Assistive Technology and Inclusion

TNOTA CE Event - offered in partnership between TNOTA, GOTA, ALOTA, and LOTA

Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 6:30PM-7:30PM CST

Virtual Meeting via Zoom and Aspire OT, this webinar is being offered as part of our partnership with Aspire OT

Register on Aspire OT's Platform

About This Course: Assistive technologies benefit people with disabilities with a wide range of abilities and challenges. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in three people - more than 2.5 billion globally – rely on assistive technology (A.T.) as part of their daily lives. This figure is predicted to rise to 3.5 billion in 2050 (WHO, 2024). Despite this level of prevalence, however, almost one billion individuals with disabilities in need of A.T. do not have access (WHO & UNICEF, 2022). At the root of this is a variety of barriers, including poor awareness, high costs, low availability, inadequate product range, procurement challenges, inadequate policy, and lack of quality training for providers. In this session, access to A.T. is viewed through the lens of social justice, with discussion about the connection to equity and inclusion as it relates to occupational justice for individuals with disabilities in the U.S. and across the globe.This webinar is part of a series of pop-up CE events being offered through the collaborative efforts of TNOTA, GOTA, ALOTA, and LOTA. The course will be hosted through Aspire OT and is available at no cost to members of the hosting organizations only. The course is not open to non-members.

Course Objectives:

1. Define assistive technology (A.T.).
2. Discuss the Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE) Initiative and its connection to occupational justice.
3. Identify strategies to support a person’s ability to access and use A.T. to facilitate occupational performance.

Presenter: Stephanie Lancaster, EdD, OTR/L, ATP, graduated with a degree in occupational therapy from Washington University in St. Louis in 1991. She has worked as an OT educator since 2013 and serves as associate professor in the OT program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. She holds an M.S. in Leadership & Policy Studies and a Doctorate of Education in Instruction & Curriculum Design with an emphasis on Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Memphis. She served as the co-facilitator of the TNOTA Pediatric Community of Practice for several years before moving into the role of TNOTA President, and she volunteered for eight years as part of the leadership team the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD), a national nonprofit organization formed to address issues related to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in the OT profession. Stephanie holds a specialty certification as an Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) through the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA).

CEU Opportunity: 1.0 CEU hours, Free for members, $20 for non-members