RSCC Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

Universal Design E-World provides web based tools to support the "community of practice" in universal design. This is a great resource to learn all about visitability. The website details the requirements of visitability in the home and how universal housing design benefits everyone, not just the disabled population. No step entrances and wide hallways make it easier for strollers, moving furniture in and out, etc. There are several PDF reports containing more information on topics relating to visitabiltiy that can be downloaded by the user. These include design approach, increasing home access and universal design in housing. I think that universal design is much more feasible and aesthetically pleasing than renovations to make a home more accessible.

This website also has Technology for parents and adults. Technology can be a great tool for students (and adults!) who have learning disabilities like dysgraphia or dyslexia that affect their written expression. We've personally reviewed these mobile apps and we know they're LD-friendly. They can make the writing process a bit easier and even fun!

This web article bring OT into ergonomics. It warns about sale persons trying to be experts in this area and encourages individuals to seek out OT professionals, certified ergonomist, or occupational health nurse to help aid in your ergonomic search and decision making.

Living in a community with ample open space is associated with more physical, occupational and social participation for adults with physical impairments, according to new research. Authors Amanda Botticello, PhD, MPH, and Nicolette Cobbold, BS, of the Kessler Foundation, West Orange, N.J., and Tanya Rohrbach, MS, of Raritan Valley Community College, Branchburg, N.J., explored associations between community and neighborhood land uses and community participation.

This article was an eye opener for me regarding the hazards of sitting too long and not using proper sitting techniques. I now know now why I have mushy abs and limp glutes! I sit for hours at my computer without taking a break, resting or stretching. I also do not sit in an ergonomic position while at my desk. From this article I gained a great deal of information about how sitting too long can contribute to heart disease, over-productive pancreas, colon cancer, poor circulation in legs, foggy brain, bad back, strained neck, disk damage, mushy abs and limp glutes, just to name a few. It was really surprising to learn how just from sitting too long can create havoc on your organs, muscles and your whole body. Gives you something to think about!

I should put my laptop on the bar and use it standing up once in awhile!

This website about assistive technology that can be use not only for children with learning disabilities but also for students and adults. With help of assistive technology kids don't have to depend on their parents, they can success independently. This website helps induviduals to select technology for their special needs, for example: AT for math, reading, listening, etc.

This website is the National Center for Learning Disabilities. Within the website, there are many apps listed that are available for people with learning disabilities. Some of these include apps to help with writing, math and reading difficulties as well as organizational skills. You can click on an app and find out detailed information about it. If you are looking for information about apps for learning disabilities, this is a great website to visit.

This article brings visit ability closer to home, here in Knoxville Tennessee. The city of Knoxville is working towards getting publicly funded housing to be constructed to meet visitability standards. One statement in this article say that the difference in cost is minimal. This is good new when advocating visitability.

I found this article to be interesting because we are told that Therapeutic Activities is more relevant than Therapeutic Exercise and this article was about a study that showed this to be true. Although this article speaks about PT performing the test i feel it was great to read about the study being performed. Shows really what how important keeping this in mind as we enter the world of Future OTA's. The study was done on 20 patient receiving Therapeutic Exercise after a hand injury and 16 receiving therapy sessions using Therapeutic Activities that mimic ADL's after hand injury. After 3 weeks and 5 days the study showed that the Therapeutic Activities mimicing the ADL's seem to be more beneficial.

Although we seldom think about them this way, most American communities as they exist today were built for the spry and mobile. We've constructed millions of multi-story, single-family homes where the master bedroom is on the second floor, where the lawn outside requires weekly upkeep, where the mailbox is a stroll away.

I found this really interesting as we're discussing ageing in place and accessibility in housing. One wonders how society as a whole will handle this issue as a huge demographic ages.

EnableMart is your #1 source of Assistive Technology products. We are a world leader in assistive technology for those with blindness, low vision, hearing loss, learning disorders and other disabilities. EnableMart has been supporting the special needs community for more than a decade by providing all the most demanded learning curriculums, augmentative devices, large key and large print keyboards, Braille displays, alternative input devices, switches and amplified phones.

I thought this was a neat website. Kinda like a "Wal-Mart" for assistive technology. I think it's really important to know what is out there and how expensive things are so we can recommend to our future clients things that could help them.

My supervisor during last semester's fieldwork told me that she had seen people wait up to a year to obtain funding for devices they desperately needed to improve their quality of life. This was due mostly to red tape and hoops you must jump through to obtain these funds. I feel it is extremely important to familiarize ourselves with all of the available resources in order to expedite this process.

A quote says "The ability to conduct posture assessments in the workplace can assist with the prevention and control of musculoskeletal disorders." This short blurb contains a link to download the recently released report on workplace ergonomics

"Good posture is an easy and very important way to maintain a healthy mind and body". I know that many of us could improve our posture when we are sitting at a desk or in a car, or standing, walking, and everything else. So, I found this article and it tells us how to get a better posture not only by standing straight, but strengthening your core muscles and training them to actually do the work. I had always thought it was about how you stand and sit, but it isn't and it makes sense now. Plus, if you are having headaches or back pain, this article might be something to consider reading because getting a better posture can help with that!

This article lists the billing codes for both Therapeutic Exercise and Therapeutic Activities, the difference between the two, and how they work together.

Updated August 20, 2014 15:22:57 Sean Fitzgerald worked hard to rebuild his life after breaking his neck in a mountain bike accident 14 years ago. For five hours after the crash, before medical help arrived, his then-partner and a passing stranger kept him alive with their breath.

If you skim through the article, please pay special attention to the last paragraph. I loved how Mr. Fitzgerald stated that being able to work and do something meaningful was important to his psyche. Assistive devices are what allowed him to continue to be productive after becoming physically disabled. As we have been taught, having something meaningful to do is key to having a positive outcome regardless of the level of disability.

This article describes our current education system of one that is inclusive to students of all abilities while at the same time struggling to find money to support students who need assistive technology to learn. There are a few technologies that can be used in the classroom that are a little cost or even free. Included are 8 tools that can be used by students with disabilities that can be used in the classroom or in online classes. A link was supplied that will help you find out exactly what is needed for the individual student and a group that helps provide technologies to students. Overall, a great resource.

This article supports OT in aging in place. This article provides evidence that the I-HOPE is an effective tool when evaluating barriers that elderly individuals are faced with as they age in their homes. By using the I-HOPE evaluation, it ensure the ability for individual to make adjustments and remain in a safe home environment. Safety evaluations are (I think) a billable service.

I just thought this was an easy explanation b/w the two. It explains how adaptive technology is the adapting of existing tools or technologies, but assistive technology is just basically a broad term for the technology in general whether it be adaptive, assistive, or rehabilitative . It lists examples in the article. This just kind of helped me to understand the difference and wanted to share it.

This youtube video by Markerbot and Robohand shows how two men use a 3D printer to design and make prosthetic hands.  The 3D printer allowed them to make cost effective mechanical hands for boys born without hands.  The mechanical hands work due to 'tenodesis grasp'.  The video specifies the need for an OT to strengthen the wrist for better use of the hand and a need for an OT to fit the gauntlet and hand cap.  Is this the future of prosthetics?  The possibilities of 3D printing are limitless when being used to make not only prosthetic hands but various adaptive equipment solutions for all populations.

Great video Kellie!