How We Help

Institution
Nazareth College

Challenge:
Occupational Therapists (OT) work closely with people with a variety of diagnoses to increase their functioning and quality of life. Skills are practiced in the clinic with a goal of transitioning them to the person’s home and community.

But how does an OT encourage a person to become active in their community if it is not physically accessible and welcoming in their services?

How can OTs be a part of advocating for active recreation opportunities for their clients?

Solution:
Dr. Julie Kunish, OTD, OTR/L, CSRS, is a Clinical Associate Professor and Certified Stroke Rehabilitation Specialist who teaches at Nazareth College. Julie has been asking those questions and seeking solutions over the past several years. She knew her students were receiving rich, concentrated, experiential learning through her current curriculum, but she worried about this challenge of encouraging people to stay active in the community if the community spaces are not expecting them to be there.

Julie partnered with RAA to find a solution—and help her students make inclusion happen.

First, she added a course requirement for
first semester students—an in-depth training called Inclusion U. Developed by the Inclusive Recreation Resource Center at SUNY Cortland, it provides discovery tools to determine the accessibility of a community. Students are awarded a certificate as a Certified Inclusivity Assessor upon completion.

Second, Julie began using the principles students learned in the training to create a narrative around disability/diagnoses that includes advocacy for their future clients to be fully engaged in their home communities. A course assignment developed with RAA provided hands-on engagement as students conducted assessments in a variety of settings to help them better understand the kinds of physical and attitudinal barriers that would impede the full participation of their future clients.

Empowered by this experience, each student becomes an agent of change as they continue their professional journeys.

“Working with RAA to expand inclusivity of community recreation resources for all,” says Julie, “has significantly helped me and my students have a much better understanding of the strides that have been made for inclusion in Rochester, along with the significant limitations that still exist. It has strengthened our resolve to advocate for and support the mission of RAA through this collaborative project and throughout our careers as occupational therapists.”