2020 ISSUE 1
ILLINOIS
OCCUPATIONAL
THERAPY
ASSOCIATION
T HE
C O M MU N I QU É
JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH
REFLECTIONS ON FIELD WORK IN ECUADOR
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Danielle Enders
President’s
Address 2
Hand
Therapy 3
Student
Conclave 4
OT & Home-
lessness 9
2019
Awards 11
Archives
Corner 15
Meet the
Board 16
Changes to
SISs 17
The Com-
muniqué 17
About
ILOTA 18
Reflecting on the opportunity to
complete a Level I fieldwork experi-
ence in Ecuador, I am extremely grate-
ful for the chance to complete such
meaningful work. It has been a dream
of mine to participate in a travel study
program since I began college, and to
be fortunate enough to provide OT ser-
vices while doing that was a dream
come true. At Lewis University, one of
our core values is concern for the poor
and those suffering from injustice.
On this trip, we saw the effects
of high healthcare costs, lack of disabil-
ity policy, and lack of affordable and
accessible transportation. We saw a
mother of a child with a disability carry-
ing the child on her back because she
was unable to afford a car. Her daugh-
ter attended a day rehab program, and
the mother walked her there every day
to ensure she received the services
she needed.
Although it gave me a sense of
satisfaction knowing we were providing
services to help these individuals suf-
fering from social injustice, it made me
aware of the needs of other communi-
ties around the world. My education
from Lewis has taught me that serving
communities less fortunate than our
own is a responsibility that we must
take on to achieve equal opportunities
for all. This fieldwork experience taught
me how important it is for occupational
therapy practitioners to be strong advo-
cates for their clients’ rights. We are
called to action to provide OT services
that can change the lives of many.
About the Author
Danielle Enders is a second
year MSOT student at Lewis University
in Romeoville, IL. She graduated with
her bachelors degree in Movement
Science from Winona State University
in 2017. She feels fortunate to have
been given such wonderful fieldwork
opportunities such as working with the
community in Ibarra, Ecuador. Travel-
ing is a passion of hers, and her dream
OT job would be as a travel therapist
getting to see and experience new
places!