From Coursework to Community Impact: A Scalable Occupational Therapy Model for Assistive Technology Fabrication and Interprofessional Design

Presenter(s)

Event Details

Topic:

instruction, literacy & inclusion

Format:

poster session

Subject Level:

beginner

Age Span:

infant / toddler
preschool
kindergarten - grade 6
grades 7-12
adult

Target Audience:

educator
family member / caregiver
healthcare administration
K-12 administration
occupational therapist
paraprofessional
physical therapist
special educator
speech language pathologist
university professor / personnel

Professional Development Credits

Location:

Veranda 7

Description:

This poster demonstrates how curriculum-integrated assistive technology projects can enhance occupational therapy education and community partnership impacts. Occupational Therapy doctoral students design, fabricate, and implement assistive technology solutions for community partners and persons with disabilities as part of required coursework. The poster will outline curriculum implementation, AT projects, emphasizing the occupational therapy process, professional documentation, and low-cost fabrication strategies for community impact. Aggregated program evaluation outcomes derived from anonymous feedback will be presented to illustrate implementation impact and program refinement. A pilot OT–engineering collaboration will illustrate how a consultant-based model enhanced design feasibility and guided scalable interprofessional AT education. The poster will also highlight project expansion through the grant-funded maker space initiative, Ability Hive.

Learning Outcomes:

As a result of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Analyze the components of a curriculum-embedded assistive technology fabrication model that builds readiness for advanced AT practice across contexts

• Integrate assistive technology design, fabrication, and documentation competencies within OT curricula.

• Implement and adapt key elements from an OT–engineering collaboration to improve assistive technology outcomes for community partners and persons with disabilities.

Disclosures:

I disclose that I receive a salary as part of my employment with St. Ambrose University; however, I have no financial relationships or conflicts of interest related to the content of this presentation.
Kami receives a salary from St. Ambrose University.