Where have I heard of OT?

Chances are, you rarely hear about OT, let alone "famous" Occupational Therapists. Below are things that you might not have known are associated with occupational therapy.

1. July 11, 2008 -- On Days of Our Lives, the character of Chelsea Brady (Rachel Melvin) stated that she was training to be an occupational therapist in the children's ward at Salem University Hospital.



2. Buffalo tight end, Kevin Everett, suffered a spinal cord injury and received controversial cryotherapy to his spinal cord en route to the hospital. He credits the help of occupational therapists as one of the contributors to his recovery. This article by Sports Illustrated has a sole occupational therapy mention on the first page. This was the first article we found that mentioned OT without grouping other rehab specialists. (No offense PTs and RTs!)



3. Pro football player Dennis Byrd suffered a spinal cord injury while playing the defensive end in a football game on November 29, 1992. With the help of occupational and physical therapy, he was able to walk again after suffering partial paralysis. This article discusses some details of his recovery.



4. Occupational therapy is listed as one of U.S. News & World Report's Best Careers of 2008.



5. April 13, 2008 -- The Desperate Housewives episode entitled "Sunday" included a mention of Occupational Therapy. Back story: Susan's(Teri Hatcher) husband, Mike (James Denton), is currently in rehab for his addiction to pain medication. He mentions his OT had identified his role as a plumber and created treatment that incorpoated his job and meaningful activity.



6. Dian Fossey - That's right, Gorillas in the Mist lady. In the movie they called her a PT (physical therapist). Guess what, she was actually an Occupational Therapist. The producers were afraid no one would know what OT was... See why we needed this site?



7. Jane Goodall - The other woman who worked with chimps in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, for 45 years. She wasn't an OT, but after her famous work with the chimps, she went on to be an adjunct professor in the Departments of Anthropology and Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern California.



8. OXO - You know those cool kitchen tools with the big rubber handles? You can probably find them at your local super stores. Well, that design was created in part with the assistance of an OT. Who knew?



9. Bob Woodruff, ABC news reporter, received extensive occupational therapy in order to help him recover from a traumatic brain injury that he sustained after a roadside bomb in Iraq in January 2006. Read more about it in his book, “In an Instant: A family’s journey of love and healing”.



10. In December 2006, the Today Show featured “Assistance Dogs of the West”, a non-profit organization founded by an occupational therapist, which teaches disabled individuals how to become more independent with the help of dogs.



11. Mary Reilly, a famous occupational therapist in the 1960s, once said, "Man, through the use of his hands, as they are energized by mind and will, can influence the state of his own health."



12. Occupational Therapy only became a formal profession in 1917, when OTs were needed to help soldiers to regain function during World War I.



13. Rosie O’Donnell received Occupational Therapy services from a Certified Hand Therapist when she had flexor tendon repair surgery.



14. Wolfgang Schaber, interior designer and frequent host on Home Garden Television and TV Food Network, started out as an Occupational Therapist in Austria.



15. Nintendo Wii and Playstation II EyeToy are two gaming systems used by Occupational Therapists to help adults and children participate in rehabilitation.



16. Occupational Therapy was featured on the Today Show in February 2006 focusing on the issue of older driver safety.



17. NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration) often turns to Occupational Therapists to help design workstations to monitor upper extremity functioning in astronauts during space flight.

Chelsea Brady on Days of Our Lives wants to be an Occupational Therapist!

 
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Below are links to other occupational therapy sites of interest: