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Portland, Maine

UNE Occupational Therapy program to host annual Adaptive Projects Expo on April 15

People observe a sensory board
The annual event will be held in Girard Innovation Hall on UNE's Portland Campus for the Health Sciences.

The Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of New England invites the public to its annual Pediatric Adaptive Projects Expo, to be held Tuesday, April 15, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Arthur P. Girard Innovation Hall on UNE’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences. 

A signature event of UNE’s Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (M.S.O.T.) program, the Expo highlights the creativity, compassion, and hands-on innovation of UNE’s first-year graduate M.S.O.T. students. More than 25 interactive, adaptive projects will be on display, all designed to promote occupational engagement for children and families, particularly those navigating sensory processing differences or neurodevelopmental conditions. 

Past projects have included sensory boards, modified toys, adaptive pictorial cookbooks, and even a piano that plays using the electrical signals from vegetables and houseplants. 

“All of the projects on display serve a real-world purpose — they are designed to support the unique needs of individual children while enabling our students to apply evidence-based strategies and design thinking,” said Jamie Harmon, MOTR/L, NTP, assistant clinical professor of occupational therapy at UNE. “This event is a celebration of innovation, empathy, and our students’ growing capacity to make a difference through occupational therapy.” 

All projects will be donated to local families or organizations serving children with disabilities. Guests will have the opportunity to speak directly with student creators and OT faculty and to engage with the exhibits. 

The event is free and open to the public, including community members, students, faculty, and professional staff. Individuals of all ages and abilities are warmly welcomed. Light refreshments will be served.

Media Contact

Alan Bennett
Office of Communications
abennett11@une.edu

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.