April / May / June • Issue 2 • 2019
AOTA Capitol Day, continued from Page 20
for their time. Unfortunately, I did not get to meet with my
senators and representatives directly since it was a hectic week
on the Hill and they were all out of office. I did have the
opportunity to meet with the legislative team of Representative
Cheri Bustos, Senator Richard Durbin, and Senator Tammy
Duckworth.
I want to emphasize that going to Washington, DC is not
the only way to advocate for our amazing field of occupational
therapy. I highly recommend visiting AOTA’s Legislative
Action Center (LAC) at www.AOTA.org/takeaction. AOTA
encourages you to share information about occupational
therapy, write a letter, send a tweet, take action, and contact
your legislators about an issue. On this website, you can find
your federal members of Congress, learn about current and
upcoming issues, and contact your legislators. A lot of the
legislators are on popular social media sites and they attend
events in our communities.
Overall, attending AOTA Hill Day as an occupational
therapy student was an eye-opening experience and it made
my love for our profession grow. It was an amazing experience
to be surrounded by so many empowering individuals and I
will continue to advocate for occupational therapy throughout
my career.
About the Author
Krista is a second year Masters of Occupational Therapy
student at Chicago State University, where she is active in the
Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA).
Illinois Presence at the AOTA National Conference
First semester OTA student at McHenry County College, Krecia Sweeney, along with adjunct faculty member, Abi Swidergal,
submitted a motion proposal to the AOTA Board in New Orleans at the annual conference. Members approved the motion, which
asks for AOTA services, products, events, and facilities to become exemplar models for accessibility to positively impact all practitioners,
students, and stakeholders.
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