Hands-On Learning: OT Students Develop Training Tools for Adaptive Recreation
- Two Occupational Therapy (OT) students designed a program to help volunteers work with athletes with autism in adaptive sports.
- The project is part of a course focused on community engaged learning and population health.
- Occupational therapy offers strong career prospects, with salaries averaging around $90,000 in Utah.
When occupational therapy students Libbie Warren and Karen Pierce walked into the National Ability Center in Park City, they saw an opportunity to make a difference. The center offers adaptive archery and cycling for individuals with disabilities, but volunteers often face challenges when working with participants with autism. Warren and Pierce’s solution? A program called “Cue the Fun.”
They created visual supports tailored to each sport and produced a recorded training module for volunteers. These tools make it easier for instructors to communicate, reduce stress for participants, and ensure the program can thrive long after the students graduate.
Pierce and Warren created these visual supports as part of their Population-Based Programming course, a class which pairs students with local organizations for 12 weeks to conduct needs assessments and design evidence-based programs. The course carries a Community Engaged Learning (CEL) designation, aligning with the University of Utah’s Strategy 2030 mission to engage communities and promote education, health, and quality of life.
Pierce explains, “Part of the class was to complete a needs assessment for the NAC. We learned through interviews and surveys that participants were bombarded with verbal instructions, which can be overwhelming and confusing. Visual cue cards help reduce that stress.”
The training module includes a 10-minute video housed in Google Classroom, covering the benefits of visual schedules and how to use them. Volunteers can access it anytime, making onboarding easier and more effective.
“I had so much fun completing this project,” Pierce says. “One day, I was stressed about homework, but after supporting an archery and climbing lesson, I left feeling refreshed and reminded of why I want to be an occupational therapist.”
Why does this matter for future health professionals?
Because occupational therapy isn’t just about clinics—it’s about helping people live meaningful lives in every setting. From adaptive sports to homeless shelters to therapeutic classrooms, OT students learn how to create solutions that improve health and quality of life for entire communities.
“Embedding a community-engaged learning course within our OT curriculum offers a powerful learning experience for our students,” says Danielle Friberg, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational & Recreational Therapies,. It allows them to apply the occupational therapy process with local agencies to address unmet community needs.”
Occupational Therapy as a Career with Real Impact
Occupational therapy is one of the fastest-growing health professions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, OT jobs are projected to grow 12% by 2032—much faster than average. In Utah, occupational therapists earn about $90,000 annually, and many work in hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers, and community programs.
Hands-on experiences like CEL prepare students for these roles by teaching them to think beyond individual treatment plans and consider population health. That’s a skill employers value—and communities need.
