In this inspirational piece, the author details how one crucial act, performed when she was a child by an occupational therapist, formed her entire life path. It was the simple act of teaching her how to hold a pencil in her hand to write. Fast forward to today, and Katherine Magnoli is a writer, a teacher, and an author of children’s books designed to help them choose their own unique career paths.
This brilliant Perspective raises a profound question: what if ‘disability’ is simply one point on a spectrum of constraints that inspire creativity in every person on earth? The author states, “…I struggle to know at what point I qualified in the minds of others as ‘disabled.’” He presents a powerful argument for focusing on what humans can do, and not on what may constrain us at any given point in our lives. A poetic must-read.
As this author poured through the data from a study of 30 stroke survivors, she found she “couldn’t move past the emotion present in the text.” The study sought to understand factors affecting success in an OT program. But the words of the interviewees went far deeper. To attempt to fully understand their realities, she turned to her own creative core—quilting—and translated black-and-white data points into the living colors of individual emotions.
In a vibrant panel discussion on Day One of the Summit, five DPT students with disabilities presented their lived experiences in telling, poignant detail. Attendees later agreed this panel was the “pinnacle of the day.” In this article, the students note the effect their participation had on their own hearts and minds as well; their words show a renewed sense of hope and purpose. “This was a real meeting of the minds to solve the issues blocking the accessibility of our profession,” one author says. “I quickly began taking notes on these topics to take back to my program.”
In her winning essay, “The Young Doctor: One Day Inshallah,” Katie Spencer recounts her transformative experience providing medical care in a Syrian refugee village during her time as a US Army medic. Central to her essay is an encounter with a young girl who dreamed of becoming a doctor, despite her school being destroyed by insurgents. Spencer invited her to follow along as she treated patients. Learning to innovate patient care with limited resources, Spencer prioritized listening to patients’ stories and recognized that “language barriers and cultural differences mean little when a bridge of universal compassion is built.” Her essay emphasizes that healthcare extends beyond visible symptoms, requiring providers to understand patients’ personal narratives and cultural contexts.
Physical therapists who fulfill a clinical rotation abroad often quickly gain new cultural and medical insights. The experience can be particularly intense for students. In this soul-searching account, SPT Mitchel Fenrich describes his day-by-day enlightenments while seeking to help a child with cerebral palsy in Tanzania. He notes the new perspectives he gained on clinical assessments, treatments, cultural mores—and on himself as a practitioner.