The Occupational Therapy department at Sacred Heart University seeks to promote occupational justice, the ability for people to engage equally in meaningful occupations. Romania is undergoing substantial social change since the fall of communism. Laws protecting individuals with disabilities and promoting inclusion are relatively new and many with disabilities are not fully included. Occupational therapy is a new profession in Romania.

Occupational Therapy students will compare and contrast health care and education policies and outcomes between those with and without full inclusion. They will also learn about therapy practice with limited resources and/or with limited access.  They will provide service to the occupational therapy profession through furthering the education of Romanian occupational therapists and students and will participate in interventions with children with neuromotor disorders and autism.
 

Program Program participants will interact with professionals and other OT students from The University in Alba Iulia, further allowing students the opportunity to compare and contrast OT education and work towards partnerships to promote improved OT education in both countries. Participants will also interact with the first president of the Romanian OT Association, and learn about the beginning of Romanian Occupational Therapy.  The program will work in two sites within the city of Alba Iulia, spending two days at each site, each with an experienced faculty mentor. At the Maria Beatrice Center, the clinical work will entail providing interventions for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Participants will also work to train staff onsite to promote sustainable interventions. At the second site, an autism center housed in a Romanian home, the service provided will include occupational therapy intervention and consultation for the children with autism, and provision of appropriate sensory motor play materials. Students will be involved in providing educational content for Romanian therapists and possibly Romanian OT students.   Faculty Heather Miller-Kuhaneck, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA Phone: (203) 396-8238 Email: kuhaneckh@sacredheart.edu Ellen Martino, OTD, OTR/L Phone: (203) 365-4766 Email: martinoe@sacredheart.edu   Accommodations Students will stay in a shared hotel room.  An example hotel is: Hotel Hermes   Costs Fall Program Fees & Due Dates The total program fee due to Sacred Heart University is $2,350.00 Due dates: Upon acceptance - $45 application fee, $840 confirmation fee, $35 emergency fund fee TBD - $1,510.00 Program fee includes: Round trip airfare, group round trip ground transportation from Sacred Heart to airport, ground transportation in Romania, breakfast and lunch daily, mandatory international health and evacuation insurance.  Program fee does not include: Trip cancellation insurance, major health insurance, some dinners, optional excursion, snacks, and personal expenses.        Excursions There will be opportunities for learning about local history. Participants will be able to visit the old town, see the citadel, the church, and the University. There will be an opportunity for one excursion. Options include Corvinilor Castle, the salt mines, or hiking in a local park.. There are also multiple opportunities to visit local homes of therapists we work with and to eat local foods, learn about Romanian life, and understand the impact of communism on the country and its people.   Scholarships Suggested organizations for possible scholarship money is provided in the Fundraising Guide available by downloading here: CHP/CON Fundraising Guide.       Contact Meggy Adorno Assistant Director of Global Health Programs Phone: 203-365-4509 Email: adornom2@sacredheart.edu Location: Center for Healthcare Education N257   Location The gentle climate and the richness of the soil made the area around Alba Iulia inhabitable since ancient times and established Alba as a leading wine growing region since 1st century AD. Northwest of Alba Iulia are the Apuseni Mountains and in the east the Transylvanian Plateau with its rolling hills and deep, wide valleys. One of the oldest settlements in Romania, known in ancient time as Apulum, Alba Iulia served as the largest military and economic center during the Roman occupation. Temples, mosaics, thermae and statues, amphitheaters, the governor's palace "Daciarum Trium" – all rendered the original Dacian Apulul as the miniature copy of the mother Rome. An Episcopal citadel and an important political, military and cultural center, Alba Iulia reached its peak between 1542-1690, serving as the capital of the independent Principality of Transylvania and the residence of the Transylvanian princes. In 1599, Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave) achieved here for a brief period of time the union of the three main provinces of Romania: Walachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia. The town later became an important printing centre. Nowadays the local universities continue the tradition of the old academic schools. Source: Romania Tourism Duration TBD