Scholarship of Practice (SOP) Lecture Series – Understanding access and risk: Occupational therapy’s role in promoting community participation through transportation justice
September 29, 2025
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST
Please join the UIC Department of Occupational Therapy for the following Scholarship of Practice Lecture
Title: Understanding access and risk: Occupational therapy’s role in promoting community participation through transportation justice
Presented by: Jacqueline Kish, PhD, OTR/L
Date: Monday, September 29, 2025
Time: 1:00-2:00 pm
Location: This presentation will be delivered in person in AHSB Rm 713, 1919 West Taylor St.
Presentation Abstract & Objectives
This presentation shares findings from a photovoice study to explore how disabled people experience access and accessibility on fixed-route public transportation in Chicago. Results highlight that dignity of risk is deeply individualized, much like occupational performance, and shaped by personal values, supports, and contexts. Participants emphasized the distinction between access (opportunity to participate) and accessibility (the design and conditions that make participation possible), underscoring how both must be addressed to achieve equity. Understanding these nuances positions occupational therapy practitioners to better promote community participation and advance disability justice by honoring autonomy while dismantling environmental and systemic barriers.
At the end of the presentation, attendees will be able to:
1. Interpret photovoice data as a method for illuminating individualized experiences of dignity of risk and occupational performance.
2. Synthesize concepts of dignity of risk, access, and accessibility to formulate strategies that promote community participation for disabled people.
3. Design approaches for occupational therapy practitioners to integrate participatory research findings into interventions that advance equity and inclusion.
The Scholarship of Practice (SOP) lecture series features presentations designed to share evidence-based knowledge relevant to occupational therapy practice. Department of Occupational Therapy is a licensed CE provider by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Occupational therapy practitioners currently licensed in Illinois can earn CE credit for attending.
A full schedule of the Spring 2025 SOP lecture schedule is available on the UIC OT Department website: https://ahs.uic.edu/about-ahs/college-calendar/
For more information about this presentation, accommodation requests, or other inquiries, please email Danielle Pullen at dpullen3@uic.edu.
If you have suggestions for advancing our publication of these events, please contact Danielle Pullen (dpullen3@uic.edu).
We hope to see you there!
Date posted
Sep 23, 2025
Date updated
Sep 23, 2025