Students in Dr. Ryan Lavalley’s Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) Community Practice course in spring 2025 partnered with community organizations to advance inclusion for older adults and individuals with disabilities. Students designed and/or contributed to initiatives in a wide range of sectors, including education, housing, advocacy, and wellness.
In the MSOT course, Ryan introduces students to practice oriented toward community change through experiential learning, with the support of Seth Mitchell, a third-year PhD candidate in occupational science. Dr. Lavalley teaches this course through a lens of justice and critical perspectives. The course examines the everyday unfolding of groups, communities, and social systems including their impact on wellbeing and participation in occupation.
Throughout the semester, six teams of three to four students engage with local organizations to develop and/or contribute to real-world transformative initiatives that advance the organizations’ work. Below, the spring 2025 MSOT students share announcements about resources and initiatives they’ve supported through their community partners.
AED in ED:
Students worked with the Alliance of Equitable Disability Inclusion in Education (AED in ED) to develop resources for a pilot program that aims to address gaps to student self-advocacy within Durham Public Schools by increasing awareness, visibility, and access of disability justice efforts among students, families, and staff. The MSOT students developed a self-advocacy worksheet and other resources to build communication skills, leadership, self-awareness, and knowledge of rights among students. They also designed an implementation plan intended to increase student self-advocacy in the classroom and during periods of transition. The initiative, in collaboration with the Disability Justice Ambassadors Project and funded by the Durham Public Schools Foundation, promotes inclusive practices and disability justice to help create a more equitable school environment.
The G House:
Students partnered with The G House to document its model of interdependent living, which supports neurodiverse and physically diverse adults in achieving greater independence and an enhanced quality of life. The project specifically examined the sustainability and operational dynamics of the model. The G House offers adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities a flexible, inclusive housing option in Chapel Hill, N.C. that enables them to live independently alongside neurotypical peers. The MSOT students’ detailed descriptions of The G House’s mission and model aim to support the organization’s grant applications and increase the community’s visibility and impact.
UNC’s Food, Fitness, and Opportunity Research Collaborative:
Students collaborated with UNC’s Food, Fitness, and Opportunity Research Collaborative (FFORC), HOPE NC, and Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, NC to develop supportive programming to address transportation needs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) living in Weavers Grove. MSOT students designed a community-centered transportation training curriculum and conducted a transportation resource scan to increase awareness and access to local mobility options. This curriculum includes hands-on training delivered at the Weavers Grove Community Center by B3 Coffee staff and volunteers experienced in working with the I/DD population. The resources scan provides information to all Weaver’s Grove residents about transportation options. These programs directly address barriers to transportation equity, promoting independence, inclusion, and connection across the Weavers Grove community.
HOPE NC:
HOPE NC, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, NC, is developing an inclusive community gathering space within the Weavers Grove neighborhood in Chapel Hill. This program addresses the need for accessible, welcoming spaces for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The MSOT student team put together a helpful toolkit that includes a way to assess if community spaces are neuroinclusive, along with examples of staff training for those working in those spaces. These resources aim to foster belonging and social inclusion for all community members.
Orange County Department on Aging:
The Orange County Department on Aging (OCDOA) is partnering with the Marian Cheek Jackson Center to develop a culturally responsive memory café in Chapel Hill’s Northside community. The memory café will hopefully be a regular social event as part of an evolving continuum of eldercare in this community. To support the OCDOA’s development of the memory café, the MSOT students designed a three-phase relationship building process guided by principles of deep listening, mutual respect, and mentorship. This process includes OCDOA staff’s participating in community activities and engagements to build relationship and trust with the Northside, Pine Knolls, and Tin Top communities. This initiative ultimately aims to create a welcoming space that is rooted in Northside’s values and culture.
TheraFriends:
Students partnered with TheraFriends, a nonprofit providing pediatric occupational and speech-language therapy services, to create a new training program designed to help private business owners in the Triangle area become more autism-friendly. The MSOT students developed program modules to provide business owners with practical tools and strategies to communicate their commitment to inclusivity, make simple environmental modifications that improve accessibility, and train staff on how to respectfully and appropriately engage with autistic customers confidently. This initiative will empower businesses to support TheraFriends’ goal of collectively building a more inclusive community.