OTD Students Engage in Adaptive Sports Experience

First-year students in the Duke Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) Program joined peers from the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Nursing, and Physician Assistant (PA) programs for the annual Adaptive Sports Experience (ASE), held this year at the Brodie Recreation Center. This immersive event brought together interprofessional learners and community athletes to explore the importance of inclusive fitness, wellness, and participation for people with disabilities.

Sponsored by Duke’s Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), the ASE helps health professions students deepen their understanding of adaptive sports through active engagement and guided observation. Throughout the day, students rotated through stations led by wheelchair athletes and adaptive sports specialists. Activities included boccia, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, adaptive cycling, and adaptive kayaking—offering hands-on insights into the physical skills, equipment, and strategies used across diverse adaptive sport environments.

Community partners were central to the experience. Representatives from North Carolina Adapted Sports (NCAS) introduced students to competitive boccia and hand cycling, highlighting both therapeutic and performance elements of adaptive sport. Members of the Triangle Thunder Wheelchair Basketball Team energized the gym with demonstrations of advanced court techniques before inviting students to test their skills in sport wheelchairs.

For many OTD students, including members of the Class of 2028, the ASE offered their first opportunity to work directly with adaptive athletes. Through participation and conversation, they gained perspective on how occupational therapy supports individuals in accessing meaningful physical activity, community recreation, and long-term wellness.

“This experience helps our students appreciate both the barriers and opportunities related to participation in sport,” said faculty organizers. “Working alongside athletes who live these experiences every day provides invaluable context as our students develop their clinical reasoning, empathy, and advocacy skills,” shared Raheleh Ghasseminia, PhD, MS, OT/L, assistant professor in the Duke OTD Division.

The ASE reflects Duke OTD’s commitment to community-engaged learning and interprofessional education. By collaborating with peers in other health disciplines, students gain important insight into how occupational therapists, physical therapists, nurses, and physician assistants collectively support individuals with disabilities in leading active, fulfilling lives.

Participants included:
Landry Baenninger, Grace Beard, Mia Bennett, Janaya Bowen, Colleen Chambers, Egan Conrad, Alana Dea, Anna Doan, Gracyn Dwyer, Yenifer (Yeni) Gandia Gonzalez, Cassandra (Cassie) Gursin, Tyler Hunt, Aliyah Itayem, Kimberly Juarez, Emily Keane, Dorothy (Dory) Keever, Lois Kim, Anna Kligerman, Yaa Kornne, Othneil Lewis, Laila Little, Olivia Lopez, Laura Lora Rosario, Torrey Mansur, Lauren Marshall, Kathryn (Katie) McKinney, Leeah Mills, Sara (Matilda) Moore, Alyssa Nguyen, Megan Parks, Audrey Polizzi, Sofia (Sofi) Ramos Fortanelli, Chandler Redfearn, Alexandra (Allie) Schmitz, Clarisse Sobremonte, Jose Solis Reyes, Isabelle Spear, Hannah Stertzbach, Musa Subramaniam, Ashley Ward, Ashley Wilson, and Ellen Yang.

As the gym buzzed with laughter, friendly competition, and candid conversations about accessibility, the Adaptive Sports Experience once again demonstrated the power of inclusive recreation—not only in promoting health and wellness, but in shaping the next generation of thoughtful, collaborative clinicians.