August 2010
Spotlight Member: Debra Young, MEd., OTR/L, ATP, CAPS
Occupational Therapist/ Accessibility consultant
EmpowerAbility™, LLC
Debra is the owner of EmpowerAbility™, LLC an Occupational Therapy-based consulting agency that offers Aging-In-Place, Home Safety, Assistive Technology and Accessibility consultation to promote independence and functional performance in all life environments. She has a Master's in Education degree with specialization in Assistive Technology (AT) from Bowling Green State University, a graduate certificate in AT from Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Elizabethtown College.
She has 15 years of clinical experience, working in hospital, educational and community settings as an OT and AT consultant. Debra is a Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS).
Debra Young is the founder of the Greater Philadelphia Area Aging-In-Place Chapter. She has served as President for the Delaware State Board of Occupational Therapy and participated as an alternate American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) representative to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). She is currently the Delaware representative of the AOTA Representative Assembly. Debra has also served as an OT delegate to South Africa for the People to People Ambassador program.
Added Personal Experience...
Debra understands the special living needs of seniors and persons with disabilities, as well as their desire to live independently, because of two very personal experiences. Bill, Debra’s husband, has a C5-C6 incomplete spinal cord injury resulting in quadriplegia. Their current home has been universally designed by Debra to create an accessible, barrier-free environment, while maintaining the aesthetics by integrating the modifications into the design of the home.
In addition, she has been working with her parents to allow them to safely age-in-place in their current home. From these experiences, Debra is aware of the need for a highly qualified home modifications consultant that can make appropriate environmental modification recommendations, and has continued to pursue certifications and professional development to demonstrate her commitment to the field.
EmpowerAbility™, LLC
Creating Access for Life
Debra Young, MEd., OTR/L, ATP, CAPS
107 Syracuse Drive
Newark, Delaware 19713
Phone/FAX: (302)-504-6067
E-mail: dyoung@empowerability.com
www.empowerability.com
http://empowerability.wordpress.com