Message from the OOTA President

Christie Tuttle, MS, COTA/L, ROH

Welcome to the OOTA Newsletter! Thank you for taking the time to engage with this first issue of what we hope will become a standing part of OOTA’s public resources. In the articles that follow, the information, insight, and perspectives are intended to spark connection and conversation across OOTA’s community. 

 

More important than the connection and conversation inspired by the content here included, however, is the growth and change we hope those connections and conversations facilitate. 

 

As the first quarter of the 21st century draws to a close in a little over eight months, there is a great sense of the work left to be done – on behalf of ourselves, the individuals and families we serve, our organization(s), the communities we share, and the many other formal and informal groups of which we are a part. 

 

Though things like the development of a new OOTA website, the development and support of a Copay Fairness Law seeking to lower the cost of copays (and increase access) for OT and PT services, and the invigoration of new committees and a growing number volunteer opportunities within OOTA speak to some of the outcomes of our collective efforts, ultimately the fulfillment of OOTA’s Mission and Vision are perpetual endeavors, endeavors that are fundamentally transformed with the inclusion of every new set of eyes, hands, and perspectives that touch our organization and its work.

 

In this ongoing work, it is easy to get bogged down by what remains unaccomplished on our collective To-Do list, as our aspirations only grow with each new checkpoint we reach. However, if we are going to remain steadfast in our efforts to promote our profession, advance professional practice, and effectively support our communities, we must commit ourselves to looking at our list of unaccomplished tasks as opportunities, not obstacles.

 

It takes significant resolve to bask in the uncertainty of transformation, but finding comfort amidst the uncertainty, we become better prepared to address the myriad obstacles (read: opportunities) that crop up on our path. Participating in groups like OOTA, it becomes easier to mitigate the anxiety that comes with big unknowns, because with every interaction between the peers and colleagues who make up this community our community gets stronger and more resilient. Your perspective may ease your peers’ anxieties about the future, your energy and efforts augment their own, and your success enhances their joy and connection. 

 

With that in mind, as you continue ahead into the last two-thirds of the year, I urge you to consider how you can take advantage of the opportunities before you, with OOTA and elsewhere.

 

As an OTP (or future OTP), your ability to capitalize on unforeseen circumstances is paramount to your success. You know better than almost anyone how truly individualized is every circumstance, story, or solution. Yet, despite the factors that make our experiences unique, there are far more commonalities than differences in our pursuits. As OOTA’s President, one of my goals is to highlight those common threads, and leverage them towards the accomplishment of our mutual aspirations.

 

This newsletter encapsulates that goal as it seeks to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and the development of shared understandings of this incredibly important work. Reading through the rest of this first issue, I hope you feel a sense of belonging as we welcome your input for future issues in the months to come. 

 

Above all, I hope that your personal growth and development – as an OTP, OOTA member, and individual – is facilitated and supported by our organization in the years ahead. And whether it is participation on a committee, attendance at a CE offering, contributions to this newsletter or anything else, I hope that through your participation you are able to feel the interconnectedness of your personal goals with the goals of others who share this space with you.

 

We are so far greater than the sum of our parts; with your creativity, perspective, and energy, I’m hard pressed to think of an outcome we can’t achieve.

 

With immense gratitude and optimism for what’s yet to unfold,

 

Christie Tuttle, MS, COTA/L, ROH

OOTA President