Occupational therapy maximizes health, well-being, and quality of life for all people, populations, and communities through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living.
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA, 2016) has adopted Vision 2025, which builds on the work of the Centennial Vision (AOTA, 2007) to guide the profession beyond 2017.
In 2014, AOTA began a visioning process by retaining McKinley Advisors to solicit and organize input from within the profession and from outside stakeholders. The effort included broad surveys to more than 60,000 members and nonmembers as well as interviews with industry leadership, all in an effort to gain insight on the profession’s challenges, strengths, and potential goals.
McKinley reported the findings at the AOTA Vision Summit in October 2015. The Summit brought together nearly 100 AOTA staff and volunteer participants, who were invited to represent a wide range of age, experience, and diversity and variety of practice settings. Over 2 days, the group reviewed McKinley's research and discussed pertinent societal trends and potential changes shifts in health care. The Summit concluded with defined “essential elements” and three drafts of a possible new vision statement.
The drafts were vetted and distilled into a single statement that was sent to 58,000 practitioners and students. With a 78% approval rating, the Board adopted and approved Vision 2025 at its February 2016 meeting.
Guideposts were created to help further define and communicate the Vision’s core tenets to key stakeholders, including occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, educators, students, consumers, policymakers, and the general public. The guideposts are as follows:
Accessible: Occupational therapy provides culturally responsive and customized services.
Collaborative: Occupational therapy excels in working with clients and within systems to produce effective outcomes.
Effective: Occupational therapy is evidence based, client centered, and cost-effective.
Leaders: Occupational therapy is influential in changing policies, environments, and complex systems.
The Association will be creating materials to facilitate the transition to Vision 2025.
Citation: American Occupational Therapy Association. (2017). Vision 2025. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71, 7103420010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2017.713002
