April 25, 2024 – April is Occupational Therapist Month, and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools wants to say thank you to the wonderful occupational therapists who advocate for our students.
In the context of occupational therapy, the word “occupational” refers to “purposeful activity”, so when occupational therapists work in schools, they’re working with students to help them complete tasks in the classroom. These students live with conditions that affect their fine motor skills, vision, self-care abilities, sensory processing, executive function, and more, and it’s an occupational therapist’s job to identify and accommodate their extra needs. This year alone, over 400 students across the district are benefitting from the services of an occupational therapist.
“We are there to help kids maximize their ability to be successful,” said Lead Occupational Therapist Lisa Hrabovsky. “We address so many different areas to help them participate in class regardless of their disability.”
There are no normal or leisurely days in the world of occupational therapy. The district has 15 occupational therapists covering those 400+ students at all 81 WS/FCS campuses, as well as in Pre-K intake, private preschools, and in the homes of homebound students, and they juggle a constantly changing assortment of supplies and schedules to meet all the needs that are brought to them. Flexibility is an occupational therapist’s most important skill, as they have to be ready to adapt whenever some new demand arises.
“Every day, you have a plan, you have a schedule, and then it never quite goes how you think it will,” Hrabovsky said. “There’s just so much that can happen.”
All of the district’s occupational therapists are National Board Certified and state licensed, and the 15 of them have 313 combined years of experience between them. 141 of those years have been spent with WS/FCS, and the positive influence they’ve had specifically on the district’s students can be felt in every school every day. The Board of Education recently adopted a resolution to celebrate Occupational Therapist Month, acknowledging that occupational therapists are vital healthcare resources for the whole community.
“The profession of occupational therapy makes valuable contributions in helping people live life to its fullest,” reads the proclamation. “The health and productivity of our citizens depend upon the effective use of health care resources, including the important services of occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants.”
The next time you see an occupational therapist, make sure to let them know that their services are appreciated. They’re frequently overwhelmed by the amount of need in the large community they serve, but they’re committed to getting the job done for the good of WS/FCS students. As far as Hrabovsky is concerned, her team couldn’t be doing a much better job.
“They are the most dedicated, hardworking group of therapists you could ever work with,” Hrabovsky said. “To do everything they do in a district this big with just 15 of us is truly remarkable."