Our role in special education was established in 1775 with the passing of The Education for All Handicapped Children Act. A lot has changed since then and we now have what is called the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA.

In this episode of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast, we are welcoming Abe Saffer, MPM. Abe is the Senior Legislative Representative for AOTA and I asked him to come on the show to share with us how laws created and updated in Washington D.C. impact us as practicing school-based OTs. 

Specifically, we will be discussing how IDEA differs from the Every Student Succeeds Act and what it means for us as OTPs, both now and in the coming years. 

Listen in to better understand your role as a school-based OT. 

View the show notes and a transcript of this episode at otschoolhouse.com/episode91

Kick off the 2025-26 school year at the Back to School Conference!

Learn why so many OTPs dub the Back to School Conference their FAVORITE OT conference. Join 600+ school-based OT practitioners in accessing knowledge, resources, and support to start the school year strong. 

CLICK HERE to save $50 and secure your spot with code PODCAST25

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Thanks for tuning into the OT Schoolhouse Podcast brought to you by the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community for school-based OTPs. In OTS Collab, we use community-powered professional development to learn together and implement strategies together.

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See you in the next episode!