February 2010
18   Healing of Magic: The Use of Magic Tricks in Therapuetic Settings
Complete Calendar
News and Announcements

Call for Papers - 2010 Marie Moore Lyles Symposium
The date for the symposium is June 12, 2010 and will be held on the campus of Tuskegee University (East Central District). The theme for this year’s event is as follows: “Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence in Education, Practice, and Research.” If you are interested in presenting at this symposium, please see the guidelines for submission. All questions and/or submissions should be directed to tuotaa@gmail.com.

Call for Papers - Spring Conference 2010
Spring conference is rapidly approaching! It will be held March 27, 2010 at Children's Rehab Services in Huntsville, AL. If you are interested in presenting at this conference, please see the guidelines for submission. All questions and/or submissions should be directed to Dave Bledsoe, Vice-President.

Central District Chair Needed
If you are interested in serving on the board and getting involved in your local occupational therapy community, then consider serving as central district chair. If you are interested or know anyone who may be, please email Valley Osborne-McCurry for further information.

The Vote is In!
We welcome David Bledsoe as vice-president of ALOTA. He brings an abundance of experiences that will enhance our team as we attempt to continue to offer you outstanding conferences.

Get On-Board
Want to get involved with ALOTA? We are taking nominations for the positions of Public Awareness and Reimbursement Chair. If you are interested or would like to nominate someone email Valley Osborne-McCurry, President at valley.mccurry@alota.org.


ALOTA Wants YOU!
The Alabama Occupational Therapy Association is currently looking for committee members for the following committees:
  • Government Affairs
  • Conference Planning
  • Awareness
  • Membership
  • Reimbursement
In the past few years, this organization has grown tremendously, and we have a wonderful group of leaders who are looking forward to offering more programs and more advocacy for occupational therapy practitioners in this state! If you are interested in serving on a committee, please email Valley Osborne-McCurry your information. Also, please pass the word on to other OT professionals whom you think may be interested!

Announcing New Partnership With Smart Solutions
ALOTA has partnered with Smart Solutions, an Adaptive Technology provider, to offer no-cost in-home evaluations for patients of ALOTA members. This is a great opportunity for any member whether they specialize in outpatient therapy, inpatient care, or home health.

ALOTA members will now be able to utilize Smart Solutions services as a resource providing your patients with an assessment of environmental controls options that may be applicable. Smart Solutions specializes in environmental controls and can provide patients solutions to control their home systems such as lighting, climate, security, cameras, and media systems.

For more information on Smart Solutions or to request a consultation, please contact Kevin Braswell with Smart Solutions at (205) 868-9311 or e-mail him at kbraswell@smarthomesolutions.com. Additional information is also available on the Smart Solutions website @ www.smarthomesolutions.com.

We have also added a link to the Smart Solutions website in the community resources section of our "links" page for future reference.


New Initiative with Restore Therapy Services
We are thrilled to announce a new membership initiative with Restore Therapy Services. Restore is now offering annual memberships in ALOTA to all of their occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants as a free employment benefit. This groundbreaking agreement was negotiated by ALOTA President Valley McCurry and Restore’s Executive Officers, and is a win-win arrangement for both organizations! Arrangements such as these have the potential to significantly boost our membership numbers, which will allow us to continue to expand our lobbying and advocacy efforts, and our low-cost continuing education offerings. Modeled after a recent initiative of AOTA, we are seeking new relationships with corporations as part of our strategic plan. Interested in seeing something like this happen at your place of employment? Click here to send us an email, and we will follow up from there.

Interested in Getting Involved with ALOTA?
All it takes is a willingness to get involved. We will show you the rest. We have opportunities that would likely be a good fit for you regardless of your area of interest. Click here to drop us a note.


For more news, news archives, and newsletters, visit the ALOTA News page.

About ALOTA
The Alabama Occupational Therapy Association (ALOTA) is a members only organization. Members consist of occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, occupational therapy students, and corporate sponsors who employ occupational therapy personnel. Members pay annual dues for participation in ALOTA. ALOTA is the state-based professional organization and public voice for the occupational therapy profession within Alabama. ALOTA is a state affiliate of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), which is the national professional association. ALOTA and AOTA share the common goals of working to advance the profession of occupational therapy, the public's awareness of and access to needed occupational therapy services, and the contributions of occupational therapy to health, wellness, productivity and quality of life.

ALOTA's Mission
The mission of ALOTA is to support the professional community for members dedicated to the development and promotion of occupational therapy. The organization serves the interests of its members, represents the profession to the public and promotes access to occupational therapy services.