Enhancing Occupational Therapy Students' Knowledge, Competence, Awareness, and Interest in Accessibility

Area of Science:

• Occupational Therapy Education
• Disability Studies
• Environmental Accessibility

Background:

• Accessibility is crucial for people with disabilities.
• Occupational therapy students require foundational knowledge in accessibility.
• Current curricula may not adequately address environmental accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of environmental accessibility training on first-year occupational therapy students.
• To assess improvements in knowledge, competence, awareness, and interest in accessibility.
• To determine if integrating accessibility training into an "Activity Analysis" course is effective.

Main Methods:

• An out-of-class environmental assessment training was implemented.
• 102 first-year occupational therapy students participated.
• A control group received standard training, while an intervention group received additional accessibility training using a checklist in a community environment. The "Accessibility-Knowledge Competence Awareness and Interests" questionnaire was used.

Main Results:

• Students who received environmental accessibility training showed significant gains in knowledge, competence, and partial awareness.
• The trained group achieved higher grades in courses requiring accessibility knowledge.
• No significant changes in the control group's accessibility knowledge, competence, awareness, or interests were observed.

Conclusions:

• Teaching accessibility principles early in occupational therapy programs enhances student knowledge and competence.
• Environmental assessment training contributes to improved understanding of accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
• Further research is needed to optimize the implementation of accessibility training to foster greater awareness and interest.