Capstone Project
For my final capstone project, myself and three of my peers collaborated with Middle Country Public Library and Middle Country SEPTA to organize Youth Abilities Resource Day 2023.
Youth Abilities Day
April 28th, 2023
Youth Abilities Resource Day is an event to increase access and awareness of services for families and children with disabilities, while providing a fun-filled day of activities for all children of the community. We collaborated with 20+ community organizations that attended the event and provided families with information about their services as well as engaging activities for the children. We also advocated for Occupational Therapy by educating members of the community about our profession.
About the Event
Fine Motor Crafts
At our OT Booth, we provided children with fun crafts that incorporated fine motor skills. We used pipe cleaners, lanyard, and beads to make bubble wands and bracelets. We were able to upgrade and downgrade the activities to fit the abilities of each child.
Sensory-Friendly Room
We employed our knowledge of sensory integration to create a sensory-friendly room for the children to utilize during the event. We supplied Middle Country Public Library with a list of items to purchase for the room, and then we set up the room on the day of the event. Children were able to utilize this space to regulate themselves, when they became overwhelmed with stimuli from the event.
Advocacy
We created pamphlets with information about what occupational therapy is, different skills we target, and various resources that parents can utilize at home to facilitate growth. We handed these pamphlets out to parents at our booth and advocated for our profession.
Community Organizations
We recruited over 20 community organizations to participate in the event. They were able to promote their organizations to the community and also educate parents about their services. Some organizations even provided fun activities for children to participate in at the event.