VOTC Newsletter - Fall 2020 Art of Professional Writing In the era of multidisciplinary care, all healthcare professionals, including occupational therapists (OTs), are expected to communicate with multiple stakeholders such as patients, coworkers, referral sources, and other professionals. In a professional environment, most official communications are expected to be written communications. Activities such as documentation, report writing, preparing discharge summary, patient education, communicating with clients/staff/administration, communicating with other care providers, writing for publication, and writing for professional advocacy demand good writing skills from OTs. Hence, they must develop both professional and scientific writing skills to effectively communicate and remain successful in their career. This article  highlights the salient aspects of professional writing that might help OTs communicate effectively in business and advocacy contexts. Dr. Karthik Mani in Academia   VOTC's founder and chief occupational therapist Dr. Karthik Mani has joined the  University of Texas Medical Branch (UMTB) at Galveston as an Assistant Professor.  In this role, he is responsible for teaching doctoral level occupational therapy students  and pursuing research.     IOTTT Adopted Occupational Therapy Scope of Practice   Indian Occupational Therapists Think Tank (IOTTT) would like to thank all stakeholders who reviewed and commented on the official Scope of Practice  (SOP) document (pertaining to the Indian context of practice) it drafted. The  IOTTT made revisions to the SOP based on stakeholder inputs. After multiple iterations based on comments and expert inputs, the SOP was officially  adopted by the IOTTT in September 2020. The document will soon be  disseminated to the public. To learn more about IOTTT and its activities,  please visit its official blog.  COVID-19 Resources IOTTT Published COVID-19 Secure Guidelines for Rehabilitation Professionals in India Indian Occupational Therapists Think Tank published COVID-19 secure guidelines to assist rehabilitation professionals in India reopen their practice/re-enter the workforce safely and protect the service recipients of occupational therapy. The guidelines are available free of cost here.  World Health Organization Centers for Disease Control & Prevention John Hopkins Coronovirus Dashboard Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Health & Family Welfare Department, Tamil Nadu     Disability News Bengalureans win design awards for inclusive innovations No Madras high court bar on SSLC exams for disabled With new order, Tamil Nadu may lose more mental health professionals Online App for screening learning disability among kids What Steps Were Taken For Commute of Differently Abled Staffers During Lockdown, Bombay HC Asks BMC

Evidence Corner (Links to Research that Support OT Practice/Profession)   Choice’ in occupational therapy theory: A critique from the situation of patriarchy in India Use of the Kawa Model for Occupation-based Culturally Responsive Occupational Therapy in India Evidence Based Practice