for occupational therapy services to be available to children in the area. In Coshocton, the only opportunities for receiving pediatric occupational therapy services are in the school system or through the county board of developmental disabilities programs like Help Me Grow and Early Intervention. Individuals that do not receive one of these services are traveling out of the area, often over an hour one way, to attend therapy sessions. Through this project, I was able to create connections with local families, educators, and therapy providers to gain insight into the barriers they face when providing or searching for services. I was also able to meet with local high school students to discuss occupational therapy as a profession and ways to get involved as a high school student. Throughout my project outreach, I was able to network with the director of rehabilitation in the local hospital system. We discussed the lack of occupational therapy services, the barriers, as well as what could be done to fix this. I was able to assist with a proposal to create a pediatric occupational therapist position in this hospital system. As a deliverable for my site, I created a “pediatric resource brochure” that lists the various resources for children and families in the area. These resources included transportation, parent groups, therapy providers, mental health support, and many more. This brochure will be displayed at my site, as well as in various locations throughout the community for easy access. This project served as an opportunity to educate and advocate for occupational therapy and the individuals that may need the services.
Graduation Date
8-2026
Disciplines
Occupational Therapy
Degree Type
Book
Site Mentor
Tonya Fish, OTR/L, Director of Therapy Services
Comments
Link to Presentation: https://youtu.be/1pDjWoXl9iM