OT faculty members use grants for amazing projects

Agape Clinic and TWU: 2022 Crystal Charity Ball Grant

Lydia Royeen, PhD, OTR/L, partnered with the Agape Clinic in receiving a 2022 Crystal Charity Ball Grant. The purpose of the grant is to expand pediatric services for individuals served by the non-profit community clinic. Prior to the pandemic, TWU was providing occupational therapy services to the adult population. Royeen and Marsha Neville, PhD, OT, discussed with the clinic expanding OT services beyond the adult population, specifically how OT can address the needs of the pediatric population.

The Agape Clinic applied for the Crystal Charity Ball Grant with TWU as an identified partner to help screen and evaluate children for OT services and provide education on community services for families. At this point, the program is in the initial stages of program development. The program will start in March 2023 and run for three years.

“This is an opportunity to expand in the community to provide occupational therapy services to those families who wouldn’t get them otherwise,” said Royeen.

Planning for Autism in Communities and Schools (PACS)

Tina Fletcher, EdD, MFA, OTR, is wrapping up a two year grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in which her program, Planning for Autism in Communities and Schools (PACS), seeks to work with students with autism in their transition from school to the community environment. PACS curriculum focuses on three pillars of self-awareness, self-care and self-advocacy for individuals with autism. The curriculum was piloted with people that have autism and involved students from TWU going to schools and working with people with autism to evaluate the curriculum.

The grant also works to engage with community partners in helping them understand the three pillars of PACS and to create “sensory spaces” based on evidence for self-regulation. In order to help community partners reach these goals, PACS hired people with autism from nonPariel and partnered them with TWU students who audited community partner venues and evaluated them based on principles of universal design for learning. Results from community audits have been developed into a working tool to be used for community partner support as well as for people with autism in the community. Other projects related to this grant include support for community organizations, providing workshops for educators and development of sensory spaces including mobile sensory spaces that can be used outside.

“What we are trying to do is change people’s thinking,” said Fletcher. “Everybody is an equal partner in this, whether or not they have autism.” 

PACS curriculum is free and will be available in May 2022 on the TWU School of Occupational Therapy website.