To Independence... and Beyond!!

When gaining my observation hours prior to applying to OT school, I remember a certain instance in which I was observing an OT working in a school system. She was very often working with students who had been diagnosed with ADHD and was working to improve their attention and behavior in class. Before each of her OT sessions with them, she would allow them the chance to maneuver through an "obstacle course", which would consist of walking across a balance beam, crawling through a tunnel, swinging on a swing, and jumping into a huge bin of foam blocks. The children would do this several times, and then the OT would tell them that it was now time to sit down and work on some things with her. While some kids would find it difficult to transition from playing on the obstacle course to sitting down and doing work, most would understand that their "play time" was over and that it was now time to work and complete some tasks. In the moment, I really did not understand how t...

         After listening to the TED Talk "Why We Need Universal Design," my eyes were opened to the concept of universal design and how it applies to everyone and not just to those with a disability. I liked how Michael Nesmith said that every single one of us has a disability, no matter how temporary, permanent, mild, or severe it may be, and that is what unifies us as humans. I thought it was incredible that, despite his disability of being deaf, Michael used an interpreter to give an entire TED talk (which ironically covered disabilities and universal design's role in that). I've never thought about the fact that disability drives innovation every single day, and how individuals like Michael who are deaf, blind, etc. must innovate unique solutions to their obstacles each and every day. They even have to change the style of their communication according to the setting they are in and who they are speaking to. That takes so much effort, and it is most defi...