Message from the President
The Occupational Therapy Association of Oregon (OTAO) stands in solidarity with all people who are impacted by racial disparity, oppression, and bigotry. Recent events – the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor – have, once again, brought to light the intensity and depth of the racism that permeates our communities and culture. We denounce all forms of hatred, violence and disrespect toward human beings. Our stance is consistent with AOTA’s statement on justice and racism, which can be found here.
We encourage our members and prospective members to explore ways in which we, as occupational therapy practitioners, educators and students, can enact change in our communities and country to address issues of systematic racism. We welcome the opportunity to further engage in this challenging conversation: what is your experience? How can we move forward to make a difference? What can OTAO do to address this issue?
Welcome from the President
Thank you for visiting our website and welcome to Occupational Therapy Association of Oregon! We are an organization dedicated to supporting occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants via strengthening the occupational therapy profession through advocacy, education and networking.
Whether you are looking for information regarding OT in the state of Oregon, joining us in quarterly continuing education events and our annual conference, leadership and advocacy opportunities, social get-togethers with other OT’s (OT Night Out), or a career opportunity on our job board, you are in the right place! We welcome you and hope that you will enjoy our website.
My name is Liz and I am the current President of OTAO. I have been working as an OT in Oregon for 10 years and a part of OTAO’s Board of Directors for the past 4. I am passionate about the occupational therapy profession, and being a part of OTAO is the absolute best way I have found to express this excitement and commitment. I am proud to work within an organization that believes in upholding the foundation of our profession, promoting professional growth and leadership opportunities, is committed to delivering a strong voice for the occupational therapy profession at a state and national level. Serving occupational therapists through OTAO has been an invaluable experience, both in growing my skills as a leader and my knowledge base as an occupational therapist.
OTAO is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization. We came into being June 25, 1947 when we were admitted into AOTA. Dedicated volunteers led the drive for licensure. In 1977, Governor Bob Straub signed our State Licensure Practice Act (creating the Oregon OT Licensing Board). From then until now, occupational therapy has grown from a few therapists around the state to over 2,600 licensed OT and OTA practitioners in many different specialty fields
OTAO is made up of an encouraging, passionate and well-rounded group of OTs, OTAs, OT students and retirees. We would love to have you join us, so please don’t wait, get involved, and JOIN TODAY!
I am honored to be your President and look forward to our future together!
Upcoming Events
June OT Night In
Thursday, June 18, 2020
6:30 to 7:30 PM PST
During this event, we plan to explore and discuss how Telehealth services has effected those who live near and treat people in different states such as Washington, California or Idaho. We will start with a larger state-wide group and break into smaller groups for more discussion. We only have only have 100 spots for this event, so please RSVP by Thursday, June 18 by 5 PM PST.
Once you send an RSVP please look out for an email from info@otao.com with the link for the virtual event. If you haven’t already, please make sure to have info@otao.com saved to your contacts list, to ensure emails sent for this event are not sent to your spam or junk folder.
Important Numbers
Active Members: 296
Occupational Therapists: 189
Occupational Therapy Assistants: 32
Occupational Therapy Students: 57
Retirees (Honorary): 15
Donate to OTAO
The Occupational Therapy Association of Oregon relies on the generosity of donors such as yourself to best meet your OT needs. If you would like to donate today please click the ‘Donate’ button below.