Occupational therapists are skilled healthcare professionals who promote wellbeing, make performing daily tasks safer and more enjoyable, and help those they serve participate in a wide range of activities. For the occupational therapists working at the Elizabeth Lee Black School, helping students reach their fullest potential while living vibrant, active lives is so important.  

April is Occupational Therapy (OT) Month, and I wanted to highlight those OTs who truly make a difference in the lives of our students throughout the year.  

I’ve asked our four amazing OTs about the impact of their work and the value of the OT profession. 

From left, Hannah Spiess, Amanda Richardson, Amanda Schleicher, and Danielle Herman 

Hannah Spiess  

I enjoy working with as many people as possible. OT is a very broad professional, and we can do so much! Sometimes it can be overwhelming, but it helps when you find a setting you love. 

Creating relationships with the students and teachers each day is so exciting! I also love facilitating independence in my student’s everyday work at school through different interventions and activities. 

Knowing I can help children in any way is very rewarding. Talking to parents and hearing about progress or carryover at home is the best! 

I received my Master of Science at Gannon University in 2022. I began my career by working per diem with the IU and the Achievement Center, and then I started working at ELBS in the fall of 2023. Currently, I love my position as an OT with BNI and look forward to seeing my students each week! 

Amanda Richardson 

I was looking for a way to blend my science background with my desire to help others and my love of crafting and creating with my hands. I had previously considered both physical therapy and speech and language therapy routes but fell in love with the flexibility and wholistic nature of occupational therapy. If this sounds like you, then perhaps you would also enjoy occupational therapy. 

I love the look on our students’ faces when they know it is their turn for a therapy session. We keep our sessions extremely interactive, fun, and playful to keep our students interested and motivated while working on skills that are more challenging for them. 

I always feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when I look back at the preschool versions of our students that we started with and see them as elementary, middle, and finally high school students. Sometimes skill growth occurs very slowly for our students, but growth does occur, and I am so happy to be a part of that in areas of fine motor/visual motor skills, handwriting, sensory processing, self-feeding, etc. 

I graduated from Geneva College in 2008 with a Bachelor of Biology and a Psychology minor. I graduated from Chatham University with my Master of Occupational Therapy in 2010. I completed a 12-week fieldwork at ELBS in the spring of 2010 and have never left! I am the lead occupational therapist and am currently in my 14^th school year at ELBS. 

Amanda Schleicher  

Occupational therapy is both very challenging and very rewarding. Occupational therapy is where health science and the arts meet. If you enjoy being creative, problem-solving, helping make the impossible possible, and having flexibility in your career, then OT may be for you! 

For me, creating independence is what I find most exciting! It’s exciting to put an adaptive strategy, a piece of adaptive equipment, a sensory program, etc. into place and see it help a student to more independently participate in their school day. 

There’s no “one thing” that I’m most proud of in my career. It’s the sum of so many things. It’s how much I’ve learned and grown. It’s helping folks impacted by illness, injury, or disease to physically and mentally recover or adapt to a new way of life if need be. It’s being a catalyst of independence so that students can participate in school. It’s knowing that I can and do make an impact – what I do matters and I’m proud of that. 

I graduated from Gannon with my Master of Occupational Therapy in 2007. I worked with adults and geriatrics in rehabilitation, home health, and long-term care for the first 10 years of my career. Ready for a change, I pursued an OT position at ELBS and have been working here since 2017. I love working with our students! 

Danielle Herman  

I would tell anyone who wants to become an occupational therapist that schooling can be a lot of work, but the job is very rewarding. There is nothing better than helping someone become more independent and accomplish their dreams. 

In general, working with my students is the most exciting part of my job! Specifically, I find it exciting when a student achieves a goal, has been working on, or can do a new skill for the first time.  

One of my proudest moments was when I supervised a master’s student on her last fieldwork rotation. She was very eager to learn, and I felt like I was able to teach her so much in 12 weeks. She went on to pass her boards and become a licensed practitioner. 

I graduated with my Master of Occupational Therapy from West Virginia University in May of 2020 and began my OT career in healthcare. I obtained my Certified Brain Injury Specialist credentials in April of 2023 and continue to use this knowledge daily.  I have worked at ELBS full-time since June of 2023 and couldn’t be happier!