Spring 2023

This semester I had the opportunity to partake in a Digital Accessibility Internship. Through this internship, I learned about what digital accessibility means and why digital accessibility is important. I was also given the opportunity to learn how to make Microsoft Word and PowerPoints digitally accessible. Lastly, through this internship, I helped update transcripts for Nutrition Assessment, a class at Ohio State.

In today’s world, technology is heavily incorporated in everyday activities, and it will continue to do so. However, one issue that can occur from constantly using technology is a lack of digital accessibility among all users. To start, digital accessibility is creating online resources that can be used by everyone. Some examples of online resources include documents, PowerPoints, videos, audios, etc. Additionally, digital accessibility provides equal opportunities to access the same services and information to its full extent. Furthermore, it creates an environment where it is easy and relatively fast to navigate online resources.

Although many people do not consider digital accessibility while creating their own resources, it is extremely important to acknowledge. By not considering digital accessibility, people are discriminating against those with disabilities and creating an environment where not everyone can access information. It is prohibiting people from gaining the knowledge that they deserve. Additionally, it can be frustrating for users because it will take extra time and stress to be able to understand what the resource is. Simply put, digital accessibility is the right thing to do. Furthermore, digital accessibility is required by the law. At Ohio State University, professors and other staff members have to include various options for gaining information. For example, many professors create audio lecture videos and provide transcripts to those videos.

A goal of mine while completing this internship was to challenge others to start creating accessible online resources. By educating and providing resources, I hope more people can become aware of how accessible their online resources are. This PowerPoint presentation provides great tips and practice for how to make Microsoft Word and PowerPoints accessible. Additionally, it provides resources that can be used to further educate others on digital accessibility.

-Amanda Burgei

I had the opportunity to work with On the Other Hand Therapy as a pediatric occupational therapy intern in a preschool motor group. I was also on the leadership corps during this project as well. This was such a unique experience to be a part of because it was completely hands-on, an opportunity rarely seen in OT observations. Laura Clubok, the mentor for this project, provided us all with independent learning between training sessions where I was able to learn information about pediatric OT I would not have until entering a graduate program. Integrating this information into the motor group activities helped me get a grasp on what developmental skill was being targeted. This information was also very helpful in understanding the purpose of activities in other shadowing rotations outside of pediatrics.

Prior to the motor group beginning, I worked with Laura and the leadership corps to plan training sessions for the other interns. We held three training sessions where we went over basic components of pediatric OT and how to successfully work with children. We also discussed de-escalation techniques, sensory support techniques, and cultural competency for the preschool which was predominantly Orthodox Jewish. The third training session we set-up the activities that would be used during motor group and presented cool-down activity ideas.

The motor group ran for 10 weeks, with new activities added to each station every other week. The motor group was set up with 3 children and 3 interns in each group. There were two sessions, beginning with 3-4 year-olds and ending with 4-5 year-olds. The stations included fine motor (pincer and palmar grasp activities), vestibular stimulator (upside-down bowling, balance boards, spin discs) and gross motor (tunnel, skipping,scooter boards). The stations were modified for each group to match their development level.

Working on the leadership corps allowed me to be behind the scenes for the planning of the motor group. Once the motor group began, I was responsible for co-leading three sessions and entering data collected five times. When preparing for co-leading, I would have a meeting with Laura at the end of the week to discuss what we thought went well and what needed to be changed. This often consisted of switching groups of children and changing some stations.

Then we would go through the lesson plans for the next week and change instructions if needed and reformat to make the instructions as simple and accessible for our interns to read. I would then also create an equipment list for the week and help Laura create the data questions and format the data sheet. I would help Laura explain the stations to the other interns before the children arrived and do demonstrations of the activities. On data capture weeks, I would collect the data sheets the other interns used during the motor group and enter the information into a spreadsheet for each child. The questions included specific activities we worked on that week, for example “Can keep head up during popcorn: Yes/No), and if the child was right or left handed, as well as a section for what they struggled with or did well that week. Each member of the leadership corps also created a flyer for parents on one thing they learned, mine was types of vestibular stimulation and their importance in development.

Overall, this was an amazing experience to connect with children and learn about pediatric OT. I had an exceptional mentor and learned so much! I would highly recommend this experience for those interested in OT.

-Becky Loughran

This semester I had the opportunity to work as an intern at Pediatric Therapy Partners in Lewis Center, Ohio. This is an outpatient clinic that offers comprehensive sensory-based Speech and Hearing Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Neurofeedback. They also specialize in co-treatment for kids with complex co-existing conditions, provide request-based school consultative services, and provide a variety of groups and classes for kids during the summer. Play is a huge motto that Pediatric Therapy Partners stands by. Their entire clinic consists of different gyms with numerous swings, ball pits, monkey bars, slides, and more. The therapists want every kid to be excited about therapy every week and use play to motivate the kids to engage in developmental and regulation exercises.

This clinic is small, the staff is close-knit, and I immediately felt welcomed and one of the team my entire time there. I was mainly with one Occupational Therapist, Allison Aldrich, but at times when there were cancellations or she was not there, I got to work with the other Occupational and Speech and Hearing Therapists and see how they use unique skills to treat their patients. The therapists would always provide a quick overview of their child before each session, explaining what goals they would be focusing on, specific games they would be playing, and how these helped work on their goals. They also always allowed me to ask follow-up questions if I needed. When there was free time, I got an overview of how to document for each client, helped prepare different activities for the therapists, and helped clean toys and gym areas. The relationships I got to make with not only the staff but the kids I got to see every week was one of the best parts of this internship. At first many of the kids were a bit shy or hesitant of me joining their sessions but within just a few weeks they were inviting me to join in on different games like hide and seek, tag, board games, and more. Getting this interactive experience with each kid allowed me to learn an extensive amount about how Occupational Therapy works and how you customize a plan for each child based on their goals that they come in to work on.

I have always known what Occupational Therapy was and had a passion to work in pediatrics, but after this internship I know this is my calling. Everyone tells you to get a job that you look forward to going to every day and I can say that I was always thrilled to go to my internship and see all the kids and therapists. I have had various eye-opening experiences throughout this internship and learned so much about how outpatient clinics operate. Interning with Pediatric Therapy Partners truly exceeded all my expectations and solidified my desire to pursue graduate school for Occupational Therapy and continue to learn about all the different ways I can help people through this career.

-Maria Rossi