Seven ways to be an OT advocate

• Congressional meetings in Washington, DC
• AOTA’s Capitol Hill Day

If you’re a social, outgoing person, the traditional modes of advocacy—Capitol Hill visits and calling legislators—are perfect for you. If you live near the Washington, DC, area or like to travel, you can participate in AOTA’s Capitol Hill Day in the fall. You will receive information to prepare for the event, attend a morning briefing on the issues most important to occupational therapy, and then spend the day visiting the offices of your Representative and Senators.

If you cannot participate in Capitol Hill Day, you can schedule appointments with your legislators at almost any time of the year to talk about occupational therapy and the issues affecting our profession. Visit the Hill Day page to learn more about opportunities to advocate.

• Congressional meetings in your state or district

If you want to participate in advocacy for your profession from your own backyard, start at your state capitol. Contact your state occupational therapy association to participate in their advocacy efforts, including their state capitol lobby days. Your state legislators are developing and deliberating on legislation that could affect insurance coverage, reimbursement, and your state’s scope of practice definitions. Schedule meetings with your state legislator, either at the state capitol or at their local office, and talk to them about occupational therapy.

You don’t have to go to Washington to meet with your federally elected officials. You can arrange the same meetings back home in their districts. The process is the same. Visit our different ways to advocate with federal policy makers page for more information on setting up meetings with your Members of Congress.

Remember that for both federal and state officials, you don’t have to arrange a meeting in their office. You also can participate in Town Hall meetings, or invite them to tour your facility or speak at your school. It is important to remember that setting up these meetings takes time. It may be 6 months from your first contact to the final meeting, but stick with it and your efforts will pay off.

• Contact Policymakers page
• Legislative Action Center
• Virtual Hill Day

If you want to take action right now, you can communicate with your legislators today. To inform them about our profession and the issues that are important to you and the clients you serve, visit our contact policy makers page to review some of the most up-to-date information on current issues. Advocates can also access our Legislative Action Center to monitor current legislation, identify your Members of Congress, gather your legislators' contact information, and even contact your Member’s office directly. For a more personal approach, craft your own letter that clearly explains the issue to your legislator and what actions you would like him or her to take. Template letters are available on the Legislative Action Center; write your own, use the template, or do a bit of both!

You can also participate in AOTA’s Virtual Capitol Hill Day by writing your legislators about occupational therapy on the same day as other practitioners and students are making visits. Join our Legislative Action Center mailing list to receive information on the next Virtual Advocacy Event.

• Donate to AOTPAC
• Hold fundraisers for AOTPAC

All AOTA members who care deeply about the welfare of our profession, whether you are passionate about advocacy or not, can contribute to the American Occupational Therapy Political Action Committee (AOTPAC) annually. The purpose of AOTPAC is to further the legislative aims of AOTA by using funds to support federal public officials (U.S. Senate or U.S. House of Representatives) who introduce or support occupational therapy-related bills. Supportive legislators may also act by raising awareness about issues affecting occupational therapy by asking questions during Committee hearings and making statements for the record.

Students who want to contribute to AOTPAC but have tight budgets can join their occupational therapy classmates and participate in the Assembly of Student Delegates' (ASD) AOTPAC Student Challenge. Get ideas on how to put on fundraisers and contribute as a group.

Note: Contributions to AOTPAC are voluntary, and refusal does not affect a member's rights. Contributions or gifts to AOTPAC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Corporate contributions to AOTPAC are prohibited.

• Comment and Like on Facebook
• Follow on Twitter
• Advocate on Instagram or other social media platforms
• Post on CommunOT

Chances are that your legislators are on Facebook and Twitter. Have you “liked” them yet? Follow them on social media and start a conversation with their staff (use the Legislative Action Center to find their Congressional website, which will link to Facebook and Twitter). Comment on their updates, re-tweet their breaking news, and send messages to let them know about the profession. You can also use your social media skills to share advocacy ideas on CommunOT; or visit Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platforms. Invite your colleagues, and write and share information about advocating for occupational therapy.

• Be a member of AOTA
• Get involved with AOTA

The most important way to be an advocate for occupational therapy is to continue being a member of AOTA, which is something all students and practitioners can do. Encourage classmates and fellow practitioners to join AOTA by telling them about the benefits of being a member of our national Association. Individuals who are absolutely passionate about advocacy can apply for an AOTA fieldwork position and spend time working with Policy staff and occupational therapy experts at our national office.

If you want to get even more involved, AOTA has an extensive range of opportunities. AOTA employs a team of policy experts who monitor and respond to legislation and rulemaking that affect occupational therapy. This team is composed of lawyers and lobbyists who understand the intricacies of politics in Washington, DC, and all 50 states. However, we sometimes need the help of practitioners to understand how rules or policies will affect the profession in practice. If you are an expert in an area of practice or on a specific topic, the policy team could use your help in analyzing rules, developing clinical examples of how rules would affect clients, and gathering other information that would assist in writing comments and letters to policy makers.

Policy-focused volunteers can contact AOTA to share their expertise. Contact us at:

• AOTA's Federal Affairs Department: ASKFAD@aota.org
• AOTA's Regulatory Affairs Department: Regulatory@aota.org
• AOTA's State Affairs Department: STATE@aota.org

Volunteering is a terrific way to maximize your AOTA membership, share perspectives, enhance your networks, and advance your career. Learn more on our Get involved page.

If you're a strong AOTA advocate, but you're also passionate about your clients and want them to have access to your services and the ability to live life to its fullest, lend your occupational therapy expertise to groups that advance the rights of people with disabilities or that protect Medicare beneficiaries.  Also, every state has advisory boards, commissions, and committees for a range of topics such as patient rights, and aging and disability. Many of these groups require an appointment by the state Governor or a legislator. Explore your state government’s website to see if any opportunities exist and if you can serve as an appointed member or a volunteer.