Danielle Lancelot Watson is an occupational therapist who specializes in hand therapy. Before becoming an OT, Danielle dreamed of becoming a physical therapist and right before she started applying to PT schools, she sustained a T6 level spinal cord injury while rock climbing in Colorado. Her dreams of becoming a PT might have not happened, but the way her story plays out is amazing.
One thing I took away from Danielle's story in this podcast was to never give up and to trust the process and that everything will work out the way it is supposed to. After being rejected from several PT schools time and time again because of her disability, she never gave up hope and she was persistent. Finally, a PT had reached out to an OT at their college and the OT told her that there's nothing wrong with her having a disability and admitted her into the OT program if she would consider it. Since Danielle knew it probably wasn't a possibility since she had been rejected so many times before, she decided to give OT a shot.
That spoke volumes to me about our profession. Number one, the simple fact that the OT program that accepted her was looking at her holistically rather than seeing her disability, was a perfect representation of our profession. I completely understand about the safety of patients with transfers and gait, but after hearing Danielle's story about constantly being rejected by PT schools and finally getting a chance from an OT program, really made me proud to be a future OT and proud to be a part of this profession. Number two, I think it's wonderful to have an OT practitioner who knows first hand what clients we work with are facing daily such as the struggles, the rejection, the judgment, and the whispers because they look different from us. I think it's important to have a diverse field in order to connect with clients from all backgrounds, all disabilities, and all beliefs. Danielle said that with her being in a wheelchair, she feels like she has an instant connection with patients and she feels like her patients can understand and instantly trust her.
Something that really broke my heart was when Professor Lancaster said that a young girl she knew who was in a wheelchair was saying how it's difficult to find places in the community where young adults want to go that are wheelchair accessible such as restaurants and bars. When the girl said that the only wheelchair ramps were in the back by the trash and the dumpsters, a little voice in her head tells her that she is not worthy of a front door entrance. This statement broke me because so many people who are not in wheelchairs do not think about a wheelchair ramp or putting a couple steps in front of their restaurant or business and how it might make someone feel who arrives and realizes they can't get in. This is something I believe should change and should be a law for every business, restaurant, and anywhere in the community, that there should be a ramp in the front of the building for wheelchair users. It opened my eyes to think that even if it isn't intentional, we don't know what goes through someones mind who is a little bit different from us when they can't maneuver the same way as us. This is something I would love to petition and advocate for and see put into action in the very near future. When Danielle said that when she was in New York and she and her two other friends who were in wheelchairs had to take the bus because the subway is not accessible, the bus driver told them they couldn't all three go together because he can only take two people at once, and when she went to a concert and they said she could only have one friend with her, it really put into perspective how badly we need to fight for disability justice. There is no reason why they should be treated unfairly just because they maneuver differently than we do.
Overall, this was such an inspiring podcast and Danielle's story and her persistence and positive attitude is amazing. I am attaching the link for others to listen to it if they choose because it's something I believe can inspire anyone, not just students or people in the healthcare field.
http://www.ontheair.us/podcast1/episode-16-disability-justice-adaptive-sports
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