Introduction/Rationale: While entry-level occupational therapy programs in the United States provide education in multiple assistive technology categories, practitioners lack confidence in using it in intervention. The current study expanded upon the original work of XXXX et al. (2021), which broadened the scope of eligible participants to include all occupational therapists in determining assistive technology categories that should be included in entry-level curricula.
Objectives
- Examine occupational therapists' perceptions of the education they received on assistive technology categories in their entry-level curricula.
- Determine categories of assistive technology occupational therapists received training on and use most in practice.
Methods/Approach: A mixed-methods survey approach was used with 392 responses captured through Likert-scale, ordinal ranking, and open-response questions.
Results/Practice Implications: Results on assistive technology categories missing in entry-level education included three themes: wheeled mobility, augmentative and alternative communication, and computer accessibility. Seating and mobility was the category reported as most used in practice, followed by augmentative and alternative communication, environmental modifications, cognitive aids, and learning aids.
This study provides evidence of the need for education in several assistive technology categories, specifically seating and mobility, aids for communication, and computer accessibility.
Conclusion/Significance to the OT Profession: This study provides evidence to support B.3.15 of the 2023 Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education ® standards. Results also provide evidence on training strategies for students and novice practitioners, including hands-on learning and using expert mentors.
Future research will involve a comparative analysis of how major countries utilize and provide assistive technology education. Other future research will determine the format in which education on assistive technology is provided.