$1 million grant supports occupational therapy
(Left to right) Kimberly Vogel, Ed.D; Karin Barnes, Ph.D., principal investigator and chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy; Autumn Clegg, M.O.T.; and Alison Beck, Ph.D., all registered occupational therapists, will implement the new program funded by the grant.
The Department of Occupational Therapy received a $1,077,765 grant from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services of the U.S. Department of Education. The five-year grant, “Project Reaching More: Increasing Highly Qualified Occupational Therapists to Serve Children, Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities,” addresses the documented shortage of qualified occupational therapists needed to provide services for children with disabilities in school and early intervention settings, particularly in underserved and high-poverty Texas school districts. Karin Barnes, Ph.D., OTR, associate professor, chair of occupational therapy and the project’s principal investigator, said occupational therapy services help children with disabilities so they can benefit from their education and participate in meaningful activities.
