Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. The health and safety of OT clientele demand students' proficiency in a multitude of evaluation and intervention approaches. Subsequently, educators must use evidence-based instructional approaches to facilitate efficient high-quality learning. In this research presentation, we discuss a randomized controlled educational intervention designed to train entry-level OT students how to evaluate the accessibility of community spaces. Primary Author and Speaker: Jaclyn K. Schwartz Additional Authors and Speakers: Roger O. Smith, Suzanne Burns, Rochelle Mendonca, and Ingris Treminio Contributing Authors: Alyssa Jindracek, Tori Stokes, and Jordann Young

Purpose Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience significant health-care disparities across physical and mental health domains resulting in poorer health and quality of life. Poor transitions to adult care negatively impact the health of adults with ASD. Current research focuses on personal factors in research samples that lack diversity. The purpose of this study is to examine the lived health-care experiences of geographically and ethnically diverse young adults with ASD in adult care settings in the USA to understand provider and system-level factors affecting their health. Design/methodology/approach Nine caregivers of young adults with ASD participated in key informant interviews describing their experiences in navigating the health-care system. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Findings The data indicated that limited quantity of services, poor quality of services, and high cost of services had a negative effect on the health of adults with ASD. Issues cascaded to become more complex. Practical implications Practical implications for payors, providers, persons with ASD and their families are discussed in this paper. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study answers the call to better understand system-level factors affecting the health of geographically and ethnically diverse people with ASD.

Date Presented 03/28/20 People with disabilities often cannot participate in the community due to barriers in the community environment. In this research presentation, we discuss an educational intervention designed to train entry-level OT students on community-environment accessibility evaluation. We will also describe the outcomes of this educational intervention on 41 students’ knowledge and skills. Primary Author and Speaker: Ingris Treminio Additional Authors and Speakers: Jaclyn Schwartz, Katelyn Blumenthal, Andrea Llano, Stephanie Pujol, Emily Serros, Rebecca Mojica