Road Ready: Building Independence Behind the Wheel and Bridge to Independence: Occupational Therapy's Vital Role in Guiding People with Disabilities Through Transitions into Adulthood 

This course is discounted for NOTA members.

Road Ready: Building Independence Behind the Wheel and Bridge to Independence: Occupational Therapy's Vital Role in Guiding People with Disabilities Through Transitions into Adulthood 

Self-Paced
$30 ($15 for NOTA Members)
1.5 Contact Hour

This course is created by the Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association.

If you need assistance or accommodations, please contact us at Info@AspireOT.us
Drag to resize
This presentation will discuss the creation and implementation of a foundational driving program for individuals with IDD, ADHD, and ASD that emphasizes safety awareness and decision-making skills to help participants recognize potential hazards, assess risks, and make informed choices while navigating the community.

This program not only teaches the basics of driving, but also included teaching strategies for anticipating and responding to traffic situations, communicating with other road users, and managing distractions while driving. This program also offers a community mobility track for those who are deemed not appropriate behind the wheel. This program offers practical education and implementation of utilizing the local bus system, ride shares, and way finding skills.

Our purpose is to provide foundational skills required to participate in an on-the-road driving program with a goal of obtaining a driver's license and provide individuals with the skills to be independent with community mobility. This course examines the role of occupational therapy in transition clinics supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) entering adulthood. It highlights assessment, skill-building, collaboration, and transition planning to promote independence, employment, and quality of life, while addressing clinic processes, barriers, and solutions for sustainable multidisciplinary care.

Target Audience: Occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, occupational therapy students

Presented by: Samantha Montemarano, MOT, OTR/L and Rachel Van Robays, OTD, OTR/L 
Drag to resize
Learning objectives
After completion of this occupational therapy continuing education course, participants will be able to:
  • Describe the origins and development of the Foundational Driving Program, including the identified need for the program, the population it serves, and the key factors that led to its creation.
  • Explain the evaluation process used in the Foundational Driving Program, including referral criteria, assessment components, clinical decision-making factors, and outcome determination.
  •  Identify the structure and components of a typical treatment session, including skill areas addressed, therapeutic interventions utilized, and how progress is measured over time.
Instructor bio
Samantha Montemarano, MOT, OTR/L
NOTA Guest Instructor

Samantha Montemarano, MOT, OTR/L Montemarano joined MMI as a school-based therapist for Omaha Public Schools in 2018 after working as a pediatric outpatient occupational therapist for more than two years. Throughout the years, she continued to work in the schools while growing her outpatient caseload and began exploring grant funded projects. In 2024, Montemarano transitioned out of the schools to focus on outpatient therapy and continue her work on a variety of grant-funded projects including topics such as independent living skills, transition age services and sexual health services. Currently, Montemarano is the occupational therapy outpatient coordinator, co-created the Foundational Driving Program, works on the UCEDD grant and is a team member of the Transition to Lifespan Care clinic team. 

Rachel Van Robays, OTD, OTR/L
NOTA Guest Instructor

Van Robays is an outpatient occupational therapist who began working at the Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI) in 2024. She serves children and young adults throughout MMI, the Autism Care for Toddlers (ACT) Clinics, and the Foundational Driving Program. Rachel is passionate about collaborating with families to develop personalized goals and treatment plans that support each individual in building skills, confidence, and independence to participate fully in everyday life. 

Completion Requirements
Drag to resize
In order to receive the certificate of completion, participants must meet ALL of the following criteria:
  • Complete payment or NOTA membership log in for course enrollment
  • Review the videos for the full duration
  • Pass the course exam with a score of 80% or greater
Please note that no credit or certificate will be issued unless all criteria is met.  Partial credit will not be issued.  
cancellation policy
Live Courses and Webinars
Learner cancellations: In the event that the learner requests to cancel or is unable to attend a course, a refund for the total paid for the course will be granted if Aspire OT is notified via email at info@aspireot.us within 10 business days prior to date of the scheduled course, minus a non-refundable registration fee of 25% of registration price.  If the learner provides notification of cancellation less then 10 business days prior to the scheduled course, the learner will be offered the opportunity to attend the same webinar on an alternate date or enrollment in the recorded on-demand version of that webinar, instead of a refund.  

No refunds will be issued after a course has been attended for more than 30 minutes.  Partial credit will not be issued.  

Provider cancellations: In the event of inclement weather or other event resulting in the inability for a live course to be provided within the scheduled time, learners will be offered an alternate date or a full refund for registration paid.
On-Demand web Courses 
Web courses will remain available to learners for 1 year. No refunds will be available for web courses that have been attended or viewed for greater than 30 minutes. In the event of a refund, the learner will be unenrolled in the course immediately upon issuance of a refund. No refunds will be issued for any course in which a certificate has been issued.  

Course Author

Logo for Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association Inc. with Letters NOTA and the 'O" a half circle blue and green graphic
This occupational therapy continuing education course is being offered as part of Aspire OT's State Association Partnership Program. This course is discounted for NOTA members.