Making Occupational Therapy History Matter

By Allison Sullivan, Professor of Occupational Therapy, American International College

When we think about innovation in health and human services, we often focus on what’s new: new research, new technologies, new models of care. One of the most underused resources in professional education and practice, however, is history. In a recent article I co-authored in the Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy, we explore why occupational therapy (OT) history matters today, and how intentional engagement with our professional past can strengthen education, identity, and practice for the future. At American International College (AIC), I integrate these principles into my teaching, helping students connect the profession’s origins to modern practice.

Challenges in Preserving the Professional Legacy

Occupational Therapy has more than a century of documented contributions across health, education, and community settings, reflecting creativity, adaptability, and responsiveness to social change worldwide. Unfortunately, the profession has not consistently preserved nor mobilized its legacy effectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, several professional archival collections were dispersed or lost, highlighting the vulnerability of history when stewardship is challenged.

Rather than serving solely as background information or celebration, history can function as a living professional resource that informs contemporary thinking, teaching, and decision-making. Drawing on principles from OT, archival studies, and museum practice, the article outlines a simple three-step framework to guide decisions concerning preserving, digitizing, or sharing historical materials. The goal is not to save everything, but to make thoughtful, transparent choices that respect professional knowledge and context.

Historical Awareness in Education and Practice

Understanding OT history has direct implications for both education and healthcare quality. Accrediting organizations, including the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT), emphasize the importance of historical, philosophical, and social foundations in the profession. Through my teaching at AIC, I have learned that students who understand how OT emerged in response to social needs, and how practitioners have navigated uncertainty, inequity, and change, are better prepared to face contemporary challenges in practice.

Occupational therapy history can also be engaged creatively and sustainably around the world. Examples include digital storytelling projects, community-based exhibits, volunteer-led archives, and educational initiatives embedded in academic programs. Many of these efforts are collaborative and low cost, demonstrating that meaningful historical engagement is possible even in settings with limited resources.

Sharing Knowledge on the International Stage

In February, I will present this work at the World Federation of Occupational Therapy Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, to an international audience of educators, researchers, and practitioners. The WFOT Congress convenes only once every four years and brings together occupational therapy educators, researchers, and practitioners from around the world. I am honored and excited for the opportunity to share scholarship developed at AIC, engage in global dialogue, and highlight the College’s occupational therapy program within an international professional community.

Continuity, Responsibility, and the Future of OT

For American International College, this work reflects a broader mission to connect scholarship with real-world impact. It demonstrates how academic research can inform teaching, support professional practice, and contribute to global conversations in health and human services. It also reinforces the role of higher education in safeguarding professional knowledge, not only by producing new research, but by helping future practitioners understand the historical foundations of their disciplines and why that history matters.

Making OT history matter is about continuity, stewardship, and professional responsibility. By engaging thoughtfully with the profession’s past, occupational therapists strengthen their capacity to educate, innovate, and serve communities with clarity and purpose. At AIC, embedding these principles into both coursework and research prepares students to carry the profession forward while honoring its legacy.

Access A Call to Action to Make Occupational Therapy History Matter here: https://www.emerald.com/ijot/article/doi/10.1108/IJOT-09-2025-0031/1332921/A-call-to-action-to-make-occupational-therapy

Reference:

Ilott I, Sullivan A, McNulty C (2025;), “A call to action to make occupational therapy history matter”. Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOT-09-2025-0031