Occupational Therapy Students Support Community Partner Through Grant Writing
Posted on February 10, 2025 by CAHP
Occupational therapy students at the University of South Alabama support Gulf Coast community partners through a variety of methods including clinical fieldwork, volunteer efforts and grant proposal writing. Students are required to complete an Advanced Professional Writing class that covers a variety of professional writing useful to occupational therapists. During the course, one of the skills students are taught is how to effectively write grant proposals.
Recently, United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile, Inc. received $10,000 from the J.L. Bedsole Foundation thanks to the grant writing support of occupational therapy students in the advanced writing class. The funds have helped create a sensory room at the organization’s Adult Day Program.
“Collaborating with South's occupational therapy students was a remarkably smooth and rewarding experience. Their support was invaluable, especially as it was my first time participating in the grant writing process,” Jessica Ross, assistant director of adult services at United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile, Inc., said. “The students demonstrated an impressive level of engagement and helpfulness throughout our collaboration. Their ability to address questions promptly and provide constructive feedback made the process significantly easier and more efficient.”
The students took a proactive approach by conducting research to understand the best practices for a sensory space that is dedicated to fostering comfort and safety for individuals who require sensory support.
“The OT students helped create the vision we had for the space by observing our participants and talking with key staff to determine what materials would be most impactful. The goal was to have sensory materials that were able to be used by participants with a variety of needs,” Kristin Hegji, vice president of programs at United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile, Inc., said.
The space now includes bubble tubes, bean bag chairs, interactive wall panels, sensory wall panels and a cozy reading corner. The room is also designed to function as a safe space during severe weather or emergencies.
“This initiative has proven to be beneficial in decreasing challenging behaviors, providing a positive impact on the participants’ well-being,” Ross said.
“I am delighted when the occupational therapy students work diligently to write these grants because they care so much about the clients and how it will improve the quality of their lives if the grant is funded,” Dr. Donna Wooster, chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy, said. “Writing grants is much more meaningful to the students when we make it real, purposeful and connected to our community partners through our SouthServes. I am very proud of the work of our exceptional graduate students and share in the joy when an agency gets funded. We hope many more will be funded in the future.”