Occupational therapy's core values and founding beliefs reflect a commitment to the attainment of a self-directed life that enables full community participation. The reality that this desired outcome remains unattainable for millions of persons with disabilities due to the institutional bias of current public policies cannot be ignored. The Supreme Court's landmark Olmstead decision provides a judicial mechanism to right this fundamental injustice. The executive branch's response to the Olmstead decision, the New Freedom Initiative (NFI), offers the potential to finally end the societal segregation of persons with disabilities. Occupational therapy practitioners share a moral collective responsibility to advocate for the major systemic changes that will be needed to fully implement the NFI and achieve the promise of the Olmstead decision. By joining with the disability rights movement, occupational therapy practitioners can become effective activists to help persons with disabilities attain full participation in life.
This article provides a historical review of certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA) education, professional roles, career mobility, and professional development. The evolution of COTA education from 2 hospital-based, 12-week training programs to the current 162 accredited 2-year college degree or professional certificate programs is examined. The expansion of the COTA role from well-delineated direct service provider to advanced practitioner able to assume leadership roles within the profession is explored. Historic and current programs and methods supportive of COTA career mobility and professional development goals, including the Career Mobility Program, continuing education, career laddering, and the Advanced Practitioner program are described.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.