Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. This cross-sectional study provides a deeper understanding of how the experience of homelessness affects occupational engagement and quality of life. Health-related disparities among persons experiencing homelessness and their implications for functioning in daily life were analyzed through the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. Results indicate that the emotional burden of health conditions had the greatest impact on daily functioning. Highly affected domains included participation, mobility, and life activities. Primary Author and Speaker: John V. Rider Additional Authors and Speakers: Justina Selim, Alexys Garcia

Date Presented 04/8/21 This study describes the results of usability testing of activities designed to address the gaps and barriers to sexual health education (SHE) for clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Recommendations from stakeholders were incorporated, and the feasibility of a 5-week SHE program was evaluated. OTs can use the results of this study to address significant sexual and reproductive health disparities currently faced by individuals with IDD. Primary Author and Speaker: Elizabeth Koss Additional Authors and Speakers: Yong-Fang Kuo, Kenneth Ottenbacher

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Participation is the overarching goal of neurorehabilitation and OT interventions. Despite this emphasis on participation, evidence suggests that people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) have poor participation. It is clear that socioeconomic status has a relationship with other health outcomes, but little is known about its relationship with participation after TBI. The objective of this research was to examine disparities in participation after TBI between household income groups. Primary Author and Speaker: Alyssa M. Taubert Additional Authors and Speakers: Kimberly Erler Contributing Authors: Joseph G. Giacino, Michael Bergin, Amber Thomas, andYelena Bodien

Date Presented 04/13/21 Parental lack of knowledge of typical child development hinders children’s ability to receive early intervention in a timely manner. Improving parents’ understanding of typical developmental milestones can help decrease disparities in parent knowledge and identification of their child’s developmental delays. This poster will identify parent interventions to increase knowledge of child development so that parents can seek the appropriate professional help for their children. Primary Author and Speaker: Shanteria Carr Additional Authors and Speakers: Stephanie Munson, Lisa Mische Lawson

Now more than ever, the lack of racial and ethnic diversity must be addressed within the health care system, specifically in occupational therapy. This change starts with the successful completion of educational programs by underrepresented minority (URM) occupational therapy students. To increase diversity in the profession, accrediting bodies should mandate support for students of all backgrounds to be successful in higher education. As addressed in the American Occupational Therapy Association 2020 Code of Ethics, the Vision 2025 statement and its pillars, current knowledge on health disparities and occupational therapy demographic data, and other health professional programs’ accreditation standards, there is a need for an addition to, or revision of, the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE^®) standards to support the recruitment and retention of URM occupational therapy students. What This Article Adds: This column provides an evidence-based rationale to address the need for an ACOTE standard requiring documented efforts to support racial and ethnic diversity within occupational therapy education.

Occupational therapists are ethically bound to provide quality care to assist all people across the life course to engage in meaningful occupations. This sense of purpose, however, is challenged by institutional, systemic, and attitudinal barriers to equitable care for racial and ethnic minorities and other marginalized identities. Future practitioners must learn how to provide culturally appropriate care characterized by awareness, humility, and dexterity in client interactions. This guide offers information, strategies, and resources for enhancing learner knowledge, skills, and attitudes through intentional and effective curriculum design practices. It is intended to assist educators with integrating cultural awareness, humility, and dexterity into intended learning outcomes; course topics; formal, informal, and hidden curricula; teaching approaches; and instructional strategies.

The American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA’s) Vision 2025 conveys a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion ( AOTA, 2019 ). AOTA affirms the inalienable right of every individual to feel welcomed, valued, a sense of belonging, and respected while accessing and participating in society, regardless of the internal or external factors that make every individual unique. This statement supports efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within all aspects of occupational therapy, including practice, education, and research, as well as policy development and advocacy.

Healthy People 2010 identified elimination of health disparities as a national priority. Few studies in the occupational therapy literature document health disparities. The purpose of this study was to examine the evidence on U.S. health disparities with specific relevance to occupational therapy and by racial/ethnic groups and income levels. National survey data were used to identify variables related to occupational performance or occupational therapy services that showed evidence of disparities. Data on U.S. citizens included health and behavioral characteristics, activity profiles, home and work environments, experiences in health systems, and outcomes of health care services. On many variables, the nature of differences for non-White groups and lower income–level groups provide evidence of health disparities. The findings support the National Healthcare Disparities Reports, which concluded that health disparities are still prevalent in the United States, and opportunities remain in health professions, like occupational therapy, to improve the health of all citizens.