Your Therapy Source Magazine for Pediatric Therapists July 2016 | Page 19

Our series continues today taking a closer look at small businesses that are owned
and operated by Pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapists. Today, the focus
is on Weavable Toys, created by Barbara Smith, OTR (whom many of you know as
the “Recycling OT”).
Q: First just tell a little bit about yourself – job experience, years on the job, etc.
and about your product.
A: I began my career working with developmentally disabled adults shortly after
earning a B.A. in English. This was back in the 1970s when people were being
moved out of institutions and introduced to community living. I worked in a group
home and sheltered workshop before meeting my first occupational therapist and
subsequently earning a M.S. at Tufts University’s Boston School of Occupational
Therapy.
Over the past 30 years I have worked with children and adults with fine-motor
delays in a variety of settings including schools, institutions, early intervention
and even hippotherapy farms. I have learned the importance of adapting activities
to provide a just-right challenge and to meet the client’s sensory needs.

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