"Advancing Occupational Therapy, Empowering Practitioners, Enhancing Lives Across Texas."
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Protecting Section 504 -Schools and Early Intervention
Dear TOTA Community,
You may have heard about recent legal action challenging Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act in Texas vs. Becerra. This case has gained additional attention through recent social media post. Below is a summary of the case provided by AOTA's Chuck Willmarth from state affairs.
In September 2024, a group of 17 states (Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia) filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in Texas challenging a recent HHS final regulation that addressed comments HHS received regarding adding “gender dysphoria” to the definition of “disability” under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (“Section 504”) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).
The case, known as State of Texas v. Becerra asks the court not only to overturn the HHS final rule, but also to eliminate Section 504 altogether by declaring that section unconstitutional.
We are asking that you first read the AOTA article "Protecting Section 504" and then use the link below to send a message to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton! The link will take you to the AOTA Legislative Action Center.
https://www.votervoice.net/AOTA/Campaigns/122103/Respond
Best Regards,
John Luna, OTR, OTD - TOTA President
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TOTA Volunteer Appointed and Elected Leaders are needed!!!!
Volunteers are needed to serve in various leadership positions at the district level. You can also consider running for an elected position. Visit the TOTA 2025 elections page for more information. Nominations for elected positions will begin April 1 and close on April 30th at 11:59 pm.
2025 Nominating Committee
Amber B. Armstead, DrPH, OTR/L, BCPR (Gulf Coast East)
Kim Broussard, OTR, OTD, PhD (Trinity North)
Elizabeth Deluca-Berg, OTR, OTD, CAPS (Capital Centex)
Tiffany Green, COTA, M.Ed. (Gulf Coast East)
Ricky Joseph, Ph.D., MA-HRM, OTR, FAOTA (Alamo South)
Donna Walls, OTR, OTD, CHT (Great Plains West)
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We need a conference theme!!! Submit the winning conference theme and receive $50 conference registration discount. Deadline - March 1, 2025!!!!
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The Call for Proposals for the
TOTA 2025 Annual Conference opens on March 1.
Proposals may be submitted by occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and occupational therapy students (Note: student submissions must include a faculty or clinician co-author). Proposals from related professions are also welcome.
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The TOTA Continuing Education Review Committee (TOTA CERC)
The CERC committee is in need of volunteers to review courses submitted for approval as well as volunteers to review submissions for the TOTA Annual Conference call for proposals.
Qualifications for TOTA CERC
TOTA CERC is a pool of trained reviewers from TOTA membership and includes occupational therapy assistants and occupational therapists from an array of educational and practice settings. A curriculum vitae (CV) submission is required to verify clinical experience.
To be eligible for consideration for the TOTA CERC, an applicant must:
1. Be a current or retired TOTA member
2. Hold active or retired license with TBOTE in good standing.
3. Have a minimum of 5 years of clinical experience in the designated area of practice
4. May serve concurrently on TOTA Board or another TOTA committee.
Interested volunteers can submit the CE evaluator application or contact Paula Cook
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Student Leadership Opportunities!!!
Student members needed to serve as District Student OT & OTA Reps (These are appointed positions)
Applications for the 2025-2026 State Student OT and OTA Reps are now being accepted.
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TOTA Organization Member Upcoming Events
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2025 TSHT Annual Education Conference
June 6-8, 2025
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Webinar- An Update on Evidence Based Interventions for Upper Extremity Recovery after a Neurological Injury
March 1, 2025 9:00 - 11:00 am
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OTBE/TOTA Virtual Maternal Mental Wellness Symposium
May 17, 2025 10:00 am -2:30 pm
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TBOTE - Licensing System Changes and Anticipated Downtime
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Upcoming Events!
OT Fellowship as a means to bolster clinical skills and advance OT career
Thursday, February 27, 2025, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST
An Update on Evidence Based Interventions for Upper Extremity Recovery after a Neurological Injury
Saturday, March 01, 2025, 9:00 AM - 11:00 PM CST
Financial Freedom for OTs: Strategies to Thrive Without Burnout
Thursday, March 13, 2025, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM CST
DIR-Floortime: All the Time with Everyone
Thursday, March 20, 2025, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST
OTBE/TOTA Maternal Mental Wellness Symposium
Saturday, May 17, 2025, 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM CST
Texas Society for Hand Therapy Annual Conference
Friday, June 06, 20258:00 AM to Sunday, June 08, 2025, 5:00 PM CST
TOTA 2025 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY & PHYSICAL THERAPY SERVICE DELIVERY IN SCHOOLS: Policy, Research, and Best Practices
Friday, June 13, 2025, 8:00 AM to Saturday, June 14, 2025, 12:30 PM CST
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TOTA District Sponsored CE Events
Most courses are FREE to current TOTA members! Not a member? By becoming a member, you would be supporting your state association and enjoying cost savings while earning CEUs! Just complete a membership application before registering for a course.
Non-Member OT/OTA (1 to 1.5 CEU/2 CEUs) $20/$30
Non-Member Student (1 to 1.5 CEU/2 CEUs) $10/$15
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