The Munroe-Meyer Institute’s Abbie Nelson, an occupational therapist who works with Omaha Public Schools as part of the district’s partnership with MMI, recently was honored by the Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association as its practitioner of the year.
When Nelson, a former Camp Munroe volunteer and staffer who was been an OT for 11 years, first received the email announcing the award, she thought it was a phishing attempt.
“I read it three times and was about to report it to IT,” she said with a laugh.
Nelson’s work is no joke, though, said Michelle Westengaard, director of the MMI Department of Occupational Therapy.
“Abbie’s dedication and drive is truly inspiring,” Westengaard said. “As a school-based occupational therapist, she consistently goes above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of her students. Her commitment to their growth, combined with her advocacy and leadership in the American Occupation Therapy Association Pediatric Mentorship Program, exhibits her passion for the field and her desire to support and empower others. Being named Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association Clinician of the Year is a testament to her outstanding contributions and her relentless pursuit of excellence in everything she does.”
For Nelson, the award is a vindication of her decision to follow her passion for OT, an interest kindled when she was a 15-year-old volunteer at the MMI recreational therapy summer camp. Working with campers with intellectual and developmental disabilities, she fell in love with occupational therapy and the difference it can make in people’s lives.
At OPS, Nelson serves students from age 3 up to 21, meaning that in her more than seven years with the district, she has had the opportunity to follow her clients as they grow and achieve milestones.
“I have a really great team that I work alongside,” she said. “We know that this work is a marathon, not a sprint, as our students work on making progress.”
Based at JP Lord, Oak Valley Elementary and CRCC North, Nelson serves about 73 students total, the youngest a 3-year-old preschooler and the oldest who turned 21 a few weeks ago.
“The biggest satisfaction, sometimes, is with students with multiple impairments or more severe, complex medical needs,” she said. “They don’t make progress right away, it’s not a quick fix. But one of the best and greatest things I get out of being an OT — and especially at JP Lord — is that I’ve gotten to be with a lot of these students for seven years now. We’ve trialed activities, and we have adapted treatments and accommodations. Getting them to laugh, or knowing what social cues they love and respond to – that is everything.”
Her career wouldn’t have been possible without MMI, she said.
“MMI is the backbone of where it all started for me,” she said. “As an OT, I work with individuals with disabilities and we are taking objects and activities and making ordinary things extraordinary for individuals.
“That’s something I strive for.”
Nelson credits her success to her family, whose commitment to volunteerism first led her to MMI. In addition, she said, they frequently help her create assistive technology items at home when she has an idea for a device that might help a student, such as adapting a switch on a leaf blower to enable play between peers by using the blower to make a beach ball go in a basket or over a net.
She also credited mentor Liz Konopasek, DPT, in the MMI Department of Physical Therapy, and Westengaard for their support and guidance.
“This award means I have surrounded myself with teams (OTs, PTs and all my school teams) that continue to push me outside the box, to not stop and to find a way to make my students successful. God has blessed me tremendously.”