Occupational Therapy Students Explore Adaptive Mobility Technology | USAHS OT Program Experience
Occupational Therapy students at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) get hands-on experience with adaptive transportation technology through a partnership with United Access. As part of the Innovations course, students explore wheelchair-accessible vehicles, adaptive driving equipment, mobility lifts, and other assistive technology designed to help people with disabilities, injuries, and neurological conditions live more independently.
Students learn how adaptive technology can make everyday activities and community participation more accessible. The experience also gives them a closer look at how occupational therapists work with other professionals to find solutions that support each client’s individual needs.
Experiences like this give USAHS OT students opportunities to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to real-life situations, building practical skills and a better understanding of the people they will serve as occupational therapists.
Transcript
Occupational Therapy Students Explore Adaptive Mobility Technology _ USAHS OT Program Experience
[00:00:00] Philip Park (Student): Today we got the opportunity to come out to United Access. It was part of our adaptive transportation lab for our innovations course. [00:00:09] Isabel Gonzalez (United Access): United Access is a mobility dealer that provides products such as wheelchair accessible vehicles, mobility lifts, driving aids, and seating devices. [00:00:20] Christopher Ebner (Professor): This is where the rubber hits the road. [00:00:21] Christopher Ebner (Professor): When we think about our client population, those individuals that have a variety of different types of disabilities, illness, injury, the availability to get out into the community and socialization are vital components of what our clients need to do to, you know, resume their everyday activities. [00:00:37] Philip Park (Student): We saw a lot of mobility, accessibility opportunities within cars and, and transportation needs. I think it was a really eye-opening experience for all of us. [00:00:46] Anapaola Fernandez (Student): I think a big takeaway is the independence that these devices provide for our clients. Being able to drive is a huge part of feeling independent for a person. [00:00:57] Anapaola Fernandez (Student): It gets you out of the house. It gets you to the places that you want to be at. I think it’s a very meaningful occupation for our clients. [00:01:04] Christopher Ebner (Professor): Try to reinforce to the students today that, you know, you are part of that multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary team that’s responsible for collectively ensuring their client has everything they need. [00:01:12] Christopher Ebner (Professor): In essence, an informed and educated clinician results in an informed and educated client. [00:01:17] Philip Park (Student): There’s something about reading these things in a textbook as opposed to actually coming and seeing the devices implemented that’s really beneficial. [00:01:24] Christopher Ebner (Professor): It just opens up a realm of possibilities. I mean, you could look around today and you could see the, the looks and the cog wheels turning in the students’ heads, and that’s some good stuff, some good insight, because you know they’re going to be carrying these experiences forward into clinical field work and into clinical practice where they’re going to be impacting lives on a day-to-day basis.
