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Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity

@cotad_national

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🔹 Anti Oppression & Anti Racism in OT
🔹 501(c)(3) | Advocacy | Mentorship | Education
🔹 Empowering the OTs, Students, and Faculty Nationwide

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Introducing COTAD’s Directory of Capstones in Occupational Therapy (DCOT)! 📣

DCOT will house a collection of OT capstones projects to help address growing concerns around topic repetition, over-surveying of marginalized populations, and superficial exploration of complex issues. it can also be a resources for inspiration and examples of meaningful capstone projects.

A special and big thank you to two anonymous donors whose generous support made this directory possible!

There will likely be some learning and modification as we launch this so be patients with our volunteers running the directory! Check out more at the link in our bio or the QR code here!

#occupationaltherapy #capstone #otdfashion by @cotad_national

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2 months ago

To help us close out Hispanic Heritage Month, we are honored to share a special message from AOTA President Arameh Anvarizadeh, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA.

Dr. Anvarizadeh reflects on many of the themes discussed through this year’s SOMOS OT project, including equity, accessibility, representation, and the power of storytelling. She shares AOTA’s commitment to supporting the Hispanic and Latine/x community through advocacy and leadership opportunities that help advance our profession. We are grateful for her encouragement to get involved professionally and to continue working together to build a profession that reflects and serves all communities. SOMOS OT 💙

Thank you, Dr. Anvarizadeh, for all the love and support, and helping us close out Hispanic Heritage Month!

*Share this post to your story, repost it, and/or tag a friend to help us spread the word and amplify our message.
#SomosOT #occupationaltherapy #OT #Visibilidadyvoz #Hispanicheritagemont by @cotad_national

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5 days ago

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, we are honored to share a special message from AOTA Vice President Cristina Reyes Smith, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA.

In her message, Dr. Reyes Smith reflects on how she has experienced cariño throughout her personal and professional life. For many of us, it may be hard to describe cariño, too, but we definitely feel it! It is a warm embrace, a way of seeing others…it’s deeply woven into our culture. It is the warmth that helps people feel welcomed and seen. As occupational therapy practitioners and students, cariño is built into our connection and relationship with others, including our families, clients, colleagues, and the entire OT community. Thank you, Dr. Reyes Smith, for helping us close out Hispanic Heritage Month with this beautiful reminder of warmth and connection.

*Share this post to your story, repost it, and/or tag a friend to help us spread the word and amplify our message.
#SomosOT #occupationaltherapy #OT #Visibilidadyvoz #Hispanicheritagemont by @cotad_national

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Effective occupational therapy extends beyond traditional clinical skills. It also includes cultural humility and support for language access to provide equitable, high-quality OT services.

Over the past few weeks, we have discussed cultural identity, cultural differences, and the ways these factors can shape the experiences and outcomes of the clients we serve. As current or future OT practitioners, it’s important to understand these contextual influences, and this should really begin while we’re in OT/OTA school. What do you think?

This leads us to this week’s question, which was inspired by COTAD: How can OT education better prepare students to support language access and practice cultural humility? Are there ways ACOTE standards could be strengthened to better equip future practitioners to meet the needs of diverse communities and provide culturally responsive care?

*Share this post to your story, repost it, and/or tag a friend to help us spread the word and amplify our message.
#SomosOT #occupationaltherapy #OT #Visibilidadyvoz #Hispanicheritagemonth by @cotad_national

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10 days ago

As we approach the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to thank everyone who has shared their experiences, words of wisdom, as well as their journey into occupational therapy. We see you and we are grateful you are part of this OT family. We recognize the passion and dedication you have poured into this field, and how your cultura continues to strengthen the fabric of the occupational therapy profession.

Today’s message from fellow occupational therapy practitioners and students continue to inspire us, and their words are a reminder of how our cultural identities and experiences are needed within occupational therapy. Let’s keep showing up as our authentic selves and creating spaces where others can do the same.

For this week’s challenge, share a story or picture that represents your heritage or culture. Whether it’s a favorite food, family tradition, cultural item, holiday celebration (such as Día de los Muertos), family heirloom, or flag, we’d love to hear and/or see how you connect to your roots.

*Share this post to your story, repost it, and/or tag a friend to help us spread the word and amplify our message.
#SomosOT #occupationaltherapy #OT #Visibilidadyvoz #Hispanicheritagemonth by @cotad_national

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12 days ago

Part 2! A big thank you to Dalmina Arias for taking the time to capture these beautiful messages from OT practitioners and students across the United States. @dalii92 @uic_ot

*Share this post to your story, repost it, and/or tag a friend to help us spread the word and amplify our message.
#SomosOT #occupationaltherapy #OT #Visibilidadyvoz #Hispanicheritagemonth by @cotad_national

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Week 3 of Hispanic Heritage Month began with consejos, which translates to words of wisdom. As we reflect on the importance of words, it’s also important to recognize that not everyone has equitable access to healthcare due to language barriers. Unfortunately, language continues to be a significant issue to accessing care and/or receiving high-quality care for monolingual Spanish speakers.

One recommendation shared by COTAD reflects their ongoing efforts to expand access to translated professional resources, which leads to this week’s question:

To improve access and equity, how can we push for more translation of professional documents, assessments, and toolkits? What else needs to be translated and who can take the lead?
#SomosOT #occupationaltherapy #OT #Visibilidadyvoz #Hispanicheritagemonth by @cotad_national

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17 days ago

Words can have a profound impact in our lives...they can change the way we think, provide comfort during times of stress, and motivate us to take action.

Last week, I introduced the Spanish word, “consejos”, which refers to words of wisdom, advice, counsel, or guidance. These consejos can take form in stories, shared lived experiences, dichos (sayings), and even songs. These consejos help build our collective lexicon and remind us that language is more than a string of words. Through them, we are able to connect to ourselves and others, strengthening relationships and our cultural identities.

Let’s take a moment to listen to these consejos or words of wisdom from our fellow occupational therapy practitioners and students across the country.

And for this week’s challenge, what are helpful Spanish words or phrases you have used or recommend to use when working with Spanish-speaking clients?
#SomosOT #occupationaltherapy #OT #Visibilidadyvoz #Hispanicheritagemonth by @cotad_national

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19 days ago

Hispanic and Latine/x OTPs continue to face barriers to leadership pathways and experiences, including limited mentorship and sponsorship opportunities, workplace discrimination, tokenism, as well as systems that undervalue diverse identities (Nirmul & Cabrejo, 2025). These challenges can make it harder to access leadership pathways and the decision-making spaces where influence and change take place.

What can institutions (such as universities, workplaces, and professional organizations) do to create leadership pipelines to prepare Latine/x occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) and students for these roles?

#somosOT #occupationaltherapy #OT #TODOS by @cotad_national

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COTAD National Chair @ryan_lavalley invites 4 more panelists for another fantastic round of discussions regarding advocacy in Hispanic Heritage Month related to education and students. We hear from @ana_1457 , @vale_rie_ahhh , @mixwithabe , and @dalii92 about how we can support more inclusive OT education for Latine, Hispanic, and Spanish-speaking students. Grateful for the opportunity to partner with @todoshispanicotinusa , @the_onco_ot , and all the collaborators helping to amplify Latine voices this month! taken in USA by @cotad_national

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25 days ago

COTAD National Chair @ryan_lavalley is joined by @ot.spanish.essentials , @dr.v_theotd , @thejennifersanchez , and @_sal_vader to talk advocacy in practice related to the Latine, Hispanic, and Spanish speaking population. we are excited to partner with @todoshispanicotinusa and @the_onco_ot and the many other collaborators this month to amplify Latine voices in OT.

#somostodos #Occupationaltherapy taken in USA by @cotad_national

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Week 2 of Hispanic Heritage Month! 🇲🇽🇨🇴🇸🇻🇵🇷

Representation matters. When Latine/x students see themselves reflected in classrooms, clinical settings, leadership, and research, it strengthens a sense of belonging and helps them see themselves in future professional roles (Chugh et al., 2024; Da Cruz et al., 202). Representation also matters in healthcare as it can help strengthen patient relationships, improve access to care, and better support for underserved communities (Kirsh et al., 2006; Govender et al., 2017; Zayas & McGuigan, 2006, as cited in Ramirez & Kiraly-Alvarez, 2023). As clinicians, there is a special connection that can happen when we walk into a room and our clients know we understand some of their lived experiences. How many have experienced this? 🙋🏽‍♀️

Hear from OT practitioners and students across the country as they share what representation means to them and why it matters for the future of our profession. This is part 1 out of 2 so don’t forget to listen to the second part.

Also, join us for week’s 2’s challenge: “Pass la Chancla”, inspired by the “pass the phone” trend. We’re passing la chancla to another Latine/x OT practitioner or student, highlighting their work, setting, or specialization. Who is getting us started?

*Share this post to your story, repost it, and/or tag a friend to help us spread the word and amplify our message.
#SomosOT #occupationaltherapy #OT #Visibilidadyvoz #Hispanicheritagemonth by @cotad_national

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