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2026 VOTA Fall Conference · Rooted in Occupation · William & Mary · October 10–11, 2026
Belonging, meaning, and motivation form a powerful framework for elevating learning experiences. This session presents evidence based strategies to build inclusive climates where students feel valued and engaged. Participants will explore practical approaches to integrate these pillars across academic and fieldwork settings to strengthen connection, deepen engagement, and improve learning outcomes.
This interactive session explores occupational therapy’s role in supporting well-being and participation throughout the menopause transition. Through experiential learning and practical strategies, participants will gain adaptable ideas to support their own wellness and that of their clients while promoting balance, self-advocacy, well-being, and meaningful participation in everyday occupations.
Occupational therapy plays an essential, yet often underrepresented, role working with forensics populations with co-occurring diagnoses involving serious mental illness and/or substance use. This presentation highlights how occupational therapists utilize occupation-based and psychosocial rehabilitation approaches to address functional performance, participation, and recovery to meet their clinical needs.
This session will introduce Qigong and Tai Chi, their many health benefits, Level 1 evidence summaries for both, and opportunities to practice Qigong and Tai Chi (Yang Style) after demonstrations. Clinical applications and adaptations will also be discussed.
Volunteer leadership provides occupational therapy practitioners with opportunities to expand professional influence, advance occupational justice, and increase community awareness of occupational therapy. This session explores how strategic community engagement supports professional growth, career development, and AOTA Vision 2030 while offering practical pathways for meaningful community impact.
Occupational therapy is uniquely positioned to address functional barriers that impact health outcomes in primary care yet remains underutilized in this setting. This presentation provides a roadmap for building organizational support, educating providers, and creating a business case that demonstrates occupational therapy’s clinical value and return on investment.
Student Track
This session welcomes SOTA executive board members, SOTA members, OT and OTA students, and advisors come together to connect with other involved with SOTA programs to brainstorm ideas to share with their SOTA programs and explore ways SOTA programs across Virginia can collaborate to advocate for our clients, our profession, and other students.
Have you ever been curious about how occupational therapy practitioners become researchers, inventors, or consultants? This presentation will explore processes associated with research, development, and innovation while outlining practical steps an OTP might take to begin working beyond the bounds of traditional practice.
Occupational Therapists are uniquely skilled at adapting devices, environments, and strategies. Assistive Technology (AT) includes the devices and services that help individuals with disabilities get around their challenges. Attend this session to assess your ability to support AT and receive resources that will help support the identification of appropriate AT tools.
This 90 minute session will focus on the health and wellness benefits of the occupations of Leisure, Social Participation and Health Management through the lens of Project Knitwell. Project Knitwell is a Virginia based non-profit that supports the development of wellness, comfort and community through knitting. Leisure, Social Participation and Health Management, as identified as occupations in the Occupational Practice Framework, and the foundations of craft in the history of occupational therapy will be reviewed. The mission of Project Knitwell and its work with clients/patients, their families and health professionals will be presented. Project Knitwell currently works with individuals of all ages who are experiencing serious illness, injury, abuse, homelessness, re-entry from incarceration, burnout, compassion fatigue, isolation, or other challenges. Project Knitwell volunteers work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, mental health day programs, homeless shelters, eating disorder clinics, schools, community centers and assisted living facilities. Participants will examine craft, and knitting in particular, as a wellness tool for the clients and staff they work with. Participants will have the opportunity to learn to knit with kits provided by Knitwell or work on their own Work in Progress (wip). Through this presentation, we will create a small community, consider health and wellness and provide comfort for ourselves (and consider comfort for others) by putting into practice the vision of Project Knitwell.
The presenters will share relevant information and support Fieldwork Educators (FWEs), students, and site coordinators through research, collaboration, professional experience, and a case study. They offer a unique and comprehensive perspective, drawing from their combined roles as a site coordinator, FWE, and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator.
Saving the world – one mallet at a time! This interactive session provides an evidence-based approach to evaluation and treatment of mallet fingers. Participants will gain an understanding of digit extension anatomy, analyze mallet biomechanics, and gain hands-on experience with kinesiology taping and custom orthosis fabrication.
This activity helps burned-out practitioners reconnect with purpose by exploring what would be lost without OT. Through reflection and discussion, participants rediscover OT’s impact on participation, identity, and occupation, ending with a concise statement of renewed meaning and professional value.
In response to a need for occupation-focused retirement planning, a 6-week, group-based, holistic work-to-retirement program was developed and delivered to community-dwelling adults. Pre- and post-program mixed-methods data were collected and analyzed. An overview of program content will be disseminated, and results and implications for occupational therapy practice will be discussed.
Student Track
Success in fieldwork extends beyond academic performance. This experiential presentation will explore the hidden predictors of fieldwork success. Student participants will learn about the roles of communication and self-reflection in the development of their professional identity. Participants will identify practical strategies to strengthen these competencies and enhance success in fieldwork and beyond.
Effective onboarding of hospital-based occupational and physical therapists is critical to ensure clinical competence, collaboration, safety, and retention. Gaps exist in the acute care setting regarding orientation processes that support new graduates and/or clinicians changing practice settings. An onboarding program was created to meet these needs at an academic hospital.
Children with disabilities often experience bowel and bladder disorders which can lead to decreased quality of life and medical complications (Kelly et al., 2023; Ozsavran et al., 2025). There are specific strategies OTs can implement in their sessions to help children with disabilities become continent to improve quality of life utilizing a parent coaching model (Berg-Poppe et al., 2022; Miller et al., 2026).
Are you an OT practitioner who wants to infuse evidence into practice, but faces barriers that limit you? Join us for this hands-on workshop designed to explore these barriers, learn about strategies to foster your ability, and resources you can use to translate evidence into practice efficiently.
This experiential workshop develops occupational therapy advocacy identity and confidence through live simulation and policy-based role-play. Participants engage with real-world scenarios, including mental health parity and home health access, and practice an OT elevator pitch. The session builds communication skills for advancing occupational justice and policy engagement.
Good Vibrations Put into Motion: Is it time to use vibration for improved function? 40 minute presentation by Sheryl (Sheri) Barnes OT/L. Learn and explore how whole-body and focal vibration improve function across lymphatic, orthopedic, and neurologic conditions. Sheri Barnes, OT/L, discusses the latest evidence and reasoning for implementation of using vibration in OT practice, broaching the issue of delivering effective interventions into practice with practical, inexpensive concepts and guidelines. The presentation will also review a flexible screening tool to ensure safety and also the use of a simple, free phone app to measure hertz of vibration, for accuracy in implementation and documentation.
Student Track
During this session, an NBCOT Ambassador will share valuable information about preparing and applying for the national OTR and COTA certification exams. Specific topics include exclusive details about the exams, study tool resources, test day information, data regarding exam questions, and advice from other students and recent certificants. This presentation will allow you to be better informed about the various aspects of the national certification exam experience.
Compassion fatigue has been increasing in healthcare, human service and educational sectors, and occupational therapy practitioners are at high risk for experiencing these. This session is designed to provide practical, trauma-informed strategies that practitioners can implement into their daily lives to promote their own mental well-being.
