Practice

Planning a Successful
State
Lessons Learned From
Legislative Experiences
in Missouri
I
was born with an advocate’s heart…
or maybe I am just stubborn. Either way, I spend most days trying to
follow my dad’s and grandfather’s advice: “Be part of the solution,
not part of the problem.” My family instilled a value of offering and
working toward solutions instead of adding to the list of complaints.
Complaints, however, are usually a required first step in determining how we
can impact change and where we need to start. Complaints, although a negative
connotation, result in clientele for the practice of occupational therapy.
Clients complain to their doctor about an illness, an injury, pain, or concerns
for a loved one. The occupational therapy profession would be difficult to
maintain if we did not first recognize and attend to complaints. The beauty of
being an occupational therapy practitioner is that we are part of the solution.
We are solution practitioners, problem solvers, and advocates for productive
living.
The Occupational Therapy Practice
Framework: Domain and Process,
3rd Edition (Framework; American
Occupational Therapy Association
[AOTA], 2014) defines advocacy as
“efforts directed toward promoting
occupational justice and empowering
clients to seek and obtain resources
to fully participate in daily life occupations.
The outcomes of advocacy
and self-advocacy support health,
well-being, and occupational participation
at the individual or systems
level” (p. S30).
The Framework definition of
advocacy suggests the importance of
advocating for clients and teaching
clients skills in self-advocacy, but we
must also advocate for our profession,
and that includes being aware
of relevant legislation at the state and
federal levels. Legislation directly
affects the reimbursement rates
for occupational therapy services
as well as what services are available
to vulnerable populations. We
must advocate for our profession, to
protect our scope of practice and the
independent occupational functioning
of our clients.
What steps do we take to protect
our clients and the profession? This
article will provide some steps to
follow based on the successes of
the Missouri Occupational Therapy
Association (MOTA) On the Hill Day
event, held over the past 3 years at
the Missouri State Capitol Building,
in Jefferson City.
PHOTOGRAPH © GETTY IMAGES
12 AUGUST 22, 2016 • WWW.AOTA.ORG