arollwitz, Author at West Texas Rehab

Author: arollwitz

In September, we celebrate National Rehabilitation Awareness Week

Posted on by arollwitz

During the month of September and especially National Rehabilitation Awareness Week, we celebrate the rehabilitation professionals who all work together to make a difference in the lives of others. Therapists truly are some of the most highly caring and sensitive individuals who genuinely enjoy helping people. So, we want to say, “A BIG Thank You!” for the compassion, patience, and understanding you exhibit with your patients.

Did You Know?

The first ever National Rehabilitation Awareness Week was started in 1976, with a small campaign by Allied Service in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Fast forward 40+ years, the campaign has grown into a national awareness initiative dedicated to the caring professionals who help patients achieve their goals every day!

In honor of National Rehabilitation Awareness Week, we dug up some fun facts about the fields of therapy:

Physical Therapy Fun Facts

  • According to Forbes, physical therapy ranks among the top 10 “happiest jobs” in America.
  • Many of today’s physical therapy techniques date back thousands of years. The first use of massage and hydrotherapy goes as far back as 460 BC.
  • Physical therapy as a profession actually started during World War I as there was a need to take care of injured soldiers, and the first PTs during WWI were called “reconstruction aides”.
  • Physical therapy began as a female-only profession. The initial physical therapy professional organization was called the American Women’s Physical Therapy Association and had 274 members.
  • In 1922, the American Women’s Physical Therapy Association changed their name to the American Physiotherapy Association. Then in the 1940’s, the organization changed its name once again to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), whose members today include over 100,000 therapists in the U.S. alone.
  • The demand for physical therapy increased in the late 1960s and 1970s. Schools could not graduate PTs fast enough during this time, so the career of physical therapy assistant was created.

Occupational Therapy Fun Facts

  • Occupational therapy techniques date back farther than PT. In 100 BC, a Greek physician named Asclepiades used OT techniques to treat mental illness.
  • In 1917, the occupational therapy profession was founded by three men and three women.
  • Like PTs, OTs treated injured soldiers in World War I and World War II.
  • Today, over 30% of occupational therapists work in the pediatric field, but OTs did not actually work with children until the mid-20th century.
  • In 1975, public schools began employing thousands of OTs to help disabled children.
  • The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) celebrated their 100-year anniversary in 2017. Their founding name was the National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy. Today, membership includes over 65,000 occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and students.

Speech Therapy Fun Facts 

  • The speech language pathology profession began in the 18th century in England.
  • Many World War II soldiers suffered brain injuries and had resulting aphasia. Thus, the need for speech rehabilitation services attracted large numbers of men and women to the profession of speech therapy.
  • The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) began in 1925 at a meeting of the National Association of Teachers of Speech in New York City.
  • Since the establishment of the American Academy of Speech Correction in 1925, the association has changed its name four times, and formally became known as the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 1978.
  • Today, ASHA membership includes over 218,000 speech therapists.

This article was written by Jami Cooley

To learn more about the services provided by West Texas Rehab, go to https://westtexasrehab.org/services/

As I See It- Disability Education & Inclusion

Posted on by arollwitz

By Scott Klumb

In the world of education, we need to have more inclusion and representation in early and higher education. We have made great strides in improving disability education and inclusivity through K-12, but we still have a long way to go. Creating space to educate others on disability is imperative to making sure people have a better understanding of the disabled community. This can be done through the academic setting as well as other creative avenues.

As an autistic person with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), not only did I struggle academically in a traditional school setting, but socially too, as I was bullied for most of my life. The bullying began in preschool and continued throughout my entire education. I was scared to go to school because of the bullying, and I was also nervous to share it with my family or my teachers. I didn’t want the school officials to intervene due to fear that the bullies would pick on me even more.

When I was pursuing higher education, it was going well, and most of my teachers were very accommodating and accepting of wearing a microphone that would allow me to process everything they were saying while I wore a headset. But one semester, I went up to my new instructor showing her my accommodation paperwork, which included wearing a microphone for my CAPD. She looked at me and said, “you don’t honestly expect me to wear that, do you?” Then she laughed at me and looked at the classroom and said, “don’t you all think I speak loud enough?” The class then began to laugh with her. This humiliated me in front of a large classroom and made me feel awful as a human being. I went home in tears and called my parents about it. We then reported it to my film school, and the teacher was fired. It is illegal to not follow state accommodations, and I was honestly in shock that I would come across someone that would question me. I feel for any other disabled person who has gone through something similar because we should never have to feel bad for being a disabled human being.

Looking back at my experience, I believe that if public and private schools beginning at the preschool level focused on the inclusion of the disabled community into their traditional curriculum, that disabled people would be more normalized. I believe that it would result in fewer instances of bullying towards disabled people in an academic setting. This can be as simple as reading stories to young children that include characters who are disabled, to inviting people with various disabilities to volunteer directly in the classroom or have them read to the children during story hour. Allowing the schools to create a community that is inclusive to everyone will ultimately create more acceptance and inclusivity for disabled children. It is important to teach that there is a wide range of disabilities, and that not all disabilities are visible. The majority of people that meet me can’t imagine that I have a disability. One of the biggest struggles for someone like myself who is autistic is that it is an invisible disability.

Going into school, whether it is for early or higher education, can be scary because people can be quick to judge. People think they are complimenting me by saying, “you don’t look autistic” but the thing is, autism is a spectrum and doesn’t have a look. This can be extremely dismissive and anxiety provoking because someone should never have to explain why or how they are disabled because of another person’s ignorance. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 4 adults in the United States have some sort of disability. Because of this significant number, we need to be more open to teaching kids and young adults about disabilities as well as having fair representation that disabled people can go to school comfortably knowing that they will not be judged or bullied for being “different.”

We as society have been doing a good job of educating the disabled community so that they can reach their full potential, which should be the goal for all human beings. In Colorado, there are schools like TACT and the Temple Grandin School that are specifically focused on this goal for autistic people. Last Fall, I taught filmmaking at TACT (Teach Autism Community Trades). I was told by many teachers there that they have never seen the students so engaged. I think part of this was because the students knew I was also autistic and that we were able to connect on another level with our shared experiences. The students learned a lot and TACT will most likely have me back to teach again.

Educating people about disability doesn’t just have to just be in the school setting. A creative way to do this is through film. Films like Crip Camp and CODA are excellent for exposing students to the disabled world. Crip Camp shows how far we’ve come since the 1970s and how we can continue to push forward today. There are many disabled filmmakers who can speak to their films and do panels in a classroom through Zoom or in person.

I personally have a passion for filmmaking, and I love to educate people through my documentary work. I began by making my film called Autism: One Man’s Journey, which was a story about my life. My goal was to help educate people on the autistic experience as well as give others hope for fighting through the extreme struggles of mental health. My therapist, who is an autism specialist, always says that he learns about autism from the real experts, his clients who experience it every single day.

It is important that we as a society can continue finding ways to normalize disability which can be the first step to acceptance. We can make sure that we are creating safe environments in the school setting to educate children about the disabled community to help prevent bullying. We can also use creative avenues to help others learn about disabilities in the hopes of creating a more inclusive world.

Scott Klumb is an award-winning filmmaker. He is a storyteller, cinematographer, and editor, knowledgeable in a wide array of film styles, including documentary, where he creates artistic films with meaningful stories to captivate his audience. Scott has found a passion for filmmaking, pursuing his talent both professionally and in his free time. Scott’s films have been in dozens of festivals across the world. The notoriety has been encouraging, but Scott’s primary focus is to encourage others and continue his growth as a filmmaker.

5.6 Million++ Americans are Living with Limb Loss and Limb Difference: New Study Published

Posted on by arollwitz
The Amputee Coalition’s newly commissioned study titled, Prevalence of Limb Loss and Limb Difference in the United States: Implications for Public Policy was published on February 14, 2024. Through collaboration with Avalere, part of Avalere Health, a US-based healthcare consulting firm, the Coalition conducted an analysis of insurance claims data to estimate the number of people currently living with limb loss and limb difference.

The findings indicate that in the United States today there are more than 5.6 million++ people living with limb loss and limb difference, of those are nearly 2.3 million+ people living with limb loss and another 3.4 million+ people living with limb difference. “Historically, individuals born with limb differences are a subgroup that has been all but ignored in previous research,” said Natalie Harold, Resource Development Manager. The “plus-plus” part of this 5.6 million++ figure acknowledges that the known estimate does not include everyone. Most notably, by using insurance claims data the study could only capture people covered under specific types of insurance. The analysis could not account for individuals who are uninsured or covered by Veterans Affairs or TRICARE. Data sources for this report include Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance claims.

“Information about those born with limb differences or those who undergo amputations is not data that is collectively tracked in a systematic way in the US. With this new information and evidence of increased prevalence we know there is a tremendous need for increased support and education, ensuring those living with limb loss and limb difference can thrive in their lives as they choose. We are now able to ground our work to improve quality of life outcomes and health policies for our community and those at risk of amputation with this prevalence data,” said Ashlie White, Chief Strategy and Programs Officer.

Prior to this critical study, researchers have relied on outdated predictions for estimating the limb loss population and the limited data that is available on the limb difference population within the United States. Updated prevalence estimates are needed to inform national advocacy efforts and policy initiatives that will increase the support the Coalition can provide to the growing community of people with limb loss and limb difference and improve their access to equitable care. Gaining a better understanding of this incredibly diverse community was the primary motivation behind the investment and the effort undertaken to yield this new information. With this endeavor, the Coalition remains the most trusted source of limb loss and limb difference statistics.

Key Information:
• 5.6 million ++ Americans are Living with Limb Loss and Limb Difference
• 2.3 million+ Americans are Living with Limb Loss
• 3.4 million+ Americans are Living with Limb Difference
• Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance claims were utilized for this analysis.
• The claims analysis did not account for individuals who are uninsured or covered by Veterans Affairs or TRICARE, accounting for the ++ in the total population of unaccounted Americans living with limb loss and limb difference.

Please contact research@amputee-coalition.org with any questions or feedback regarding the study.

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