A lot of people don’t know what occupational therapy is. That’s because we do so much! One thing we do is facilitate individuals to participate in meaningful activities. Here’s one example.
This is Christine: a passionate advocate for augmentative communication devices with a big heart. She loves the 3e love heart wheelchair logo, as their mission is to change the perception of disability.
Christine also loves RAD camp, a week long summer camp for adults and children with disabilities. They have a variety of classes and activities throughout the day, including art class. Some of the art projects are personalizing projects and adding that bit of individual flair.
Even though I was not participating in camp as an occupational therapist, my brain has a difficult time looking at the world through any other lens. As an OT, I look at the activity and break down the requirements needed in order to be successful. I assess the person’s abilities and find compensatory strategies or assistive devices that can help achieve the goal of creating a meaningful camp artifact that reflects her personality and highlights her ability.
Christine and I worked together to design a stencil that she could use for multiple projects. I took a piece of construction paper, covered it in clear packing tape for stability and washability, and made a wheelchair heart logo stencil. We problem-solved the rest of the task together, so that she would be the one creating the art. We used the stencil all week long to decorate art and journal projects.
I love occupational therapy because we create solutions for everyday life!