work , but museum stores and offices are notoriously inaccessible .
I thought about training to be a teacher , but I didn ’ t have the qualifications and schools are often inaccessible too . I very briefly considered training to be a doctor or a nurse , but that got shot down quickly . I was thinking about applying to some medical clerk jobs , trying to use my archive experience , but I still wasn ’ t sure .
I was still pondering what I should do with my life when I met another occupational therapist .
I was struggling with the function of my hands while practising self-management through crafting . Ehlers Danlos Syndrome affects the collagen in your body , making joints unstable and painful . Not conducive to knitting at all .
And when it ’ s a regulatory occupation , it ’ s important to find a way to get back to what you need to do .
This occupational therapist gave me finger splints , a thermoplastic splint and some fantastic advice . During our six sessions , she taught me different pacing strategies , such as , if you can ’ t bend down to get the washing from the basket and then pin it up , put the basket on a stool . I thought it was genius !
She also explained different methods of achieving the task and about how to grade my tasks based on my energy and pain levels .
We chatted during the sessions and I shared my confusion about what I should do with my life as someone who is disabled and a wheelchair user . I talked about my vague thoughts around doing something medical , but not nursing or doctoring .
We chatted about occupational therapy and how useful disabled perspectives are to pain or chronic illness groups . And she mentioned that occupational therapy as a profession might be something I would be good at .
Well , that did it . I remember going home on the bus and missing my stop because I was researching occupational therapy and which universities had courses . I researched undergraduate , masters and even apprenticeships , before finding the course at Anglia Ruskin University ( ARU ). I fretted for a while before applying , and then I was accepted .
Academia isn ’ t anything new for me , but navigating it as a disabled student in my 30s is about as alien as Mars . Suddenly everything is different and strange .
I had lots of questions : Would I be able to get into the classrooms ? Would people dislike me for looking and being different ? Luckily , there has been support along the way in the form of disability services and course tutors .
I was also nervous about going into a formal placement as a wheelchair-using disabled person .
Hospital wards can often be cramped and difficult to navigate , but I was reassured that it would not be an issue and I would receive the same placement opportunities as anyone else , minus a few things such as manual handling and lifting tasks .
A real effort was made by the staff at ARU to make sure I was in the loop for every placement discussion and to
Above : make sure I could voice my worries and issues . Cate Chapman
Hospitals can feel overwhelming , even for those who work there . I worried that my issues might prevent me from doing the job , providing care , or performing key aspects of my occupational therapy role .
Luckily , my first placement has been a leadership role ; something that I am very grateful for . I ’ ve learned a lot in my time on my first placement and I have seen all the ways in which I can be the best occupational therapist I can possibly be .
I was able to speak at a seminar with the occupational therapy department , reflecting on self-management and how my condition led me to training as an OT . This was a huge highlight of my placement and an opportunity I was extremely grateful for .
One of the unexpected plus points of my new , strange life is that I think like an occupational therapist without even realising now .
When navigating a path , I see the camber , cobbles , drop kerbs and all the other obstacles that people might not notice . While the shorter route may be quicker , the obstacles make it untraversable . The longer route is often the better choice .
Words CATE CHAPMAN , Student Occupational Therapist at Anglia Ruskin University . # ChooseOT is our careers campaign to inspire future occupational therapists . You can get involved by sharing our careers website and videos and reaching out to schools . Visit https :// chooseot . co . uk /
January 2025 OTnews 33