Inclusion and Disability in Occupational Therapy Education Programs

Presenter

Jess Salyers

OTD, MS, OTR/L

Janelle Schenk

OTD student

Ariana Jaime

OTD student

Zac Baker

NAU CHHS Learning Coordinator

Learner Outcomes

1. Participants will learn current barriers for students with disabilities in OT programs
2. Participants will learn how to foster inclusive communities for disabled OT students while in programs, on FW, and after graduation 

Biography

Zac Baker has been a learning specialist for NAU’s graduate healthcare programs at the Phoenix Bioscience Core campus since 2019. His work centers on helping students develop skills to be lifelong learners and critical thinkers.

Jess Salyers is an assistant faculty member in the OT department at NAU. She is interested in creating inclusive educational spaces for diverse and underrepresented students

Janelle Schenk and Ariana Jaime are 3rd year OTD students at NAU. Their PSA project resulted in an IRB approved survey which they recruited participants for and are eager. They are eager to share their insights and perspectives with you

References to support evidence-based practice

1. Black, R. M. (2002). Occupational therapy’s dance with diversity. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 56, 140–148. https:// doi.org/10.5014/ajot.56.2.140
   Brown, K., Lamont, A., Do, A., & Schoessow, K. (2021). Increasing racial and ethnic diversity in occupational therapy education: The role of Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®)standards. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75(3), 7503347020. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2021.047746

2. Burks, K. A., & Olson, L. (2023). Let’s talk about it: Addressing microaggressions in occupational therapy education. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 77(3), 7703347010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2023.050125

3. Chacala, A., Mccormack, C., Collins, B., & Beagan, B. L. (2014). “My view that disability is okay sometimes clashes”: Experiences of two disabled occupational therapists. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 21(2), 107–115.

4. Colman, W. (1990). Evolving educational practices in occupational therapy: The war emergency courses, 1936–1954. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 44, 1028–1036. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.44.11.1028https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.44.11.1028

5. Dhanani, Z., Huynh, N., Tan, L., Kottakota, H., Lee, R., & Poullos, P. (2022). Deconstructing ableism in health care settings through case-based learning MedEdPORTAL, 18, 11253. Docs with Disabilities (2024). Docs with disabilities initiative. https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/

    

6. Gitlow, L. (2001). Occupational therapy faculty attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in their educational programs. The Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 21(2), 115–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/153944920102100206

7. Jung, B., Baptiste, S., Dhillon, S., Kravchenko, T., Stewart, D., & Vanderkaay, S. (2014). The experience of student occupational therapists with disabilities in Canadian universities. International Journal of Higher Education, 3(1), p.146.

8. Lindsay, S., Fuentes, K., Ragunathan, S., Lamaj, L., & Dyson, J. (2023). Ableism within health care professions: a systematic review of the experiences and impact of discrimination against health care providers with disabilities. Disability and rehabilitation, 45(17), 2715-2731.

9. Velde, B. P. (2000). The experience of being an occupational therapist with a disability. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 54(2), 183–188. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.54.2.183