As an occupational therapist, I am most dedicated to maximizing the quality of life for all people whom I meet. I have been an occupational therapist for over 10 years in many settings after graduating from Texas Woman’s University with my masters in occupational therapy. I also received my bachelor degree in family and child sciences to provide a foundation for understanding child development and family systems.

In 2017 I began working in driver rehabilitation, primarily with older adults. I initially took this position as a way to get my foot in the door with a specific company, but quickly realized I have a passion for ensuring people are safe to drive and to figure out how to get around the community as independently as safely possible. My favorite clients were those who could drive safely, but needed assistance to succeed, whether with adaptive equipment or specialized training. I also greatly enjoyed working with people who were not going to drive, but needed specialized equipment to ride safely as a passenger.

As I progressed in my knowledge and skills I began to wonder what our community does for younger individuals. What about all those kids I worked with when I worked in outpatient pediatrics? Or the teenagers and pre-teens I saw in the hospital who had life changing conditions?

As I began researching, I realized our community has limited options for these families. I became interested in developing a driver rehabilitation program that focuses on young adults and teenagers. In 2020 I began my adventure in educating pediatric occupational therapists around the Salt Lake City area in how they can address driving and when it would be appropraite to refer to a driver rehabilitation specialist. I also initiated a driver readiness clinic at Primary Children’s Hosptial to begin determining if young adults and teenagers had the foundational skills necessary to drive.

While working in this clinic I realized that it wasn’t enough. These fmailies needed someone who could regularly follow up with them. Someone who could take them on the road and evaluate how their clinical skills translated to on the road skills. They needed someone who could teach them how to use adaptive equipment and walk through the complex process of obtaining adaptive equipment.

I decided to open En Route to Independence to provide services for all those families who needed consistent follow up, or consultation with driver educators, or adaptive equipment, or training on how to navigate the community when they are not safe to drive, or to be a safe passenger in a vehicle when they no longer fit in special needs car seats. My passion for maximizing quality of life can now be combined with my love for driver rehabilitation.