continuing education, and referral for AT services for their fu- ture clients. Students learn about complex manual and power mobility equipment and durable medical equipment (DME) through collaborative lecture and lab activities led by their instructor and a local vendor. This seating specialist also pro- vides pressure mapping equipment for students to trial as they learn about approaches to client positioning and conducting mechanical assessment tool (MAT) evaluations. Vendors of augmentative alternative communication (AAC) products also provide hands-on lab experiences for the students, bringing a variety of high-tech AAC systems on campus for students to tri- al while discussing the feature matching process, and the role of the OT on the AAC team. Finally, inclusion of a stand-alone AT course in this program allows for the design and implementation of assignments and learning activities that provide students with opportunities to gain hands-on experience with AT, interact with interprofes- sional team members off campus, and positively impact the community. Throughout the semester, students engage in a switch adaptation lab, an adapted toy project, and a low-tech AT design competition that brings AT application to life in the classroom. Each of these projects have evolved over the past several years to involve more direct application of AT concepts
of collaboration with area vendors to best serve their future clients. The emphasis here is not on having robust knowledge about particular AT vendors and/or equipment companies, but instead on gaining an understanding that as OTPs they do not have to be an expert on all equipment and can rely on the ex- pertise afforded by local vendors as part of the interdisciplinary team. AT service provision is a complex process that begins with understanding of the feature matching process, as well as ex- posure to and hands on experience interfacing with the AT equipment itself, (AOTA, 2015; Cook, Polgar, & Encarnação, 2020; WFOT, 2019). Budgeting to have a robust library of AT equipment can be a barrier for many OT education programs. Though the program at Methodist University has a variety of AT equipment in-house, hands-on experience is supplemented through a variety of channels. Partnerships with local organiza- tions and vendors are utilized to provide access to AT equip- ment in the classroom, and students learn the importance of collaboration with these players as OTPs along the way. Stu- dents in this program begin the semester with a lab experience led by an AT provider from one of the state’s Assistive Technol- ogy Act Program (ATAP) locations. Here, they not only have the opportunity to explore a variety of AT equipment in person, but also learn about the legislation which supports funding of state ATAPs, and the utility of the program for equipment loans, Second-year Doctor of Occupational Therapy students engage in hands-on learning in their assistive technology course through exposure to specialized communication and alternative access technologies.
Students gain practical skills switch-adapting electronic toys to provide alternative access to play.
February / March, 2024 | https://www.closingthegap.com/benefits-of-membership/ 11 Closing The Gap © 2024 Closing The Gap, Inc. All rights reserved.
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