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Program Development: 

Improving Self Advocacy Skills in Youth (I SAY)

During my occupational therapy education, I collaborated with a partner to create a comprehensive program proposal intended for a community partner. My partner and I proposed the Improvement for Advocacy Skills in Youth, or I SAY, program to be run at the Ability Center of Greater Toledo.
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I SAY is a self-advocacy program intended for youth ages 8-12 in the Toledo area with physical or developmental disabilities. The program complements the programming currently offered by the Ability Center of Greater Toledo, while expanding their services to individuals under the age of 13. 

Proposal Components

  • Executive Summary

  • Introduction

  • Needs Assessment

  • Literature Review

  • Objectives

  • Marketing & Recruitment

  • Programming

  • Staffing

  • Budget

  • Program Evaluation

  • Timeline

  • Letter of Support

What I Learned

This project enabled me to gain many valuable skills that I can use in my future as an occupational therapist. Overall, I developed the skills to create and develop a comprehensive community-based occupational therapy program. Knowledge of program development is beneficial because I developed skills and experience that I can use to develop additional programs for different populations and communities, based on an identified need.

 

The project required me to complete a needs assessment, which involved a literature review and investigation into statistics and data, as well as gaining information from the community through interviews and meetings. I also learned how to create appropriate program objectives that relate to an overall goal and can be evaluated during and at the end of the program. Additionally, I created marketing materials and plans for recruitment, programming, and staff requirements. The assignment also required me to create a budget, which helped me develop planning skills and increased knowledge of the components require to create a program.

 

An important skill developed during the assignment is the skill to create program evaluation tools that can be used for both formative and summative information to improve the program. Lastly, creating the program proposal with a partner from my cohort improved my ability to collaborate with others and work as a team to achieve a common goal. 

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Program Materials

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