Kenna Sullivan

Slagle Lecture
Kathlyn L. Reed, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, MLIS is an accomplished woman within the field of
occupational therapy. Her journey to becoming a respected occupational therapist began at the University
of Kansas where she graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Occupational Therapy. Her studies at
Kansas were followed by Michigan where she earned her Masters of Occupational Therapy at Western
Michigan University. She also earned a Masters of Library Studies and Information and a PhD in Special
Education later in life. She has taken on many roles within the profession including published author,
educator, practicing clinician, and a fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association where she
served as Chairperson from 2007 to 2010. Dr. Reed was an associate professor in the occupational therapy
program at Texas Womans University until she retired in 2010. Her career path has remained focused on
being a life long learner and educator within the field.
One of Dr. Reeds most notable accomplishments was her presentation of the 1986 Eleanor
Clarke Slagle Lecture titled, Tools of Practice: Heritage or Baggage?. Aside from her Slagle lecture, Dr.
Reed has also published textbooks and peer-reviewed articles as well as presented at local, state, national,
and international conferences. Some of her published works include: Occupational Participation of
Homeless People, Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Ethics Standards (2010), and Quick
Reference to Occupational Therapy.
Dr. Reeds Slagle lecture posed an important question that holds true today. From her
observations, she believed that few occupational therapists seemed to understand the reason why media or
methods were utilized within practice. She determined that there are eight factors that decide which media
and methods are applied or rejected from a therapists tools of the trade. Those factors include cultural,
social, economic, political, technological, theoretical, historical, and research. Each factor is then further
explained by a set of fourteen assumptions that reveal their effect of use and disposal of media and
methods in occupational therapy. In essence, she challenged that occupational therapists should be
knowledgeable with how to utilize media and methods therapeutically, why they are therapeutic, and how
they reflect the philosophy of occupational therapy. A therapist should be knowledgeable with the
occupations proper uses, not lose sight of the purpose of the occupation as a form of therapy, and keep it
meaningful to the client with respect to the eight factors listed previously.
From this timeline project, I have learned a lot about the growth and development of occupational
therapy. Prior to my research, I hadnt realized how young of a profession occupational therapy is
compared to other healthcare professions. I found it to be very interesting to see how national and global
occurrences shaped and affected the professions progression and how events like World War II increased
the need for therapists. Additionally, I enjoyed learning from the Slagle lecture because it connected me to
the professions concerns of the 1980s and allowed me to compare and contrast what we know today with
what they were faced with back then.

References
Reed, K. L. (2010, November 22). Zoom Info. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from
http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Kathlyn-Reed/107861307.
Reed, K. L. (1986). Tools of Practice: Heritage or Baggage?. 1986 Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lecture.
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 40(9), 597-605. Retrieved September 14, 2014, from
http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.40.9.597.