2023 ACAPT-JHR Student Essay Contest Finalists.

Congratulations to Doctor of Physical Therapy Students Vanessa Lista, SPT (Neumann University) and Priyanka Bhakta, SPT (Emory University), finalists of the annual Student Essay Contest, co-sponsored by the American Counsel of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) and the Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation (JHR). The sixth in an annual series, this national contest offers a creative opportunity to ignite critical reflection in physical therapy students across the nation to support holistic approaches to patient care. This year’s essay prompt was:

Given our professional training and overdue efforts to address DEI across professional settings, what perspectives and/or key strategies could shape our profession to be more inclusive of individuals with disabilities? What can be done, both collectively and individually, to promote a culture of inclusion, belonging and respect for persons living with disabilities within the field of physical therapy? Why do you believe these efforts will be effective? How will this effort pay off with improved patient care? Consider using a personal or observed experience that illustrates your point, in a clinical or non-clinical setting. You may also use envisioned experiences, especially if you have had less clinical experience. Your essay should be a narrative that emerges from your personal, observed, or envisioned experience by describing the experience with detail and using analysis to come to conclusions about DEI in clinical and educational environments.