Why advocate?
Advocacy is an important aspect of occupational therapy and a skill that all occupational therapists should possess. OTs must advocate for our profession, clients, and more. We must be prepared to stand up for the profession and ensure our voices are heard by insurance companies, legislators, and society. I have become a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) which is a national organization that holds conferences throughout the country and provides continuous education on many important topics within occupational therapy. Additionally, I have also had the opportunity to volunteer for Gliding Stars, the Toledo Sensory Room, and the Community Care Clinic, all of which have been educational experiences for me. Gliding Stars encourages children with disabilities to participate in ice skating while the Toledo Sensory Room focuses on sensory integration for children in the community with autism and the Community Care Clinic focuses on providing care to the uninsured and under-privileged. I plan to gain more experience advocating for different populations in my future as a student and clinician.
Gliding Stars
At Gliding Stars I was able to work with a woman with Down Syndrome. In the few weeks that I worked with her we were able to work on her standing endurance to help her meet her personal goal to skate longer each week before she took a break. It was exciting to see how she was able to improve her strength and endurance each week by skating with me.
Toledo Sensory Room
At the Toledo Sensory Room, I was able to interact with a 5 year old boy with autism and help him build with blocks, which helped him work on hand dexterity. I was also able to help him be more comfortable playing with one of the other volunteers present. This was exciting because social interaction can be difficult for children with autism but the boy adapted very well to my classmate joining us.
Community Care Clinic
At the Community Care Clinic I encountered multiple patients who could not afford to receive medical treatment. We were able to help them fill important prescriptions by using different apps to find the most affordable pharmacies. This introduced me to a great resource that I will be able to employ in the future for any clients that are struggling financially.
The Issue Is
In my Advocacy III course, I advocated for need to address the racial disparities in the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy's "Issue Is" format. My Issue Is article explored the current state of the issue, analyzed the issue using an occupational therapy model of practice, and discussed current and future advocacy efforts to decrease the racial disparities in the diagnosis of ASD
Group Advocacy
With a classmate in my Advocacy III course, I identified family members of individuals with a mental health diagnosis as a population that would benefit from increased advocacy efforts and occupational therapy intervention. In order to advocate for this population, I attended a family support group held by the National Alliance on Mental Illness in order to identify the needs, concerns, and issues faced by the population. My partner and I then determined implications for occupational therapy involvement with this population and the organizations that are involved in current advocacy efforts.
Business Plan
The business plan I created in collaboration with my cohort helped me develop skills in delegation, teamwork, written, and oral communication. Additionally, I learned how to advocate for adequate staff in a therapy program by creating a budget that included: variable costs, fixed costs, staffing, advertising, and marketing. Using the budget, I was able to calculate the number of professionals from different disciplines required to serve the intended population. Creating the business plan helped me develop skills that will enable me to advocate for clients and staff by using evidence to communicate the need for improvements in services or number of staff.
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Advocacy Plan
In my Advocacy III course, I identified that pregnant women and mother's with substance use disorder, as well as their infants diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, would benefit from OT services. For my assignment, I created a comprehensive advocacy plan concerning the need to include occupational therapy on interdisciplinary teams that specialize in perinatal opioid use treatment. While completing this assignment, I explored relevant literature, discussed OT's specific role, highlighted the need, and examined relevant government policies and initiative. The skills that I learned for this assignment will enable me to advocate for clients in the future. Additionally, I possess the knowledge and skills required to advocate for occupational therapy as a profession and the role of OT with currently untreated populations.