Several UAB OT presentations at AOTA INSPIRE 2026, held April 23–25 in Anaheim, California, focused on how occupational therapy is taught and how programs can better support students, faculty, and future practitioners.
Trauma-informed Teaching
Assistant Professor Rachel Ashcraft, MS, OTR/L, TBRI® Practitioner, presented findings from a national survey of occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant faculty members. More than 100 educators from 35 states responded to questions about the use of trauma-informed approaches in their programs.
The study found that occupational therapy faculty value trauma-informed teaching, but limited training, skills, and resources can make consistent use difficult. The authors also found opportunities for programs to expand cultural humility, anti-bias practices, and student empowerment in teaching.
Policy and Advocacy Education
Associate Professor Chris Eidson, PhD, OTR/L, and Assistant Professor Valley McCurry, PhD, MBA, OTR/L, presented lessons from four years of teaching policy and advocacy to occupational therapy students during a period of political polarization, changing higher education policy, and declining trust in information sources.
Class activities included team-based discussions, written reflections on real-world ethical and philosophical dilemmas, in-class information searches, and a final project in which students developed an advocacy initiative tied to relevant laws and regulations. The authors emphasized clear ground rules, civil discourse, supported stances, and “never shame” as teaching practices for helping students engage with difficult topics.
Student course surveys from 2022 through 2025 highlighted instructor clarity, organization, fairness, meaningful feedback, and respectful discussion.
OT Students and the Natural World
PhD in Rehabilitation Science student Talal S. Alshammari, OTR/L, MSc, presented a study of how occupational therapy doctoral students connect with nature. The study, coauthored with Associate Professor Laurie A. Malone, PhD, MPH, surveyed 116 students and found that many already spend regular time outdoors.
Nearly 30% said they spent time in nature daily, and 60.3% reported weekly nature-based activities. Students also reported above-average feelings of closeness to nature, responsibility to protect it, and connection with the natural world. The authors said the findings could help occupational therapy programs consider how nature-based learning may support student well-being, reflection, and clinical reasoning.
Team-based Learning at Predominantly White Institutions
In a short course, UAB OT alumna Tyra Thomas, OTD, OTR/L, and Jewell Dickson-Clayton, OTD, MPH, OTR/L, ATP, associate professor and director of the Entry-Level OTD program, examined the experiences of African American occupational therapy students in team-based learning at predominantly white institutions in the Southeast.
The session explored both the benefits of team-based learning and the challenges students described around inclusion and conflict resolution. Thomas and Dickson-Clayton also shared strategies to support inclusion within collaborative learning environments.
