University of the Pacific Occupational Therapy (OTD)

  The Future of Occupational Therapy Depends on Advocacy Advocacy isn't something you pick up after graduation. It's something you start practicing the moment you enter school as an occupational therapy student. OT exists because people before us refused to stay quiet. They pushed back against exclusion, fought for access, and insisted that participation and dignity aren't privileges, they're the whole point. That work didn't stop. It got handed down. You're inheriting it now. Here's what that looks like in practice: For years, OTAC worked to have occupational therapy formally recognized as a Licensed Mental Health Profession in California. It wasn't a quick fix. They first had to modernize the Occupational Therapy Practice Act itself, passing AB 2221 to clearly define OT's role in mental health care, before decision-makers would even come back to the table. Then came more collaboration, more testimony, more sustained pressure. Eventually, both th...