The Anatomy of an Occupational Therapy Ally

This course is discounted for TNOTA members.

The Anatomy of an Occupational Therapy Ally

Self-Paced Online Course
$20 ($15 for TNOTA Members)
1 Contact Hour

This course is created by the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association.

If you need assistance or accommodations, please contact us at Info@AspireOT.us
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This course was recorded at the 2021 Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference.

Allyship is the practice of emphasizing social justice, inclusion, and human rights by members of an ingroup to advance the interests of an oppressed or marginalized outgroup. Allyship is part of the anti-oppression or anti-racist conversation which puts into use social justice theories and ideals. An ally is a person of privilege who works in solidarity and partnership with people from underrepresented backgrounds to help dismantle systems that challenge that group's basic rights, equal access, and ability to thrive in our society.

In this occupational therapy professional development course, the concept of allyship in the context of occupational therapy will be discussed, including what it looks like to be an ally as an OT student or practitioner. Participants will learn about privilege and implicit bias and how empathy and occupational justice fit with those topics and with the work we do in the field of OT. The session will conclude with each person identifying an action to take allyship and/or to better promote allyship within the OT profession.

Presented by: Stephanie Lancaster, EdD, OTR/L and DeOnna Clark, MOT, OTR/L
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Learning objectives
After completion of this occupational therapy continuing education course, participants will be able to:
  • Define allyship in terms of what this looks like within the field of occupational therapy.
  • Discuss elements of allyship relevant to the work of occupational therapy practitioners.
  • Identify practical action-oriented strategies to improve one’s own awareness and promote allyship within the OT profession.
Instructor bio
Stephanie Lancaster, EdD, OTR/L
TNOTA Guest Instructor

Stephanie Lancaster, EdD, OTR/L, ATP, CDP has been an OT practitioner for 30 years. She is the program director and an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She serves as Vice Chair of the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD) and is Tennessee’s representative for AOTA’s Representative Assembly. She hosts the “On The air” podcast about OT. Her research interests center on the impact of technology in the clinical and educational arenas with an emphasis on technology for learners with diverse needs. Stephanie received the TNOTA Educator of the Year Award in 2020.


DeOnna Clark, MOT, OTR/L
TNOTA Guest Instructor

DeOnna Clark, MOT, OTR/L is a graduate of Loma Linda University, and has been an OT practitioner for 6+ years. She currently serves as the lead Occupational Therapist serving on the cardiovascular ICU and medical ICU at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She has professional experience in acute/ICU care, geriatrics, and early intervention pediatrics. She is currently the founding chair of the diversity committee for TNOTA. Her personal and professional interests include OT and ADL performance within critical care, diversity and equity initiatives, and practitioner mental health and personal development.


Completion Requirements
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In order to receive the certificate of completion, participants must meet ALL of the following criteria:
  • Complete payment or TNOTA membership log in for course enrollment
  • View the recorded presentation 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 Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association with blue letters and graphic spell TNOTA
This occupational therapy continuing education course is being offered as part of Aspire OT's State Association Partnership Program. This course is discounted for TNOTA Members.