To help improve the quality of life via therapeutic services in Madagascar, the Loving Healing Press is donating copies of its title Handwriting For Heroes – a task-oriented workbook to help people learn to write with their non-dominant hand.
The non-profit Growing the Nations Therapy Programmes (GNTP) is currently focusing on helping vulnerable, poverty-stricken people in Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world, by providing them therapeutic services. Establishing a resource library for occupational therapists to work with the affected people in the area is a key requirement for this purpose.
Anri-Louise Oosthuizen is the founder of Growing the Nations Therapy Programmes (GNTP) as well as the Occupational Therapist (OT) that started the profession in Madagascar. It is by her position as an OT professor at the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar that she came to know of Handwriting For Heroes.
“I am the only occupational therapy lecturer in Madagascar,” Oosthuizen tells. “A few weeks ago a new graduate came to ask me how to retrain dominance post-head injury. I could not give her a good answer, and in my internet search I found this program.” She says she would love to include it in the curriculum.
Although Handwriting For Heroes is designed to work best in conjunction with a formal course of Occupational Therapy, it can also be used solo by a motivated learner.
“The advantage of working with an OT, is that they can answer questions, help set expectations, and evaluate progress in a way that self-study can’t achieve,” says Victor Volkman, publisher at the Loving Healing Press.
About the Authors
Katie Yancosek is an officer in the Army Medical Specialist Corps. Among many qualifications, she holds a PhD in rehabilitation sciences from the University of Kentucky.
Kristin Gulick has been enjoying her practice as an occupational therapist for more than 25 years. In the past, Kristin served as the Director of Therapy Services at Advanced Arm Dynamics, where she enjoyed working with clients with upper limb loss in their rehabilitation process.
Amanda Sammons is an officer in the Army Medical Specialist Corps. She graduated from Baylor University with a Doctor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy.
Evaluation Copy Requests
Interested Occupational Therapists worldwide may request a complimentary evaluation copy of Handwriting For Heroes to see if it is appropriate for their clientele by writing to info@LHPress.com.