The Vermont Occupational Therapy Association just received word from our compact bill sponsor and fellow Occupational Therapist, Mary-Katherine Stone, that H.247 was signed by the governor!

Vermont will be the 29th state to enact the OT Licensure Compact. Thank you to Representative Stone and to the American Occupational Therapy Association for their support, and to our dedicated members who advocated for this bill. We are excited to see this legislation improve occupational therapy practice in our state. 

-The VOTA Board of Directors

THANK YOU TO THE 2024 VOTA CONFERENCE GOLD LEVEL SPONSORS 

Gold Level Sponsors-

Wheelpad-

WheelPad L3C is dedicated to helping people live in a home they love. Universally accessible homes keep families together and create true housing choice for all. WheelPad creates housing solutions to make it easy to live, work, and play at home.WheelPad builds modular accessible housing that can rapidly make any property a safe and cozy universally accessible place. We aim to help people have more housing choice: whether they are seeking to stay in their home as they age, or recover after an accident. For more information or questions about WheelPad contact RJ Adler at (802) 458 7194, or rj@wheelpad.com.

Amramp-

Amramp of VT & Western MA
76 Hartness Avenue, Unit 2

Springfield VT 05156

(844) 726-7327 x2

Amramp of Vermont and Western Massachusetts is a franchise company that specializes in providing wheelchair ramps. Our ramps are fire proof and winter proof and designed to make buildings and public spaces more accessible for people with disabilities, seniors, and anyone with mobility issues. Amramp was founded in 1998 and is headquartered outside of Boston Mass where all of our products are designed and manufactured.https://amramp.com

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

UVM Medical Center Rehabilitation Therapy-

At the University of Vermont Medical Center our team of over 40 occupational therapists offer a  compassionate, patient-centered approach to care that is backed by evidence-based research. Our occupational therapists provide treatment in both inpatient and outpatient locations serving patients with a wide range of orthopedic, neurological, and developmental conditions. Our settings, and specialty services include a Level 1 Trauma Center, Inpatient Rehab Facility, Hand  Therapy, and Driver Rehabilitation.  We have interdisciplinary clinics and programs for ALS,  concussion, movement disorders, assistive technology, pediatric feeding, and pain management. As an academic medical center, we strive to continually add to the body of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of Occupational Therapy and we support the training and development of   students and practitioners at all experience levels.

https://www.uvmhealth.org/medcenter/departments-and-programs/occupational-therapy

UVM Entry Level Doctorate in Occupational Therapy-

The UVM Entry-Level Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) welcomed its first cohort in Fall, ’22.  The UVM OTD program is currently in the candidacy phase of accreditation.  Members of VOTA assisted in the curricular design, and the program is designed with a strong experiential learning component that blends the art and science of the occupational therapy profession.  It is an integral program of the Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS).  CNHS is home to approximately 1200 students in eight different health professions comprising seven undergraduate and six graduate degree programs including an interdisciplinary PhD. The UVM OTD program is committed to inter-professional education, ensuring students are positioned well for entry-level practice, supporting the local OT community, and utilizing educational innovation. https://www.uvm.edu/cnhs/rms/entry-level-occupational-therapy-doctorate-otd

National Seating and Mobility

National Seating and Mobility was founded in 1992, and originally had 5 locations.  We now have 272 locations across 45 states, and 4 locations in Canada.  NSM arrived in Vermont during June of 2018 when it acquired the Complex Rehab division of the Medical Store.  We are committed to providing the most experienced service and effective products to our clients, as well as professional clinical support to therapists and physicians.  https://www.nsm-seating.com/

VT Adaptive Ski and Sports-

Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports - Daily Year-Round Sports and Recreational Programs for People with Disabilities

Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports is a nationally recognized organization that empowers people of all abilities through inclusive sports and recreational programming regardless of ability to pay. In addition to sports, year-round programming options integrate environmental, holistic wellness, and competitive training philosophies for people of all ages with cognitive, developmental, physical and emotional disabilities. Vermont Adaptive is recognized for its client-centered programs and for providing access and instruction to sports and recreational activities with the belief that these things provide a physical, mental and social experience that is immeasurable in promoting self-confidence and independence in an individual. Vermont Adaptive’s Veteran Ventures Program serves to support those military servicemen and women to experience a new sport or excel in an existing one while creating a safe social community of friendship and trust. To learn more about any of Vermont Adaptive’s programs, visit www.vermontadaptive.org

Just Grow Play-

JustGrowPlay, LLC was established in 2019 by founder Ellen M. Cullen, OTD, MS, OTR/L, BCP, in Rochester, NY, to provide product development and consultation services to individuals and organizations who seek to enhance function through the occupation of play.

Visit our website to learn more!www.justgrowplay.com

My Motor Mats

Deirdre Andrews, MS, OTR/L in Massachusetts

The development of My Motor Mats started in 2018 and comes from my love of working with children who have motor planning and sensory processing challenges.  I was experiencing roadblocks and challenges with being able to create permanent sensory paths in our school building and My Motor Mats was born.  Creating a sensory path that is re-movable and also customizable was an exciting adventure to embark upon.  I hope that you will find My Motor Mats to be a creative way of increasing opportunities for children to explore and participate in academic learning coupled with sensory motor activities.    

My Motor Mats is not just a sensory path, it is a tool to bridge academic learning with movement.  Research tells us that it is the variability of practice across multiple settings in an unpredictable sequence that helps to support motor learning (Jarus, 1994).  My Motor Mats affords therapists the ability to vary motor tasks across settings.  My Motor Mats sensory path and academic packs will provide near endless motor activities that will enhance your skills as a therapist and increase engagement for all children.  https://mymotormats.com/