Hey Reader,

As you may know, I spent the weekend with hundreds of school-based OT practitioners at the Back to School Conference.

It was a blast. But it wore me out!

All in all, everything went wonderfully, and I can't wait until I get to share the artwork from the conference - you're going to be stunned!

But as I reflected on the weekend, one thought kept coming back to me.

It's only kinda related to one of the sessions, and no, I'm not trying to give you conference FOMO.

This is bigger than that.

Part of the reason I became a school-based OT practitioner is that I knew in my heart that the world we live in was not designed with disabled people in mind.

And maybe you know that to be true, too.

We live in physical environments that are often inaccessible. Even some places that call themselves "accessible" really aren't.

We also live in a world where people are often taught, directly or indirectly, to ignore, avoid, or make assumptions about disabled people.

Think about the student who uses a wheelchair and is reminded every day that they have no choice but to use a separate entrance.

Or the middle schooler with dyslexia who has to explain his accommodation needs again and again because his teachers haven't taken the time to understand their IEP.

And the autistic teenager who notices peers giving her extra space in the hallway because they don't quite know how to interact with her.

If you asked the architect, the teacher, or the students whether they had negative feelings toward any of these individuals, I think the answer would probably be a hard "no."

And I believe them. They weren't trying to cause harm.

But good intentions don't automatically create inclusive environments.

Sometimes, no one has ever taken the time to help people think about how their decisions, routines, words, and actions impact disabled students.

That is something we can help change.

We can't undo the stairs once they are built (at least, not easily).

But we can pay attention to the barriers students encounter on campus and take action where possible

Sometimes that action is as simple as taking the "long way" up the ramp with a student instead of heading up the stairs alone. You get a moment to connect with that student, and you quietly model for others that the ramp isn't just for "someone else."

We can't tell every adult on campus that "Timmy has dyslexia," or explain every student's disability to their peers.

But we can advocate for staff learning around inclusive language and practices.

We can collaborate with teachers, school psychologists, administrators, and students to build environments where differences are understood rather than feared.

We can help create opportunities for positive interactions between students who may not otherwise spend much time together.

And maybe most importantly:

We can help every student to see their peers as their peers. And teachers to see every student as their student.

Is it our role as the school-based OTP to foster this inclusiveness? To be honest, it probably shouldn't be.

But in most schools, this is a problem that nobody wants to talk about. And thus, no one is working on a solution.

If you've been noticing something on your campus that just doesn't feel right for disabled students, I hope this email gives you a little encouragement to do something about it.

It doesn't have to be huge.

It just has to be a step in the right direction

RESEARCH 🧪

I came across this article and wanted to share it with you.

It's not from the OT literature base, but it is an example of what a disability awareness program could look like.

​Disability Awareness Program for Young Children: A Community Service- Learning Program at Preschool and Elementary School.​

Read it, learn from it, share it with a colleague, and consider what pieces might translate to your own school community.

This could be a great opportunity to collaborate with a teacher, school psych, administrator, or other staff member.

LAST WORD 👋

To wrap up, I'm going to let everything above as is for this week.

No sales pitches. No extra links. No distractions.

Just give this some thought and consider how it relates to the schools you support.

Because this isn't just about OT.

It's about making education better for every student on campus.

Thanks for having a read, and I'll catch you next week.

-Jayson

Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L
​
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