The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Faculty, Staff and Students look forward to exciting and creative growth in 2017/2018 with expanded applied learning service collaborations; college wide and community based collaborations; development of a weekend/distance learning OTA program on the Newburgh Campus and increased professional development and continuing education offerings in partnership with the New York State Occupational Therapy Association.

A significant component of the OTA Program is the emphasis on applied learning through ‘community connections service-learning' projects.  The purpose of the community-connections projects is to provide each student with an opportunity to apply didactic learning in developing specially designed programs for community agencies/facilities as non-traditional and/or emerging area of practice in OT.  Students begin researching community agencies in the 1^st and 2^nd semesters and then develop and initiate specific goals, programs, adapted equipment, etc. during the clinical reasoning skills course in the 3^rd semester.  This essential component of our program incorporates collaborations with college programs and service, e.g., Office for Accessibility Services, Lab School, BRIDGES, Architecture and Engineering.  We look forward to a plethora of inter departmental collaborations and projects.

The SUNY Orange Center for Assistive and Rehab Technology, a sister program housed within the OTA Department, offers a wealth or resources, assessments and assistive and adaptive equipment demonstrations for students within the college community as well as community members across the developmental lifespan.  A DASNY grant, sponsored by Assembly Member Aileen Gunther was awarded to the SUNY Orange CART to develop a state-of-the-art technology demonstration and equipment lending library.  This highly sought after service will be initiated during the 2017/2018 AY.

The potential expansion of the OTA Program, as a weekend/evening/hybrid, is now being explored by a member of the OTA Dept., Mildred Consolo-Melchionne, COTA, through the Faculty Academy, an initiative sponsored by a grant from the SUNY Orange Foundation.  We are excited at the prospect of offering an alternative academic experience leading to a highly sought A.A.S. degree and career as an Occupational Therapy Assistant.

In conclusion, we are additionally excited that an OTA Dept. Adjunct Faculty member, Richard Watt, OTR/L, ATP, has been accepted into the Faculty Academy to explore the development of a Certificate Program in Assistive Technology.

All of the forementioned contribute not only to our excitement as a Department team, but to the overall contribution to the College's Mission, Vision and Strategic Plan to serve our students and community in diverse and essential areas.