Improving Diversity and Inclusion Among OT Practitioners (Hint: It starts in OT school)
An Nguyen
Student members of the Washington University Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates (WU-COTAD) Chapter, who received the 1st Annual COTAD Chapter Excellence Award. Photo courtesy of Michele Berhorst, Washington University.
Take a moment to think about your classmates in occupational therapy (OT) school. Odds are you are envisioning some of the best people you have had the chance to meet, and they all come from different walks of life. Next, consider all the potential people out there who could become great occupational therapy practitioners. Yet not all have the same opportunity to do so. This could be due to social circumstances, biases in the education system in who prepares for college, and many other reasons. In recognition of this, AOTA’s Vision 2025 calls all members of the profession to seek justice toward realizing a shared vision of the profession as one that is “intentionally inclusive and equitable and embrace[s] diversity in all its forms.”
As a student you may wonder, how can I answer the call? One answer: the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD) recently introduced a student-led initiative called the COTAD Chapters Programs. To find out more, we interviewed Arameh Anvarizadeh, OTD, OTR/L, who is one of the co-founders of COTAD and the national coordinator of the COTAD Chapters Program. Here is the scoop on this exciting new initiative.
Q: What is a COTAD Chapter?
Dr. Anvarizadeh: A COTAD Chapter provides a safe environment for students to gather and feel that they have a space and sense of community to dialogue about diversity, inclusion, and equity. It is designed to support OT students to work together to promote diversity and inclusion within OT education programs and in the profession. In just about 2 years, the program has grown to include over 43 chapters in OT schools across the country.
Q: What are some examples of the things COTAD Chapters have done?
Dr. Anvarizadeh: All the COTAD chapters are student led, so every chapter looks different based on the unique needs that each cohort of students expresses. That said, there are a lot of similarities between chapters and how they organize events. The goals of a chapter often include increasing awareness of cultural humility, community engagement, and dialogue about issues related to diversity and inclusion, such as unconscious bias and the impact of culture on occupation.
Common events that I have seen include:
- A potluck where students bring foods from different countries and cultures to share. Then they talk about the impact of culture on food and what that means for OT interventions.
- An open mic night where students may perform a dance or share poems from their diverse cultural backgrounds with their peers.
- Activities to empower students to address issues like implicit bias, including hosted guest lecturers, a discussion panel, or even coordinated unconscious bias training for students.
When we talk about diversity and inclusion we are not just talking about race and ethnicity but about all aspects of what diversity and equity look like—including LGBTQ+, disability, and mental health—so chapters have created events around these areas as well.
Q: How are the chapters connected to COTAD as an organization that does advocacy work at a national level?
Dr. Anvarizadeh: COTAD’s vision is to increase diversity in the OT workforce and the OT student body. The COTAD Chapters reflect one of the key pillars of COTAD’s mission, which is to increase student engagement and to support students in their passion for learning about the impact of culture on occupation, cultural humility, diversity, and inclusion. We host a quarterly meeting call with all the student leaders of COTAD Chapters so they can receive support from colleagues around the country who are doing similar work and understand what is happening at a larger organizational level. The COTAD Chapters are also closely aligned with our mission to provide a pipeline for students who graduate to move on and still have a space to advocate for diversity and inclusion as leaders in COTAD.
Q: What has surprised you the most about the COTAD Chapters?
Dr. Anvarizadeh: The amount of growth in a short amount of time has been overwhelming. It has gotten to the point where what I am doing could be a full-time job. This tells me that there truly is a need for it. It also affirms that there is still a lot of work that we need to do, but it also means that we are on the right path. Our vision for the future is to have a COTAD Chapter for students at every occupational therapy school and for students to graduate and continue to excel as diversity advocates.
Q: What do you enjoy most about leading the COTAD Chapters Program?
Dr. Anvarizadeh: The students! You guys are amazing—your passion, your tenacity, and your desire to make change at a grassroots level. It is a ripple effect that impacts faculty who see this fire that is igniting and blazing a path to create a cultural shift in how we think about health care and serving others.
Q: What advice would you give to students who are thinking about starting a new chapter?
Dr. Anvarizadeh: Do not be afraid to do it; reach for it, and make it happen. I always encourage students who want to start a chapter to think about these four steps:
- Do a needs assessment to determine the value and need for a COTAD Chapter in your school setting
- Sign the Chapter Commitment Form with your team of student leaders and a faculty mentor
- Submit your annual chapter dues
- Attend the COTAD Chapters’ quarterly conference calls to connect with us and learn from the experiences of students in other COTAD Chapters.
To learn more, visit the COTAD Chapters Program section of the website or email Dr. Anvarizadeh.
An Nguyen is an Associate Editor of the OT Student Pulse. She is a recent graduate of the clinical doctorate in occupational therapy program at Washington University in St. Louis. Previously, she served as an AOTA Special Interest Section (SIS) intern for the Work & Industry SIS. She is the creator of Home Maddirs, an online public database that connects community members to OTs who provide home modification services in the U.S.